Ramadan is expected to begin on March 11 or 12 this year and will prompt hundreds of millions of able-bodied Muslims around the world to abstain from eating or drinking from dawn until sunset each day for a month.
The official start date remains unconfirmed but will be determined by each country's Islamic authority depending on the sighting of a new moon.
As Muslims fast, they will be performing one of the central elements of Ramadan and fulfilling one of the five pillars of Islam.
What are the five pillars of Islam?
These mandatory pillars comprise the basic tenets of Islam and are considered the foundation of life for Muslims. Along with fasting, the other four pillars include prayer, giving alms or zakat, performing Hajj and the shahada — a declaration of faith whereby a Muslim professes that there is only one God (Allah) and Prophet Mohammed is his messenger.
Although fasting takes centre stage during Ramadan, it is not exclusive to the holy month. Many devout Muslims choose to fast each Monday and Thursday, as the prophet recommended, and on Arafat Day, the day before Eid Al Adha.
But fasting is not all that is expected of Muslims during Ramadan. Devotees must also be extra careful not to commit any sins during the holy month, including lying or swearing. Increased piety, tolerance and patience are also key to a successful Ramadan, of which the objective is effective self-discipline — where God’s orders are obeyed even when no one is watching.
Why do Muslims fast in Ramadan?
By abstaining from eating and drinking all day, Muslims who are able to fast remove the distraction of food, and come to understand and empathise with the less fortunate.
"Fasting the month of Ramadan is one of the pillars of Islam imposed on Muslims. It increases piety and makes people feel for their fellow humans who may be hungry and have no access to food," Dr Ahmed Al Haddad, the Grand Mufti of Dubai, told The National.
"It purifies the soul with virtuous morals because a fasting person should not swear, become angry or reciprocate bad deeds."
He said fasting helps brings Muslims closer to God and has great health benefits.
Removing the urge to eat and drink encourages people to think past impulses, practice patience and focus on issues that feed the soul instead.
When was fasting introduced?
The notion of fasting was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed in a Quranic verse during the second year of the Hijri calendar – the year the prophet moved from Makkah to Madinah.
"Oh you who believe! Prescribed for you is the Fast, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may deserve God's protection (against the temptations of your carnal soul) and attain piety," the Quran says.
From then on, fasting during Ramadan was made mandatory for all Muslims – except in certain circumstances.
When are Muslims exempt from fasting?
Exemption from fasting extends to Muslims who are sick, pregnant or travelling a long distance. Muslims are also exempt from fasting if they are menstruating or have not yet reached puberty.
What are the benefits of fasting?
The religious benefits for fasting are said to be vast. The prophet is believed to have said, “whoever fasts Ramadan with good faith and expecting God’s reward, will have their pasts sins erased”.
Dr Al Haddad said fasting unifies Muslims around the world and is beneficial to society.
"During the month of fasting, people are more compassionate and forgiving of one another, and they do good for each other," he said.
"Throughout Ramadan, souls rise to excellence and rivalries diminish."
There are also numerous health benefits of fasting, including reducing inflammation and improving gut health.
*A version of this story first appeared in The National in May 2019.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
