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15 Things I Won’t Miss About Ramadan
Ramadan is a time where Muslim’s go into fasting for a month. However, somethings one can do without while going through a spiritual event.
15 Things I won’t Miss About Ramadan:
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Fasting means not having food, drink, giving up bad habits and changing behaviour- Bad habits such as smoking can be difficult to break while fasting and getting used to only eating at night and before dawn can affect how you perform during the day.
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Waking up to pee every 5 minutes- At night, it is advisable to drink as much fluids as you can when having your meal and just before starting your fast again in the morning. This is to prevent getting thirsty and not being able to drink anything. However, this leads to frequent urination and can mess with your sleep schedule.
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Ramadan Headaches- Being dehydrated can cause headaches, also lack of caffeine if you are a coffee drinker can give you headaches as one of the withdrawal symptoms. Also just being hunger can cause a headache.
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No sleeping patterns- Having to eat before dawn can have you waking up earlier than usual to have a full breakfast can throw your sleeping pattern off.
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Cravings- Not eating can cause you to start to crave for foods. Even foods you rarely eat. As you feel the hunger pangs you could start thinking about all the delicious foods that you could be eating if you weren’t fasting.
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Ramadan Breath- Not eating for hours can give you bad breath. Be mindful of this when interacting with other people. Cover your mouth or keep your distance when engaging in conversations to avoid the awkwardness of your Ramadan breath.
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You could be fasting for 11 hours or even for 20 hours- Depending on where you live, and the time zone of your country, your fast could be much longer either by starting earlier or ending later.
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Eating of fatty fats- If you are on a diet, during Ramadan a lot of fatty foods are cooked and prepared to eat when you break your fast. Although heathy options such as Olive oil used over salads are on the menu, most of the foods are deep fried and covered in batter giving you an unhealthy dose of oils for 30 days.
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No exercising- When you are fasting, you cannot exercise. Exercise requires a lot of energy and a proper diet to ensure that your body doesn’t overwork itself.
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In some countries, eating in public during Ramadan is forbidden- Strict Muslim countries have laws that forbid restaurants to be open during fasting hours and serve food or drinks.
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Businesses are closed during Ramadan- In Muslim countries, all types of businesses are closed during the day. At night, however, everything is opened to allow for food to be bought, people to come have meals in restaurants and just spend time outside their home where they have been fasting all day.
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Fighting over the moon sighting- The month of Ramadan starts with a moon sighting, having to fight over who gets to see the moon can become a regular habit during this time.
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Being considered impure means you cannot take part in the fasting- If you are pregnant, or menstruation you cannot fast during Ramadan. You need to make up for the fasting at a later stage when you can fast.
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Punishment for missing fast- If you miss the Fast during the month of Ramadan for reasons such as traveling. You must either pay Fidya or Kaffarah to make up for each missed fast.
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Fluctuations in body weight- When fasting, you can either gain body weight or lose them depending on your metabolism and how the changes in your diet affect it.
The Magic of Ramadan
Ramadan is a month of abstaining from bad behaviour and habits that are harmful towards your body and being. It is also fasting from food and drink during from sunrise to sunset to remind us how blessed we are by Allah and the everyday privileges we have.
There are many positives to the month of Ramadan. The fasting is believed to cleanse and purify your body. Giving up habits for the month such as smoking and drinking alcohol can help you break out of your addiction by detoxing your body. The belief is that the stronger you are in your faith, the greater you are in resisting your bad habits during the fast.
Abstaining from sexual activities also helps you grow much more intimate with Allah as you all for self – preservation and respect for this holy time.
You learn how to control your cravings, and the desires you have when fasting. Having self-control is a good character trait to have when fasting, this ensures that you do not break your fast and can achieve your goals by controlling your urges.
The fast is supposed to take you to a purer state of being, a better new version of yourself where you discard old habits and embrace changes.
There are also other smaller habits that you break and should refrain from while fasting. Things such as gossiping about other people, lying, fighting, being unkind to any living thing are also forbidden.
