During the holy month of Ramadan, we see that many Muslims observe fasting and abstain

from all worldly pleasures for their religious obligations. This was something that attracted
me to study more on how their religion worked and more specifically, how Ramadan
worked.
The first fact that I learned was that the not only the month of Ramadan, but the entire
Muslim calendar works on the lunar system which is a little difficult to comprehend (Q7).
There are events such as Eid and other significant historical events that are associated with
how and when the moon sighting occurs. But the fact that Muslims remain away from food
and water based on when the sun rises and sun sets is very astounded.
I was sitting with my Muslim friend and asked him how Ramadan had been for him since he
travels a lot and in different regions. He told me that the most difficult part of fasting is how
long the fast lasts. In some regions, fasts last longer than 16 hours while in some, it can even
last for a day (Q2). So, I went on to ask him about hi religion more and how it is in his home
country and what I learned was surprising. He mentioned that on an average, every year,
the month of Ramadan shifts back a month on the solar calendar. So, if it was June last year,
it would be May this year(Q2).
“So, how does the fast work? How do you know it’s time to break it?” I asked.
He said, “We break the fast when we hear a siren from a Mosque but indirectly, it depends
on when we see the moon at sunset. (Q4)”
I responded, “What happens after you’re done with the 29 or 30 days of fasting, excuse my
constant pricking on the matter, I’m just curious.”. At this point, I was thinking that he might
judge me on something. But, thankfully, he understood my hesitancy.
He told me that back in his home country, there are numerous castes and different sects
which have different beliefs. Some tend to pinpoint the time when they end the month of
Ramadan, some tend to keep a range of duration in which they decided if the month has
ended or not. It all revolves around the Moon (Q5).
I’d learned enough at this point so we decided on getting something to drink since it was
incredibly hot. Surprisingly enough, it was hotter this time of the month than it was last year
and summers tend to last forever (Q6). So, being the funny nuisance that I am, I asked him
about the seasons in his country. I had not been more jealous after what I heard. He had all
seasons in his country.
We went on to get some drinks and spent the day discussing our academics and how we
were planning our next business competition since it was just around the corner. There was
so much to do and we needed recruit some more members in our team before we were
able to have competitive chance. But it was a Sunday so no work for today.
It was almost sunset and we started walking back to our apartments. We were half way
through and he said that it felt nice to have someone who was this interested in his
background. In the midst of everything going on and the hustle and bustle of every day, it
means a lot for someone to actually show interest and listen in on someone’s background.
“Before you go, I wanted to thank you for the time. It was nice and I hope it’s okay if I
expect it in the future as well.” He thanked me for my company and we parted ways.