Like 4.2 % of the Muslim populace of the total population of Nepal, it was time for him to break the fast (Roja) for the day. [break]
Miya, who traveled to Kathmandu a few days back from Palpa in order to raise funds for a local mosque, informs that Ramadan is a good time to collect funds.
“Last year, someone else took the responsibility of the collection, this year it’s mine,” says the 36-year-old. Couple the travel on an empty stomach with the hot weather, and it can become excruciating, says Miya.
According to Islamic belief, Ramadan is the month when the first verses of the Holy Quran were revealed to Prophet Mohammed. Throughout this holy month, Muslims all around the world observe fasting and abstain themselves from food, alcohol and physical needs during the daylight hours.
This year, the holy month of Ramadan, also known as Ramjan, started 10 days earlier. Imam* Mohammad Farooq of Kashmiri Masjid informs that Ramadan climbs up 10 to 11 days each year in the Gregorian Calendar but it’s the same in the Islam calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase.
This means that the days are longer and nights are shorter, prolonging the fasting hours. “At the moment it’s 15 and half hours of Roja,” adds the Imam.
Kathmandu’s weather has been fluttering from 28 to 30 degree Celsius since Ramadan started on August 1.
However, with regular showers, the weather has been comparatively bearable for the Muslim population in Kathmandu. But the case is slightly different in the northern hemisphere.
Recently, different media and prints had run news on how Ramadan in the US could be challenging for American Muslims because of the sunnier days.
“Working regular hours during fasting in this unpredictable weather can be quite a task, mainly in the heat,” says Sabir Khan, who volunteers at Nepal Jame Masjid, Bag Bazaar during Ramadan. Asking one of the visitors to take a seat for Iftar**, the 22-year-old opines that the more one stresses about such situation, difficult gets the process.
After the Imam announces the time of Iftar, Khan takes the seat at last after settling down all the visitors who come from several places.
There are people who travel from different parts of the country to collect funds for their schools or local mosques, like Salam Din Miya from Rampur, Palpa; there are Imams from Pakistan, who travel around teaching the right method of praying, and there are others who can’t make it to their home on time to break their fast.
Be it with family or community, Iftar, also known as Aftari, is taken as the time to strengthen the ties.
Every evening Khan visits the masjid after completing his work hours at a cosmetic shop at Indra Chowk. At the masjid, he is seen setting up cushions and arranging food plates at the particular area designated for Iftar. Some 300 people come to break their fast at the mosque. And the estimation is the same at the Kashmiri Masjid.
While in the Jame Masjid, a group of four shares a plate, in the Kashmiri it is a plate per head. And of several foods, date, roti, grams, fruits, haluwa and meat curry are typical items in both mosques.
During the month of Ramadan, young Khan starts his day at around 3 am. It all begis with freshening up, prayer and taking his meal that will help him function throughout the day.
Usually, his morning meal consists of three loafs of bread and tea during Ramadan. “I avoid heavy diet because it’s believed that if we vomit, we break the Roja.” After his morning rituals, Khan goes back to sleep and around 9 am heads to work from his residence at Dhalku.
At his work, he says it is comparatively laid back during Ramadan. “As my employer is a Muslim himself, we get rest breaks in between, depending on the flow of clientele,” informs Khan.
But when it comes to working women, the whole situation appears to be pretty taxing. Along with juggling time at work and taking care of their regular household chores, working mother like Nagima Banu, 35, wakes up around 3 am before her family of four does. She prepares the morning meal, feeds her two sons and husband and reads the Quran. At around 10, she hurries up to open her cosmetic shop in Maitidevi Chowk.
After seven hours at the store, she heads home at 5 pm to prepare Iftar. Though her husband, who is involved in glass beads business, is unable to manage time to help her in the kitchen, her sons assist her in the preparation.
When inquired about how she manages herself and maintain her calm working next to the chaotic road where her store is located and the temperature outside, she opines that if one believes in Allah and the tasks one has taken up, one can easily surpass the difficulties.
The first few days can get difficult but one gets used to it after a while, observe Khan and Banu. Salam echoes the same. However, he is more concerned about the coming years’ Ramadan when there will be more daylight and sunnier days.
Miya, who worked in Dubai for seven years, observes, “Working hours were more flexible in Dubai during Ramadan. We worked four hours in the morning when we had the most energy, and in the evenings there were rest time as well.” But that is not the case here.
However, unlike their counterparts in the Middle East where the working hours are liberal and people take it easier during the day, Nepali Muslims are adjusting their eating habits and schedules.
“Besides, we can’t complain much about the heat in Kathmandu. Let’s think about the Tarai in that case.” The town with the highest percentage of Muslim population in Nepal, Nepalgunj’s mercury level has gone up to 35 degrees Celsius since Ramadan commenced.
Some, however, have found ways to deal with the heat. Jainuddin Ansari, who runs Sahil Motorbike Shop in Gyaneshwor, the month of Ramadan is like any working month. “I don’t have fixed working hours. If there’s work, I open the workshop early and work till late if needed.”
Ansari says that he consumes curd and plenty of fruits and vegetables as they help him remain cool throughout the day. “I try and avoid going out in the sun. Even if you drink water during Roja, there’s no point in fasting,” informs the 32-year-old who has been working in Kathmandu for the past 17 years.
For Ansari, Khan, Banu, or Miya alike, their main mantra is to stay focused in their work rather than letting heat or any other factors affect them. Maybe with 300 strangers or with close relatives or family members, Ramadan for all of them is to adopt positive attitude to all aspects of life.
*Imam: Leader who leads prayers in mosque.
**Iftar: The fast-breaking meal consumed after sunset during Ramadan.
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