Friends, we’ve talked about what Ramadan is. We’ve talked about what the average day of fasting is like. But you are my readers, and I know what entertains you. As educated and worldly as you are, you just want to giggle at the weird things.
Now that we’ve completed the first week of Ramadan, I give you the seven strangest experiences that this month brings.
1. Sleepy eating.
Many Muslims wake up before sunrise to have a small meal before starting their fast. At first, my brothers and sisters in Islam awake with vigour and enthusiasm:
But then the toll of waking up so early starts to get to them and they question why they do it. Although they’re eating, they’re not quite awake.
I remember one year, I woke up to have some water. I was so tired that I filled up my glass of water and put it back in the cupboard. I forgot I had done it and went back to get a glass. Well, you can imagine what happened when I picked up the same glass. I was definitely much more awake.
As the month goes on, many tend to undertake the strongest jihad – to eat or not to eat:
And on nights when ‘eat’ wins…
It looks something like that.
2. Lots of energy highs and sudden energy lows.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but during Ramadan, it’s like my energy levels can be changed as easily as flicking a switch. You see, I go through these high phases where I’m a machine on a mission and then it momentarily falls apart. I go from this
to this.
3. Keto-breath
The biggest problem Muslims face during Ramadan is keto-breath. Halitosis. Bad-Ramadan-breath. It’s amazing how quickly your breath starts to stink when you haven’t eaten. No amount of brushing, flossing and mouth-washing in the morning can prevent it. I’m not sure if others can smell it, but there are some days where I’m like… God have mercy on us all. If a Muslim attempts to conversate with you at a distance, they’re just trying to protect you from this:
4. Random tummy rumbles – really loud, random tummy rumbles.
You’re at an important meeting and being all professional-like. You’re about to make the comment of the meeting. Then this happens:
You’re not really that hungry. But now your insides are empty and the noise that the beast inside makes echoes with the strength of a thousand beating drums. How embarrassment.
5. Unreasonable dinner plans.
The second dumbest thing you can do while fasting is talk about food. The dumbest is go grocery shopping. But sometimes you and your friends decide that it’s a great idea to talk about what you’re going to have for dinner that night. It starts off sane. You’ll have some steak and salad. Maybe some soup. Then you decide you’re going to make some pasta as well… or maybe a lasagne. Maybe you’ll have some roast lamb and some stir fry as well. Then you make an oath to eat everything on God’s green earth.
Oh, and your plans for each and every night?
6. Unparalleled excitement about sunset.
I’m sure this one doesn’t require much explanation. You’ve been abstaining from eating and drinking all day. The day has edged closer to its glorious end. Suddenly, you hear the athan which rings in maghrib (sunset). The realisation that you may now quench your thirst and silence the beast that has growled inside you all day hits, and you celebrate:
7. Inability to actually eat.
After fantasising about food all day, you imagine dinner time to look something like this:
But as much as you want to, your stomach just won’t accept food in those quantities or at that speed. So instead, you have to take it slow and eat like this:
It’s probably a very good thing, and the one thing that will prevent you from gaining a trillion kilos during the holy month. But it doesn’t really mater, because the first mouthful of anything you eat is amazing.
What strange things do you experience during Ramadan or when you’re just hungry in general? Do you also find yourself spending double what you usually would when grocery shopping? Have you tried fasting for a day or part of a day to see what it feels like? Let me know your experiences!
—
Want to keep up to date with new posts?
Follow me on Twitter. Prefer Facebook? Okay, off you go.
Reblogged this on Fatima Xberg's Blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is sooooo funny. I would say along with the stinky breath, I get what I call cotton mouth. My mouth is soooo dry, I feel like I have cotton in it. Even making wudhu doesn’t help it. Lol
LikeLike
Haha glad I could make you laugh!
Most definitely feeling you on the dry mouth. Especially in an airconditioned room. It’s like all the moisture evaporates.
LikeLike
This is hilarious and so true! hahahaha… I’ve experienced it all.
LikeLike
I’m glad we can all form a club! May Allah reward us for our deeds 🙂
LikeLike
Gosh. This is so true. . And entertaining.
LikeLike
😀 Thank you.
LikeLike
Oh man, I AM that sloth a suhoor!
LikeLike
I don’t know how people do it! I have some water and that’s hard enough. Power to you, little sloth!
LikeLike
Love, love, love your blog! Reposted this post on my blog, I hope that’s okay! Let me know if you want me to edit it. My friends & I are huge fans of your blog now.
LikeLike
Thank you! It’s not a problem at all. I’m so glad you and your friends are enjoying the posts – it’s what my writing is all about 🙂
LikeLike
i’m Jewish and we have to fast for 24 hours, ish, once a year… i get soooo sleepy, and by the time we can break the fast i want to eat EVERYTHING, but then i can only ever eat half, maybe three-quarters of the food on my plate. 😦 i never noticed bad breath or dry mouth though… i’ll have to pay more attention this year!
LikeLike
It’s so funny, isn’t it? But! If we can control this we can control other parts of our lives 🙂 I’m having one of those sleepy days today. Zzzzzzzzzz
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is my first Ramadan, and I’ve definitely felt the crazy energy highs and lows, but no matter how sleepy I am in the morning (I know it’s early days still) I have to eat and drink for suhoor. Otherwise I wouldn’t survive!! But somehow I’m finding it so much easier to get up for suhoor (and therefore fajr) than I normally do, which is great… so far it’s been rather inspiring! But I totally expected to be overeating all night… but I just… can’t…
I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the month goes!
LikeLike
It’s definitely a challenge! InshaAllah it’s a good month for you 😀
LikeLike