Mon, Jul 06, 2009
ez access
Subscriber services | Subscribe now
Custom clipper icon
As the sunset prayer is said to break the fast, seated non-Muslims await the start of the meal as the Muslim Students Association at the University of Arizona hosts its sixth annual Fast-a-Thon.
Jeffry Scott / Arizona Daily Star
More Photos (1):
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is a time for inner reflection, and a devotion to family and spiritual growth. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. They get up before dawn to eat suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, and say the fajr, the twilight prayer. Then fasting, sawm, begins and is continued until iftar, the evening meal.

Tucson Region

Week of Ramadan fasting a tough time

Reporter learns a lot by joining in Fast-a-Thon
By Matt Lewis
for the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.29.2008
Hunger consumed me. Thirst drowned me. This was my life for a week as I observed the Muslim practice of Ramadan fasting.
I have complete respect for practitioners of Islam. But I wanted a glimpse into what they do; and what better way than to fast.
Muslim Students Association Media Director Bahoo Ghafoor described it to me as a month of change.
"You have to strive to be a better person while you are going without food and water, which is kind of hard," Ghafoor said.
I decided to fast after stopping by a booth on the University of Arizona Mall. Usually I go right past the vendors. But this booth seemed different.
No pressure. Just amicable people asking if you would like to join their fast for the poor.
The UA Muslim Students Association was promoting its sixth annual Fast-a-Thon. The event concluded at the Arizona Historical Society at 949 E. 2nd St. on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The event was designed as a fast for the hungry and a fundraiser for the Tucson Community Food Bank. Participants were asked to donate the money they had saved from fasting. The Fast-a-Thon raised nearly $2,500 for the Tucson Food Bank.
I began my fast Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 10:30 p.m. by stuffing my face. I ate Pop-Tarts, Chef Boyardee pasta and meatballs, an Oatmeal Cream Pie, and Chex Mix.
I figured if I ate a bunch of food, a college feast, then I would not be too hungry the next day.
I woke up the next morning and hardly minded skipping breakfast. Lunch went relatively unnoticed as well.
With my busy schedule of 19 credit hours, four academic clubs, and an apprenticeship, it is often easy to forget about eating.
But this time I was fasting. I had a purpose.
The first time I faltered was at 4:20 p.m. the next day, Thursday. I went to the office at my apartment complex, where I was handed Starburst candies.
My natural instincts took over. I did however stop myself before I ate the candy; realizing what I had committed to only a day earlier.
Then I went back to my apartment, threw my backpack down and went into the death lair, also known as the kitchen.
It was more out of habit than hunger. A daily ritual, after class I explore the kitchen until I find something I like.
I honestly do not know why I looked in there, I was only tempting myself.  
Even though the event was meant as a one-day fast, for me it evolved into a weeklong challenge.
As per custom, I fasted between sunrise and sunset. Once the sun went down I would feast as though food was going out of style.
On Friday, I had a piece of gum by accident. I broke the fast. I was unaware that something as simple as gum was prohibited.
Saturday brought another hurdle, my mom. She flaunted a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in front of my famished face.
It was really unfair. I told her I was going to eat them all once the sun descended.
The next morning I woke up at 5 a.m. so I could eat breakfast. It was crucial I eat before my hiking trip, which I had planned long before I started fasting.
My parents made me egg and bacon sandwiches to make sure I got enough protein for the hike.
This incident was a more serious infraction — I had eaten pork, which in the Islamic faith is taboo.
After having just ingested the bacon, my parents, as if in a cruel twist of fate, subtly reminded me of this fact.
This was brewing in the back of my mind as I embarked on the hike. By the end, my conscience was eaten up and I believe my stomach was starting to devour itself.
I was not alone, however, in my ambitious and maybe somewhat absurd notion to want to participate in physical activities while fasting.
Some Muslims remain active including Muslim Students Association Treasurer Mona Eskandari, who plays on a coed varsity soccer team.
She told me the physical toll on the body emphasizes the suffering of others.
I learned from her that a person is not to consume anything during daylight hours, not even water.
I remember drinking nearly my weight in water while I was hiking, so once again I felt I had failed in my attempt to fast.
I felt better after speaking with Ghafoor of the Muslim Students Association.
"I think my dad put it best. He said whenever you're debating between religion and worldly things, it's between you and God. You do what you think is right," Ghafoor said.
So on Monday I took water out of the mix as well.
Now on my forbidden list; gum, pork, and water.
Difficult does not even begin to describe a day without those.
I kept dozing off in class and I had a headache the rest of the time.
My back was sore and I could empathize with people who are stuck in a desert without water — I was one of them.
When it got to be sundown, I gulped down a huge glass of water, swallowed two pieces of pizza whole, and a polished it off with an electrolyte-filled Gatorade.
By the end of the week, my body and mind began to come around, adjusting to this arduous task.
This experience has taught me more than I ever could have imagined.
I began this experiment under the arrogant assumption that a week would be easy. The experience left me humbled.
I learned what patience really means and the importance of giving back to the community.
I figured I knew enough about the religion from what I had studied in religious courses. I thought I knew what it meant to be Muslim.
After the past few days I realize I do not know the first thing about the Islamic faith. I also have an even greater appreciation for what they do.
In the book "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch put it best when he said, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
central
● Matt Lewis is a University of Arizona student who is apprenticing at the Star. Contact him at 807-8431 or apprentice@azstarnet.com.
Get Arizona Daily Star home delivery and SAVE BIG!
Go Back