Ramadan Employee Guide English 2012

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The Working Muslim in Ramadan [2012]

EmployeeGuide

by

SaiyyidahZaidi-Stone


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I con rm that I endorse the works o the Ramadhan Awareness Campaign and the Working Muslim guides. RAC is a well respected initiative that plays a signi cant rolein the lives o Australian Muslims and non Muslims in Ramadhan and I encourage allcommunity members and potential partners to support this work.

Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman,Founder United Muslims o Australia

"Islam sets out very clearly the need or Muslims to nd a balance when they try toul l their obligations to themselves, their amilies, the society and to God. During the

month o Ramadan, Muslims ace the added challenge o balancing their obligations to

worship God more whilst also per orming to the best o their abilities or theiremployers. Te Working Muslim in Ramadan guide will be extremely use ul inproviding employers and Muslims help ul in ormation about Ramadan. I believe thisguide is a must or every workplace."

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra;Chair, Mosque and Community A airs Committee, MCB.;Community Ambassador, 1st Ethical Charitable Trust; Co Chair, Christian Muslim Forum.

I see Te Working Muslim in Ramadan guide as a vital tool or enhancing goodrelations between organisations and their Muslim employees. Fasting is a key tradition within the Christian and Muslim aiths and Ramadan is an important time o re ectionand asting or Muslims. I encourage all employers and employees to read these guides.

Te Right Reverend Bishop Richard Cheetham, Co Chair, Christian Muslim Forum

Acknowledgements All praise belongs to Allah, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merci ul. Tis guide has been prepared by Saiyyidah Zaidi-Stone, ounder o Working Muslim.

Established in 2010, Working Muslim is an organisation enabling Muslims to balancetheir responsibilities to work, aith, amily and society.

Originally trained as an architect, Saiyyidah has worked in both the public and privatesector or over 20 years. Saiyyidah prepared this guide in order to enable Muslims andtheir employers and colleagues to have the necessary in ormation relating to being a Working Muslim in Ramadan. Te aim is or Muslims and non Muslims to have ashared understanding o the etiquettes o Ramadan and working.

Saiyyidah would like to thank all reviewers and contributors or their support.

o contact Working Muslimplease email:

in [email protected].

Second Edition, 1433 AH/2012 CE

Copyright 2011-12 by

Saiyyidah Zaidi

All rights reserved. No part o this publication may bereproduced in any language,stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any orm or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise withoutthe express permission o thecopyright owner.


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What is WorkingMuslim? Working Muslim is a organisation enabling Muslims tobalance their responsibilities to work, aith, amily andsociety. o contact Working Muslim please emailin [email protected] and we will respond to yourrequest in two working days, i your message is urgent pleasemark it so and we will respond sooner, God willing.

Why is this guideneeded? With the number o Muslims increasing in the workplace itis important or employees to know how to approach themonth o Ramadan when working or an employer. Te aimo this guide is to provide some help ul tips on how to deal with some o the things that come up during the month o Ramadan or employees.

A Working Muslim in Ramadan Employers Guide has alsobeen prepared and you can get a copy rom www.workingmuslim.com to give to your employers. TeEmployers guide sets out steps that your employers can taketo support you and is very use ul in helping your colleaguesknow how to interact with you appropriately in Ramadan. Te aim o the two guides is to ensure that any discussionsregarding Ramadan take place openly and that both employerand employee eel sa e and secure in the knowledge that they have the right in ormation.

Te contents o this guide respond to an international survey undertaken by Working Muslim in April/May 2011.


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Workingand Ramadan Working has a great importance and value in Islam. Te importance o law ul earnings is emphasised by

the numerous instructions o God in the Quran toearn a living through law ul means.

Te Prophet Muhammad sallallahu`alayhi wasallam taught Muslims that one needs to be balanced andharmonised between their worship and work. Muslimshave to remain constant in acts o worship, and also to work hard to earn a living and support their amilies.Prophet Muhammad made it clear that being in aposition to purchase day to day provisions rom ones

own work is actually a commendable act o worship.

Ramadan should not be used as an excuse or not working to ones usual level o commitment andproductivity and it is important to remember onesobligations to employers.


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What shall I do thisRamadan if I am working?

Should I tell my bossthat I am fasting?It is better to let your colleagues and managers know that you are asting. Tey will probably be wondering why you arenteating; and i you do get a little irritable, which can be natural, why you are not your usual sel .On the whole however, the act that you are asting should not a ect your work. By discussing it with your manager you may

nd that they are willing to consider an early start with an earlier nish, a shorter lunch or something else which is o help to you during the month o Ramadan.

[Working Muslim has also produced a guide on how to set up a prayer room and should you like advice on the requirements or a praye acility at your workplace please email in [email protected].

You may fnd that some o your work colleagues want to know why you are not eating or drinking and it is help ul to have a ew answeready. We have produced a actsheet or this at the end o this guide.]

How do I stay focused at work while I am fasting?Obviously, you cant have your usual cup o co ee in the morning, or drink o water to keep you hydrated, so what do you do?Research shows that concentration lasts or about 40-50 minutes and a ter that a short break is required. I you eel your energy is agging then try going to the bathroom and washing your ace. During the lunch hour, take a short walk outside and raise your oxygen levels. I you are able to, brie y walk around the ofce every hour or a ew minutes. ry and make sure that you arein a space where there is good ventilation so that you have maximum oxygen within your body. Be mind ul o why you are

asting, be in the moment now and your ocus will increase.


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Disrupted sleep patternsRamadan brings with it many changes. I your body is not introduced to these changes in a gradualmanner, it could react negatively to eating di erently or waking up and sleeping at di erent times. Goodtime management can be is an excellent way to enjoy a more meaning ul Ramadan. Tere are somechanges that may take a ew days or your body to get used to. With Ramadan in the summer months, sleeping patterns alter signi cantly. As you will have a muchearlier start to the day it would be better i you gradually introduce your body to this new sleep

schedule. Physical activities and a good, well balanced diet are important to avoid eeling tired.

What to do at lunch timeSee i you can negotiate a shorter lunch hour, perhaps 30 minutes instead o the usual 1 hour. Plan what you will do with your time. Some o it will be spent praying, the rest o the time can either be spent in

urther worship e.g. reading Quran. I you need to and you can, try taking a rest. See i you can nd aquiet space in which to close your eyes or a ew minutes and take a power nap.

Flagging energy midafternoon Te late a ternoon is always the hardest part o the ast. Tis is when the rumbles o the stomachbecome more persistent, nerves start to wear and time slows. A short nap or a short walk can help boostenergy levels. Te key is also to plan the tasks that you enjoy the most around this time so you havesomething that will keep you occupied and take your mind o asting.


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Eat properly- dontresort to take-aways Te Quran states: Eat o the good and wholesome things that We haveprovided or your sustenance, but indulge in no excess therein. [20:81].

As well as not ollowing the Sunnah, not eating suhur and i tar properly may make you irritable, or ill. Work out your personal Ramadan meal plan andstick to it. Cook as much in advance as you can. Consider extended amily cooking rotas i possible. Choose healthy, easy-to-make recipes so you arenot rushing or something to eat at the last minute. Always have anemergency i tar pack on hand- a ew dates and a small bottle o water, that way you know you will always be OK.

Eat a balanced diet with complex carbohydrates that release energy moreslowly during the hours o asting and bre rich oods that are digested moreslowly, especially or suhur. Avoid oods that are processed and containre ned carbohydrates [such as sugar, cakes, chocolate]. I you are able to try and reduce ca eine intake to it will help stave o those ca eine withdrawalheadaches.


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9 Tips for the Working Muslimin Ramadan

I work is simply the place where you earn your money andpunch in your hours, why not rede ne it this Ramadan?Here are some ideas that can help you share Ramadan with yourboss and colleagues this year:1. Begin in orming people about it as soon as possible. Start

telling bosses, supervisors and colleagues about Ramadannow. Bring it up in the course o conversation casually. Interms o when Ramadan starts and ends, just give theprojected date 1st or 2nd August 2011.

2. Post it up on your ofce or department bulletin board. Put upa actsheet on Ramadan, with a short introduction o yoursel and which department you are rom. Do not justgive the acts, but also include a ew sentences about whatRamadan means to you [i.e. spiritual growth, closeness toGod, being more generous, etc.].

3. Write About Ramadan in Company Newsletters. In a healthy workplace where workers know one another very well,issues on religion will be topics o discussion in mutualrespect. Use the opportunity o this month to educate yourco-workers on the subject o Muslim asting and the needso asting Muslims in workplaces.

4. Create a Ramadan corner at your desk. I you have your owndesk at work, dedicate a corner o it that is accessible topassers by the Ramadan corner. Put in ormation onRamadan or maybe a small rame with eye-catching Islamic

calligraphy on it.5. Exempli y the Spirit o Ramadan.In both your work ethics

and dealing with people, exempli y noble values by beinghonest, air, committed and diligent. It is important toknow that asting is about more than just not eating anddrinking. Muslims must also re rain rom things such as verbal abuse, gossiping, eavesdropping, backbiting, lying andslander as these acts severely reduce the worth o a ast. Inessence Muslims must try to be model human beingsduring the ast with the aim o retaining these virtuous

qualities therea ter. It is hoped that having per ormed theseRamadan Work Ethics or a whole month they willbecome habits or li e.


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6. Balance Your Workday. Reserve the morning hours or meetings, intellectually demanding work, or tasks that require concentration, and save the routine tasks or later in the day.

7. Negotiate your lunch hour with the boss. Discuss options with your employer regarding lunchbreaks- can you exchange your lunch hour in order to reach home earlier or i tar. Since you are not eating lunch, you can work straight through it- and take the hour o at the endo the day when your attention starts to ade a bit. [Bear in mind that employee legislationrequires that all employees working more than 6 hours take a 20 minute break]. Please notethat employers do not have to allow time o or changes to the usual routine i it wouldadversely a ect the business.

8. Have an i tar gathering at work, depending on the hours you work. Invite Muslim andnon-Muslim colleagues to a snack o dates and resh ruits at i tar time. At least once, havea more ormal meal ready or everyone.

9. Fundraise or a needy cause.Many non-Muslims will do a sponsored ast during Ramadan toraise money or a local or international cause. Why not get them to join you or a day? For your colleagues this could involve giving up ood and water, or just giving up something orthe day.


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Any further questions?I you have any questions relating to this guide please email in [email protected] and we will do our best to respond. Please note we will only be able to answer questions

relating to Working Muslim. For all your other questions on the rulings o asting etc, weencourage you to ask your local `ulama /`alimat.

Working Muslim wishes you the best o success during the month o Ramadan.I you would like a copy o the Employers version o this guide please emailin [email protected].


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Working Muslim2nd Floor, 145 157 St John StreetLondon, EC4A 1JQ

in [email protected]+44 (0)7708 956 937www.workingmuslim.com

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