Working through Ramadan | Hacker News Reader

Working through Ramadan

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35 pointstaylorbuley63 comments

I have fasted for the past 20 years during the month of Ramadan. It is the most revered month for all Muslim friends and family that I know. If you think Ramadan is restricted to just not eating, you need to learn more about why Muslims are advised to fast. Not eating during fast is the least of my concern as most days I am on an intermittent fast which lasts for 16 hours as well. Personally, I have rarely experienced any decline in performance, or asked for any exceptions or exemptions from work duties. It becomes challenging waking up in the middle of the night, 3 AM, to eat and drink and go back to sleep. This year’s timings are roughly from 330 AM to 830 PM in New England area. These timings change depending on your location. I make up for this lost sleep at lunch break around noon by taking a 30 minute nap. I come back to work after a nap with increased freshness of mind.

It has been a great month to inculcate new habits. I also seem to have have more time than my colleagues and get done with more work than usual days. I wouldn’t do it for the whole year as I love food too much.

My charity spending also spikes in this month and this is usual for most practicing Muslims. I calculate how much money I would have spent on food on my lunch in a normal month and give that money away to someone in need. This is besides the increased almsgiving that most observant Muslims would experience.

If you are sick, young, elderly, pregnant or have any health concerns you are exempt from fasting. You fast only if you are capable.

Sounds like it's pretty much the same as the 4 weeks of fasting into Easter, Lent, which is also based on the lunar calendar. I guess that's where ramadom comes from too, and I hear that one comes from the jewish religion, to remember the flight out of Egypt, away from their religion and slavery. So maybe your prophet got it from the jews. Basically when I was a kid the family would spend pretty much the entire afternoon being together, working on the food for the evening, which was usually delicious because of that. Many days there was church, and church activities. The school would help out with the fast.

I don't agree with you at all that it increases your energy. And yeah it came with lots of completely ridiculous rules, like anything religious. If I was a muslim, with that many rules that onerous, I'd refuse to do it just for that reason alone. Such rules only serve to prove someone else's power over you and nothing more. There is no use or purpose other than that. At one point I actually thought different, and so I simply tested it. Nothing, of course, as there is no God that is so extremely petty and meddling as that.

Fasted last 15 years. In my experience, the first couple of days are tough (mainly due to the body adjusting to different sleeping patterns and the lack of coffee), but after getting over that my energy levels come back. My output as a developer increases because my concentration levels are higher. This continues to increase right through the month. While I'm fasting, I feel like "I" have complete power/purity over my body. Fasting is not only to remember the people in poverty, it is to learn self restraint. The week after Ramadhan I begin to regret going back to old habits (5 cups of coffee a day, thinking about food/snacking during the day etc).

The problem I've found people who test it have, is they try the first day and say it's too hard (it is). You only really experience the benefits after a couple of days.

While it may be manageable for most, I wonder at what point it becomes downright dangerous for people in critical jobs.

It would be interesting to do an analysis of say Muslim Surgeons observing Ramadan fasts and the numbers and types medical errors during the fasting vs non-fasting periods.

Or the Pilots on Fast and Long Haul flights who have been fasting daily for a month....

Plenty of people do "intermittent fasting", but mostly for fitness reasons. 8hrs feeding window, and then 16hrs fast. One of the most reported side effects is actually "slight euforia".

It is hard to say in the Arab World, but judging from accent and religious greetings, I have flown during Ramadan without incident.

However, there are known exceptions to fasting when traveling during Ramadan. It is one of the few times when you are exempted, save illness, from fasting.

Despite what people say, Islam has a very practical mindset about these things and many people push themselves, name the elderly and sick, and that upsets me because I see many whose medical conditions exempt them.

How do doctors get around it? They don't show up!

Jokes aside, where I live, office hours are reduced to six hours a day. This is partly fasting, but because many stay up late to recite the Quran (Taraweeh and later Tajahhud) into the late hours of the evening and wake up for pre-dawn prayers.

> While it may be manageable for most, I wonder at what point it becomes downright dangerous for people in critical jobs.

Based on experience in pakistan, there's already effectively no OSHA and people do very dangerous things in construction/with heavy equipment all the time. Now add dehydration and 43C weather... You can imagine the results.

Fasting != intermittent fasting. You're not abstaining for weeks.

A meal can take take 24 hours or longer to digest (especially when it's a 'feast').

It's not unusual for people to gain weight during Ramadan (they don't break their' fast' with green pea soup).

If it's your first day (of your life) adjusting your food intake pattern, maybe there is a performance hit.

I'm not Muslim but I fast for fitness reasons much of the year. More focus, more strength, euphoria.

Eating takes a lot of energy. I now work for myself but when I was at a multinational finance company, I could see the post-lunch drain bring down 90% of people on my floor.

I would be worried about the pilot that ate three slices of pizza before getting on the plane!

What is interesting in Ramadan is being dependent on the moon for the calculation of this month starts and end, so in 33 years you will experience fasting in different seasons

It changes seasons every 10 years. In my mind Ramadan is forever tied to fasting in the winter because that's my earliest memory of it.

I was just saying the other day that fasting in Ramadan could work as alternative to Soylent[1]. Eating one meal a day frees up a lot of mental cycles that goes into thinking about food (what will I eat for lunch, where from, etc). It also allows for longer stretches of uninterrupted coding time. And probably most importantly the post-lunch slump is gone.

One phenomenon that I hadn't found an explanation for is that I get an explosive amount of energy around 6 or 7pm (just before breakfast at 8.30pm). And this hour is my most productive hour of the day.

[1]: https://twitter.com/amasad/status/746870830370533376?s=09

Have you found that the freed mental cycles came later in the month, after adjusting to the fast? In my experience, fasting requires even more mental effort than I'd normally spend just to ignore hunger pangs.

yes the first 3-5 days are always tough. Especially if you're addicted to caffeine or nicotine. I would say it takes almost a week to start feeling more productive than in non-fasting state.

Ramadan was my most productive month last year (hard to measure this year as I started at a new job just before Ramadan). There are no food related distractions (no thinking about lunch, getting up for water, going to the washroom, etc). The key was adjusting my schedule a little bit (start work later) to ensure you get enough proper sleep.

I guess it depends a lot on your job. As a counterpoint, one of my neighbours, who is Muslim, works as a chef. He says fasting is hard in that line of work: not only do you have to stay in a hot kitchen smelling of good food all day, but you can't even taste the food you're making to see if it's well seasoned etc., so you're constantly bothering other people to taste for you, thus lowering the productivity of the entire kitchen.

I didn't know that you weren't supposed to have water during the day. That's pretty cut throat!!!

I typically fast for 24 hours 2-3 times a week. My Energy levels have been higher since I've started this habit.

I've also done 7 day fasts and I find my brain gets sharper as it goes.

I think fasting along with meditation are two activities that I see as my "Secret weapon".

While a lot of people view them that as new age nonsense, I find they are worth 10 additional IQ points and believe they are activities that will be start to be pushed by doctors as part of what's considered preventative health care.

If you've never tried them, I'd highly recommend you consider it!!

Anyone who hasn't tried a spiritual discipline (such as fasting) really should.

Belief isn't a prerequisite, and most faiths have some sort of variation on it. Whether it's a Buddhist retreat, fasting through Ramadan, fasting through Lent (my tradition, Orthodox Christianity has fairly strict fasting rules as an example), or a retreat at a monastery, spiritual discipline is a great way to withdraw from the world, focus on your inner self and learn to concentrate and deal with life's stresses.

Even if you don't believe in deities, there is practical knowledge to be gained. Also keep in mind, spiritual discipline during fasting seasons should also be done in conjunction with prayer/meditation (depending on religion/tradition), so it offers more benefits than simply dieting.

One thing I'd suggest for employers: if your employee observes Ramadan and will be cooking for their family in the evening, make it easy for them to leave plenty early so they can get food ready by sundown so their kids don't have to fast longer than desired.

The kids at our elementary school who fast have a definitely lack of energy in the afternoons. It's nice to do what we can to support their home lives.

Islam exempts the young (and the elderly and the pregnant and the ill) from fasting during Ramadan. Do the kids at your elementary school fast due during Ramadan?

Yes. It depends on how old the kid is, and whether they can handle it.

I once had a muslim roommate, who was going to a very prestigious law school at the time. He would wake up early, and study well into the night.

During ramadan he very busy studying all day. As soon as it was close to evening time, he would start cooking an insanely huge meal. I don't know how the hell he did it.

It's funny to observe how people think that fasting or any other ancient rite will make their faith more valid. "If I'll eat this sandwich it will be huge sin and God will judge me".

Not a muslim myself, but its pretty apparent you haven't the faintest clue about the reasons behind the fasting.

If you actually read even a little of the article, you will notice that there is no reference to "making one's faith more valid", but rather more practical values like self-discipline, self-control, patience etc.

But of course the real reason is "everyone I know is doing it so I must fit in".

Of course, imitation plays a part whenever you have some kind of group identity. However, there's a distinction between why the practice actually exists and why people partake in it. The question being answered is the former.

I born in orthodox Russia, this branch still have tradition of fasting 40 days each year, so your "pretty apparent" is pretty funny. I know a lot of people who each year follow this fasting rite but never donate to poor, they don't even think about it.

1 visit to Orphanage will give lesson much more effective than this ancient spectacle. I know what I'm talking about.

Well, if God tell you so, you shouldn't eat that sandwich. If you are familiar with chain of trust in computer security, Muslims have something similar for the Quran, there are hundred or thousands of peoples alive today who will give the names of their Quran teachers until your reach the Prophet, this will give you thousands of chains, with the exact Quran script, all people on this "chains" memories the Quran letter by letter. In that script God tell Muslim to fast as Christian an Jewish did before them.

God told me to never eat anything. Where is the distinction between mentally ill and religious?

You'll find that Ramadan is quite reasonable if you actually understood it.

Don't I?

Religion is more in the domain of cultural evolution than people speaking directly to god. Islam is a continuation of Christianity and Judaism and you can trace that back even further.

To a, presumably, educated person like yourself, yes, religion is likely more in the domain cultural evolution. Can the same be said for all? Many would claim to have a personal relationship with their deity(ies).

In my experience growing in a muslim country -- most moderates understand this and imply it without explicitly saying it. And most of the education and the scholarship happening in Islam focuses on the Madhab, fatwa, hadeeth, and interpretation. All of which is merely people using their best judgement to supplement and evolve religion.

Of course, fundamentalists -- as apparent from the name -- read things very literally and "speak" or "hear" directly from God.

I appreciate the civil discussion and insight.

What is prayer if not speaking directly to a deity?

I can only speak for moderate sunni islam -- a lot of it is meditation and not very different from how yoga is practiced in the west. People gathered together in a room doing repetitive movements and sounds. The only bit of talking to God is when people "ask" for things. And It's not as prevalent in islam to ask for things as it is I think in christianity.

As an atheist, and someone critical of religion and its practices elsewhere in this thread, your faith seems quite reasonable. The notion of "ignorance breeds fear" is at play somewhere here.

Actually the lesson of Ramadan is to make rich people (muslims) realize the hardship that poor people go through due to hunger, so that they feel inclined to donate and help the poor.

I am glad you said it. When meeting others who were born Muslim, they told me I was informed. I did not say this was the only reason, but they said I did not get it.

I wonder what I read. Haha.

Nah, it's not about that at all. Fasting is about learning to deal with hardship, and appreciating what less fortunate people have to go through every day of the year.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to donate to charity. It becomes much easier after you've felt a bit of what it's like to be poor for a month.

Yeah, but not in other 11 months, lol. When charity is forced by tradition - it's not charity, it's just rite.

Does the money given help the poor? Yes? Then it's charity. Why it's given is irrelevant.

As for your other comment, there's nothing stopping a Muslim from donating to charity during the rest of the year. Also, there's another important act of giving called zakat which depends on your current assets - usually 2.5% every year.

Nothing stopping - yes, but I only talk about fasting, not about donating. And it's not only about muslims, it's about rites in any religion.

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