Ramadhan Fasting In US 80's

When I was in the United States during the first half – the better half - of the 80’s, I got to spend four cycles of Ramadhan fasting months in the summertime. It would have been five times but for the paid-for trip home for summer vacation in Malaysia after the Sophomore year. That period’s Ramadhan cycle always fell in the middle of summer season in the US. Come to think of it, the whole decade of the 1980’s Ramadhan months fell during summer times. For the record, the 80’s Ramadhan months ranged from mid-July to mid-May. A virtuous period to perform your Ramadhan fasting - the long daylight hours and the summer heat.

Summer season is usually a vacation season for schools and colleges in the US.

My first Ramadhan in US started on July 3rd, just slightly over a month after I first set foot (on my birthday) in the country. That first day of Ramadhan, the Imsak was at 2:00 in the morning, and the iftar time was a few minutes before 09:00 o'clock in the evening!. Imagine that. In Malaysia (then & now), waiting for the 7:00 to 7:30 pm breakfasting / iftar time was really a struggle.

Actually, it wasn't that hard. We (the Muslim students and I) were able to fill up the time without having to really wait for the iftar. Usually, we played a game of soccer at an abandoned American football stadium, starting at around 7:30 pm, and ended by 08:30 pm. Sometimes we would just drive around the campus, or even just loafing around in the Student Center; throwing and catching frisbies, or something. In later years when summer class studies came into play, it was even easier to get through the fasting days.

And now, about the heat. I remember that the summer was dry and low humidity. The temperature can reach a moisture-less 40 degrees celcius. It was hot but we did not perspire, or sweating. Maybe that was one of the reasons why we managed to get through fine with the 19-hours fasting – not much fluid loss!


Fasting is not just holding yourself from eating or drinking during the days. Having said that, it was my third summertime fasting (sophomore year) that was really a trial for me. Had started staying in own rented apartment that time. The house was gradual climb halfway up a low hill. Along the way, had to pass through a Sorority Row - I think there were five sorority houses along the way and the adjoining lanes. A sorority is a special grouping of select female students living in houses with Greek alphabet names. For the guys , it's called Fraternity.


Anyway, the first time when I tried to protect the sanctity of my fasting of that year, in terms of no eye feast and pure heart, I failed miserably. Walking home one sunny afternoon after a summer course class, on the left was one Greek's sorority girls sunbathing on the grass with two-pieces bikinies on, while further up were two more groups enjoying the afternoon on the porch / balcony and in the garden. Please be reminded that it was a hot sunny afternoon, so everybody's clothing were at a minimum.

To protect what little was left of my fasting, I tried to keep my eyes straight forward. Unfortunately, the protection was off when there on the rooftop of a house the the last corner, three sorority girls having the R & R; two with their bums facing the sky, and their bikini tops were definitely off.

That's it. So my fasting was only for withholding from eating and drinking. My eyes had "eaten", and my mind was full of grey fogs.

I held on to my fasting till iftar that day. On a different day, due to a combination of light iftar, no late supper and two summer classes (plus the eye feast), I got very weak physically by 11:00. On the way home, decided that I had to break my fast "illegally" that day. So, stopped over at Kroger, bought a box of fresh orange juice, a french loaf and a packet of cranberries. Carefully put the foods into the backpack, keeping careful eyes to the surrounding...


Reached home - the other housemates still tied-up at the student center - locked the door and went into the bathroom for the illegal activity. Wolfed down half of the french loaf together with last night's untouched chicken (missed early sahur / late supper), dried down the box of orange juice, and nibbled on the cranberries before went out to the backyard for a puff of smoke.


Had to go through all the above because was still restricted by the guilt feeling of not performing full fasting of the day. God's everywhere but it was the other people that I was concerned about. Informed the other housemates of what I had gone through, and they laughed me off as a fool. For all they know, I could have just ate right there at the Long John Silver restaurant; don't have to hide as nobody would care. Old habits so hard to break.

The Hari Raya Aidilfitri of that first summer fasting was really a celebration. For most of us it was the first Hari Raya away - halfway of the world’s away from home. I was OK on that Hari Raya because I was not much of the “missing the family” type. The Raya songs didn’t even shake me, and I was able to get on the nerves of the others; peers or seniors. There was no flow of tears from me.

It was the Takbir Raya that knocked me down. The funny sensation in my nose caused the unwanted fluid to drip down my eyes. Then all the Aidilfitri memories started to flood down on me…
I fasted the full month for the first and second Ramadhans. Missed more than a day for that third time, but definitely not more than five days.