Ramadan for Children

Young Rafae Nauman and his friends often go hungry these days, yet they seldom complain.

They choose this hunger, after all. Embrace it, even.

"You feel like you've accomplished something important," 12-year-old Rafae said Wednesday. "It helps you become a better person."

"It" is fasting for Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic year, during which Muslims are encouraged to abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset each day.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar-based Islamic calendar, marks the period during which Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. This year, it began Aug. 22 and ends Sept. 19.

Muslims pray, fast, read the Quran and perform charitable acts during Ramadan.

It's an exercise in self-control they say reaps great rewards, including forgiveness for sins and increased spirituality.

Young Muslims typically begin participating in the yearly fast on at least a part-time basis when they hit puberty, but the timing varies from family to family.

"The best age is when a person is ready to make his or her own decision" about fasting, said Dr. Aslam Abdullah, director of the Islamic Society of Nevada. "It's their free choice."

It follows that many young Muslims about Rafae's age are getting their first real taste of fasting this year.

Rafae and his friends Sophie Ahmad, 11, and Nassar Hakim, 12, are fasting on weekends.

It's a big challenge, they agreed, while hanging out after school at Rafae's house in Summerlin.

"For me, the hunger feeling is so severe," said Nassar, grinning and clutching his stomach.

"If you try not to think about it, it's not so bad," Rafae countered.

The trick, aside from not thinking about how hungry you are, is to focus on the rewards of fasting, which the three friends say they already recognize.

"It teaches you self-control," Rafae said.

"It helps you understand what other people who aren't fortunate enough to have enough food feel," Sophie said.

The youngsters say they get a lot of questions about fasting from curious classmates at The Meadows School.

"They ask, 'Is it hard?' and, 'Do you HAVE to do it?'" Sophie said.

"You have to keep explaining it to a lot of people," Rafae said.

The three arise before sunrise on the weekends, as early as 3:30 a.m., for Sehri, an early morning breakfast, with their respective families.

"I usually have something big," Nassar said. "I have, like, dinner food so it lasts all day."

They and older members of their families then abstain from eating or drinking until Iftar, the evening meal after sunset, which breaks their fast.

It makes for a long day.

"It's always hard," said Nudrat Nauman, Rafae's mother, who is a pediatrician. "The thirst is what gets me. God helps you along the way."

The practice helps you become more disciplined, mature and strong, Abdullah said.

"You develop the attitude of giving even if you are losing something."

Nauman begins preparing Iftar for her family about an hour before sunset. She makes samosas, fruit salad and sweet desserts.

"It's a lot of fried foods and a lot of sweets," she said. "We eat special foods for Iftar."

Everybody tends to "pig out" then, Nauman said.

"We don't lose weight. We gain weight."

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.