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Muslim Ramadan Fasting and Food Price Increases: An Understandable Irony
By Lateef Oladeji of Gem Business Ventures
Fasting, by any definition, implies skipping meals and hence eating less quantities of food for one purpose or the other. These purposes would include a deliberate regimen of abstinence for weight reduction or maintenance. Meal skipping (the so-called formulas 0 - 0 -1, 1 - 0 - 1, 0 - 1 - 1 and other variations) for reason of poverty or hardship savings is also a form of fasting. Meals can also be skipped for medical reasons, be they temporary or permanent.
However, the major purpose of fasting is often spiritual or religions. Such a fasting is usually of two types – the fixed/obligatory and voluntary. Fasting by Christians in the Lenten period and that by Muslims during Ramadan are the fixed/obligatory ones as they come up at fixed times of the year, last for specific numbers of days and are compulsory for the devout faithfuls. While the Lenten fasting spans 40 days and 40 nights, the Ramadan one lasts for 29 or 30 days, depending on the varying length of the lunar month of Ramadan. The object of this article centres on the Muslim Ramadan fasting as it applies to food prices. Indeed, the article was triggered by a press report contained in some Nigerian newspapers, claiming that food prices had risen by upward of 15% in some parts of the country owing to the approach of the Ramadan fasting. For as long I can recall, food items record higher prices at the approach of and during Ramadan in Nigeria, though the opposite is supposed to hold in view of the fact that 2 instead of 3 meals are normally eaten during the holy month. What a Puzzle! On a closer look, however, it is very simple to solve through the puzzle. In actual fact, most Muslims eat more - not less - during the Ramadan fast! The following facts and observations support this assertion: 1. Islam discourages exposing oneself to unnecessary hardships, and enjoins the faithfuls to feed well, including eating fruits, when breaking their fast in the evening and during the meals at dawn. Moreover, Islam does not forbid eating during the whole interval of the evening-dawn period. It is only during the day that eating and drinking are forbidden. It should be noted, however, that Muslims are forbidden to take any of the prohibited foods and drinks at all times.
2. A great number of the poor people who were always skipping meals, or eating poorly, do feed better during Ramadan by eating a minimum of 2 good meals. They are able to do this either by borrowing or by taking advantage of the free foods supplied them directly or provided in mosques during the fasting period by wealthy and ricer persons in the spirit of the holy month.
3. A good number of richer and wealthy Muslims eat “compensatory” meals both in quality and quantity, during the fasting period so as not to “lose colour and shape” that normally results from fasting. From the foregoing analysis, some cynics could cast a judgmental remark that Ramadan fasts are no fasts. This would be unfair and incorrect. The pangs of hunger and the cravings for water are most excruciating during the day, especially for a menial worker in the tropics. To me, the lesson of denial that God designed us to learn from fasting is adequately served by the Muslims’ Ramadan fasting. God is truly kind and understanding.
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Nice article but not really good at the end.
For me this is a Religious Fact only.
Be blessed...
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
The article sought to highlight how food prices defy economic fundamentals at the approach of and during Ramadan fasting without offending the sensibilities of the muslims, on the one hand, or boosting the stance of non-muslims, on the other. It blended both facts of religion and economics in an unaffected manner as much as possible. As it did not set out to derogate the mode of fasting of the muslims, it had to contain a section that pre-empts and disowns any unintended comments and interpretations.
Thanks for your explanation on this. I completely understand it. The same fact was happened in Indonesia, too.
Be blessed...again and again.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
God bless you, too, my friend. Thank you.
The copyright for this content entitled "Muslim Ramadan Fasting and Food Price Increases: An Understandable Irony " has been specified by the contributor as:
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This intel was contributed by gembiz
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