Observing Ramadan at home

Ramadan is key in the Islamic calendar and sees many Muslims across the world fast during daylight hours for 30 days. This means that no food or drink can be consumed during the day time until the minute that the sun sets.

COVID-19 will no doubt mean this year will be a huge change in the routine people will have if they are fasting. During these difficult times, here are some points to remember if you are observing fasting over the next month:

Ensure you follow guidance

First and foremost, please make sure you continue to follow the Government guidance on safe distancing and leaving your house.

You should only leave your home for one of four reasons:

• shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
• one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household.
• any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
• travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home.

Take extra care

It is important to be careful if you have a long-term condition. Advice from Islamic Scholars says that you should not put your health at risk to fast and to remember that there are other things you can do this month to make a difference such as give money to charity and pray regularly.

There is also NHS guidance on staying safe if you have a long term health condition.

Work from home with care

With many of people working from home, it’s important to make sure you take short breaks from work throughout the day.

There is plenty of useful advice on guidance on how to support colleagues if you are a manager on the NHS guide on Ramadan.

Connect online with people

Many mosques will hold congregational prayers and events online through video conferencing so that you can still worship together. The Muslim Council of Britain have done a great guide on what to do to connect online with Mosque groups.

It can also be hard fasting if you live away from family or cannot see family members to have Suhoor or Iftar meals together. Video conferencing apps mean you can still have virtual meals together and still speak to family and friends.

Get the right nutrients

Fasting is quite a challenging thing to do, even more so when we are living under lockdown restrictions. It’s important this month that you ensure your body gets the right nutrients. This means getting your five a day, drinking plenty of liquids and eating balanced meals during evening hours.

Get a daily walk

You need to ensure you follow Government guidance on going out. If you don’t need to go out for a weekly shop, you can go out for a daily bit of exercise. Whilst it is best to avoid a daily run, you can still go for a walk. This means you can get some fresh air and break up your day with an activity.

We will continue to publish information on support and looking after yourself if you are fasting this month.

Stay at home and stay safe this Ramadan.