Guest Post By Daniel the fast newbie
My name is Daniel and im from a typical swedish famely. My father is an atheist and my mother is a non practesing Catholic. Im curently traveling the world. This is a trip where i want to experiace new things and get adeeper understanding of other cultures and religons. So when i reed the swedish newspaper online from australa and se its ramadan i decide to try out part of the practices muslims all over the world do under ramadan.
Sawm: I will atemt to fast for the duration of ramadan. fajr is at 0500 and maghrib is around 1900 so 14hrs of fast. Since im a big sweede im a bit worried about the water. Its about 10*c hotter here than it gets back home so i sweat alot... and i work from 1800 to 2400 so i cant sit down and have a meal until 2400 so my food fast is about 19hrs long. But im not to worried
about the food...
I have now been fasting for 11hrs and im not working tonight so my first day will be easyer then the folowing... I woke up at 0445 and had i nice breakfast but i thoght fibre and salt whoud help me hold more water but i realice now that the salt was a mistake. since today is my day of I went out to sunbathe but that was my second mistake... losing all that precius water just to get a nice tan and i nice rest in the sun is somthing that have to wait until next month...
The thirst is the worst so far and im dying for a smoke. im not even fealing the hunger but i gues thirst is stronger than huger.
The only regrets i have about this is that im doing it alone. i have no one to go for suport and more important no one to share my meals with as my friends eat at "normal" times so when the rest of you have a nice dinner with famely and friends after maghrib I have to eat alone... so the
party/festive part of ramadan is mised by me. i gues i have to be in a country with more muslims next year : )
3hrs left of my first day of fast ever. and I like it so far as it gives a nice insight to what it feals like to be thirsty...
My name is Daniel and im from a typical swedish famely. My father is an atheist and my mother is a non practesing Catholic. Im curently traveling the world. This is a trip where i want to experiace new things and get adeeper understanding of other cultures and religons. So when i reed the swedish newspaper online from australa and se its ramadan i decide to try out part of the practices muslims all over the world do under ramadan.
Sawm: I will atemt to fast for the duration of ramadan. fajr is at 0500 and maghrib is around 1900 so 14hrs of fast. Since im a big sweede im a bit worried about the water. Its about 10*c hotter here than it gets back home so i sweat alot... and i work from 1800 to 2400 so i cant sit down and have a meal until 2400 so my food fast is about 19hrs long. But im not to worried
about the food...
I have now been fasting for 11hrs and im not working tonight so my first day will be easyer then the folowing... I woke up at 0445 and had i nice breakfast but i thoght fibre and salt whoud help me hold more water but i realice now that the salt was a mistake. since today is my day of I went out to sunbathe but that was my second mistake... losing all that precius water just to get a nice tan and i nice rest in the sun is somthing that have to wait until next month...
The thirst is the worst so far and im dying for a smoke. im not even fealing the hunger but i gues thirst is stronger than huger.
The only regrets i have about this is that im doing it alone. i have no one to go for suport and more important no one to share my meals with as my friends eat at "normal" times so when the rest of you have a nice dinner with famely and friends after maghrib I have to eat alone... so the
party/festive part of ramadan is mised by me. i gues i have to be in a country with more muslims next year : )
3hrs left of my first day of fast ever. and I like it so far as it gives a nice insight to what it feals like to be thirsty...
17 comments:
As salamu alykum!
Very nice article you wrote there, but just one question: Why don't you just break the fast with a date, or a glass of water, when it's maghrib??? It takes less than a minute, and you won't have to starve until midnight, i think you're being just a little bit hard on yourself.....And here is an advice for you, the day you have a day off from work, you should visit the local mosque near you, and break your sawm there, with a bunch of muslim brothers and sisters,and i promise you, any table will welcome you, you don't have to know anyone, and you'll at least change number with somebody, during the iftaar. If you want to feel the Ramadan spirit, then what are you waiting for??
And as we say in Sweden:
Ha en välsignad Ramadan!
Transl:Have a blessed Ramadan!
Daniel, Thanks for sharing your ramadan experiences from australia, it'd be good to hear more about your experience with ramadan.
And I agree totally with flip flop sister, you should open your fast with water and dates at Magrib and nibble away after that. I totally understand your craving for smokes, Thats one thing ramadan teaches, patience and abstanence. I know its hard but you'll realize its not as hard as you thought it would be.
Also as sister in flip slops said, definately stop by any local mosque/ islamic center at iftaar time and you will meet lots of people who will welcome you and would love not only to share their meal with you but entertain you and inform you as well.
Hope you have a happy ramadan. Good Luck fasting.
Craving for a smoke is stronger when you're doing nothing at all! I'm busy at work during daytime and then I sleep for about 2 hrs at noon. I don't feel like I need a ciggy! but I need one right after iftar!
As mentioned above, you don't have to wait until your shift is over. Just open your fast with some dates and water/juice and carry on.
Stay focused and try to minimize your exertion at work. Drink lots of water at meal times so you don't feel dehydrated during fasting.
Good luck and God bless!
Nice to see a dedicated Ramadan blog. Keep it up. Allah bless you for that.
Thank you Shirazi for your encouragement and Kind words, We hope to continue working to improve the blog and add new and interesting features as the month passes.
We already have several authors from several different countries posting about their experiences, we'd like to get more. If you want to share your stories/pictures but dont want to become a member you can just email the stories or pictures to destituterebel@gmail.com or shaykhspeara@hotmail.com and we'd be more then happy to post them for you.
Welcome on board Daniel, It's fabulous to have you with us all the way from down under :)
Is your job of a nature that you cannot keep drink or a biscuit or dates near you at the time of opening your fast?
Yo D reb!
Thanks for renaming me brother, first it was "flip flop sister", and later on it was "sister in flip flops", what's my third and last nickname?????lol!!!
Happy fasting
Walking sister with flip flops...
Walking sister with flip flops, Thats a long one you know, and now that you mention it and i go back and check the second time it was "sister in flip Slops" and not sister in flip flops.
Well what do you expect from a sleep deprived, nicotine denied, hungry, thirsty fellow who just walked in from driving hours in heavy traffic. Lol - I'll be more carefull next time don't wanna be disrespectful to the flip flops, lol.
May Allah accept your fasting, brother!
lol you two...
Daniel,
I admire your willingness to learn and experience new things.
At first, fasting is really hard, but then you get use to it. The first couple of days you concentrate on the fact that you cant have food or water ALL day, but later on you tend to ingore it.
Here's a tip about eating breakfast: Stick to carbs and fiber, avoid sweet things because its going to make you more thirsty later on. Drink milk and water.
STAY AWAY FROM SALTY FOODS or fried foods too. :/
Dont over eat, that being at breakfast (sohoor) or when you break your fast, dinner, (iftar).
Exercising maybe a problem at first. In highschool I was on the basketball team, so i would have practicies and games while i was fasting. Mughrib would come in during the games or practices so i would break my fast with water and continue.
Just avoid working out during the
day.
Good Luck and I wish you the best :)
Ah better, walking sister with flip flops (Just had iftaar so can think and type straight), May allah accept your fasting and prayers too.
To all of you, after reading Daniel's post, I think I will try and fast for one day and see if I can make it from dawn to dusk without a smoke (that's my strongest vice). I will realize if I pull through that anything's doable if one wants to get it done. Besides, it'd be sort of getting even with my missed opportunity from way back from 1995.
Here's hoping soon (just don't ask me a date). I'll report if I was successful. Wish me luck :D
Ohhh awos!!! maybe you can add that challenge to my quran for cash! We will have to pay a fixed amount of money to charity the day you fast! :)
Yes Mother SS: I pledge. LOL. You're an Angel - Hehe :D
VEry funny you 2!
Walking sister in flip flops (behanjee in chappals) and DReb.
Oii meri koii khabbar kyu nahi lay raha hai?
awos :)
kaya jaan, yaar, kya khabar chaiyyeh tu? lol
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