UK MUSLIMS REJECT FATWA ON CUTTING FASTING HOURS

London, 1 Ramadan 1436/June 18, 2015 (MINA) – British Muslims have rejected a new fatwa issued by a Muslim scholar calling for reducing fasting hours during the holy month of Ramadan, which extends in some areas to 18-21 hours per day.

“We cannot change the principles of Islam just to suit our needs,” one reader wrote in comment on the BBC report on the fatwa, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Usama Hasan, a British Islamic scholar, has called for making Ramadan fasting bearable for many Muslims living in northern Europe and Canada.

According to the former imam, the fasting timings should change, issuing a fatwa calling for moderate timings to be accepted for those who need them.

“A number of people have asked me since last year about the excessive length of fasting during UK summer months,” Sheikh Dr Usama Hasan of the Quillian Foundation wrote in his fatwa.

“This has included those new to the practice of fasting, elderly and middle-aged people, who wish to fast but simply cannot manage the very long days. Since last year, I’ve heard reports of such people in hospital, as well as of children falling seriously ill, due to fasting more than 18 hours per day,” he added.

The Muslim scholar also suggests that believers “follow timings of the lands of revelation, viz. Makkah and Madinah (Hijaz) – throughout the year, the dawn-sunset fast here is 12-15 hours. Follow timings of the nearest “moderate land.””

Hasan, an astronomer with a PhD in physics, describes his interpretation of Islam as “traditionalist-rationalist” saying: “I’m trying to express Islam as it is lived in today’s context.”

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to become closer to Allah through prayer, self-restraint and good deeds.

It is customary for Muslims to spend part of the days during Ramadan studying the Noble Qur’an.

Many men perform i`tikaf (spiritual retreat), spending the last 10 days of the month exclusively in the mosque.

The holy fasting month of Ramadan will include the longest day in the year, June 21, which marks that start of the summer, adding to the challenges of high temperatures and long fasting hours that will face millions of Muslims across the world.

Lengthy fasting hours has been a challenge for Muslims in northern Europe and America.

In some parts in northern Sweden, such as Kiruna, the sun never sets for much of June and July.

The never-ending days have prompted confusion amongst Muslims living in Sweden, as they hope to strictly observe the custom of fasting without any unbearable hurdles.

Last year, the council issued fresh guidelines, allowing Muslims to follow the sun in Stockholm or in Malmö. (T/P006/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)