The holiest month in the Muslim calendar is becoming increasingly commercialized. More than anything, for a large number of people it has become a month of elaborate meals, shopping trips till early morning and sleeping till a little before sunset. Then there is feasting on high calorie gourmet preparations. The month of Ramadan is the most sacred in a Muslim's life. It is the month in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and it is the month of praying, supplication and staying away from sins. It is a precursor of an ideal Muslim life to be followed all year round. However, now it has been reduced to less worshipping and more shopping, elaborate meal preparation, watching TV and late night roaming about. Many blame it on increased commercialization where everything from dates to new clothes for Eid is a question of money and one's worth is measured by how much one is willing to spend on the simple pleasures of life. “Ramadan is about renewing your faith and your commitment to God. It is about the joy of celebrating the greatness of a religion which reminds its followers to remember the poor by not eating during the day,” says Raila, a young Saudi girl. Then, of course, the Eid is for celebrating the human spirit. “But in today's world it has become more of a competition to see who wears the best clothes and shoes and who serves the best dishes,” says Raila. In the quest for obtaining the best, people literally go on a shopping spree nearly every day in glitzy malls, open markets and streets. There is an added advantage this year as Saudi and international schools are closed during Ramadan. This means that “we do not have to worry about putting the children to sleep and waking them up to dress them for school,” says a parent. The Tarawih or late night prayers have become a burden for many. People mostly skip them or hurry to finish them and then take off to do other things. Traffic congestion and crowded malls and market places are a common sight, and people are more than willing to spend the night in such swarming public places rather than worshipping in the privacy of their homes in keeping with the spirit of Ramadan. “This month should be dedicated to worship and prayer. It is not meant for people to go shopping as if they haven't done any all year round or as if this is their last chance at it,” says Shabana, a mother of two, who makes it a point to complete all her shopping before Ramadan begins. “The routine during Ramadan is a little different and with sleep patterns disturbed, it is difficult to leave the house except for basic necessities,” she said. But leaving the house is what people seem to do throughout this month and they stay away from home till early in the morning almost every day. In fact, people are either out in the markets or glued to their TV sets. With channels screening new and melodramatic soap operas, the Idiot Box becomes a fixation in Ramadan posing, besides the obvious waste of precious time, serious health hazards due to excessive calorie intake and no exercise. Giving health tips on BBC, Professor Saghir Akhtar, Director for the Center for Genome-based Therapeutics, Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, said that a balanced diet that is even less in quantity will be sufficient to keep a person healthy and active during Ramadan, keeping in mind that the true objective of fasting is to experience hunger and to check desire in an attempt to reinforce the soul in piety. He also recommended light exercises – stretching or walking. Exercise, together with a balanced diet, should help everyone watch their weight during Ramadan, according to the professor. All said and done, the true spirit of the holy month seems to be disappearing from people's lives and is instead being replaced with non-stop, full-blown entertainment which leaves almost no time for the real thing – spiritualism. __
