Durban – with its moderate temperatures and relatively short days – might be the best place to fast for Ramadan.
This is what a recent comparison of the different countries in which Muslims fast – commissioned by online publication The Economist – revealed.
The article explains that because the Islamic calendar was lunar, the month of Ramadan fell about 11 days earlier each year, completing a full cycle through the seasons every three decades or so.
“Muslims in northern latitudes facing dauntingly long days of fasting which, in fact, last a bit longer than from sunrise to sunset: they extend from fajr, the pre-dawn prayer, to maghrib, the post-dusk prayer.”
They found that Muslims in Helsinki would have a difficult time, with 20-hour fasts, though they still have it better than those in Arkhangelsk, who must hold out for about 21 hours a day.
High temperatures could also make the fast uncomfortable.
“The ideal trade-off is to find a place with shortish days and moderate temperatures: lucky are those starting the fast in Durban (about 12 hours of fasting and average temperature of 17°C) and Rio de Janeiro (12 hours and 21°C).”
Secretary General of the Jamiatul Ulama of South Africa Moulana Ebrahim I Bham said that the religious observance came annually, in order to help break routines and the inertia of habits of the mundane that took the focus away from “our spiritual selves”.
“The Divine ordinance came in the Arabian Peninsula, where the climatic conditions are among the most extreme of all the habitable parts of the world. Yet, it is here that the order of Ramadan, a pillar of Islam, was first observed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
He said: "Since then, Muslims make adjustments to their lives according to their circumstances, in order to observe and cultivate the immense spiritual rewards of Ramadan.”
He said there were challenges associated with climatic conditions, in the workplace, and others might experience difficulties with work schedules that may not allow them to observe traditions around the start and the breaking of the fasts.