Happy Muslim Mama: Blessings in The Long Days of Fasting

I was asked my opinion this week about something I had never come across before. A very bright sister I have a lot of affection and respect for was asked by a number of people about what she would be doing about the fact that the fasts this year would last from approximately 2am to 10am. People were suggesting that the hours be fixed for ease. She wondered if I had heard people talking about this and what opinions were becoming apparent.I was entirely stumped. I had heard about nothing like this. In England we have quite dramatic differences in the length of the day between summer and winter. From 8am to 4pm in winter and from 4am to 10pm in the summer. When I was a little girl I remember the fasts opened after my bedtime and it was very much an accepted fact for me that those long fasts would come round again as an adult. I felt that we were very lucky that we got the short winter fasts during our formative years, so that we could handle better the longer fasts of summer.Our weather is also quite mild, mixing sunny days (maxing at 30C) with rain showers. When I think of my family in Pakistan fasting in temperatures of up to 45C and not being able to drink water, it puts the whole issue into a different perspective.I believe that when we fast to please Allah (SWT), he makes it bearable for us. I am thinking of fasting in Ramadan and how easy it is and then how hard it is after Ramadan. I don’t think He asks of us more than we can bear. I’m going to aim to do the long hours and with the relish and pleasure that self-denial brings in this time of over-consumption we live in (and if I lose my post-baby fat in the process, I won’t complain at all).