Salman Ahmed Shaikh

UN SDG 2 talks about ending hunger. Achieving this goal requires food security and affordability through decent work and opportunity, which is emphasized in SDG 8.

It is also pertinent to avoid waste, encourage responsible consumption and convert production and consumption waste into efficient and effective redistribution. SDG 12 talks about responsible consumption and production.

In Islam, Muslims are required to observe day-time fasting for the entire month of Ramadan. It is a religious obligation to build god-consciousness, restraint, self-control and also have additional health and socio-economic benefits.

Experiencing something personally exposes one to the reality more deeply than rhetoric. Self-control and restraint can be inculcated by practicing it than just talking about it.

Fasting in the month of Ramadan compels all individuals to practice self-restraint and control consistently for the entire month. It has the potential to share the emotional and physiological reality of what is it like to be not eating food. It builds thankfulness that at least by sunset, one can break the fast. But, it also compels one to think that what if one is hungry and not able to eat because of lack of affordability.

This experience has the potential for bringing greater commitment in a person to share and to avoid waste. In the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it is encouraged to facilitate people in breaking the fast. The spirit of sharing the food is a trait to be practiced year-round.

By fasting for the whole day, one experiences what it is like to be thirsty and how important is water for life. If one feels empty and exhausted just before the sunset, fasting helps one realize that how important and valuable is food and nutrition for the body, which we just take for granted. It may be very much affordable for us if we belong to a high-income, but regardless of that, food and nutrition is vital for survival and health of everyone.

One in eleven people go to bed hungry globally while in some parts of Africa, one in five people go to bed hungry. Food is as much a necessity for human survival just like oxygen. Fasting in the month of Ramadan helps one realize the value of food, which is more than its price. It helps one realize the importance of food security, food supply chains and responsible production and consumption of food.

Responsible consumption requires responsibility which comes from self-control, restraint and giving importance to the resources rather than taking them for granted. Fasting in the month of Ramadan enables one to practice self-control and restraint and to avoid taking the food resources and ecological balance which enables food production for granted.

For macro level changes, funding, laws and policies are not enough. What is important is the change in habits, norms and lifestyle at the micro level which is not dependent on penalties, law enforcement or economic incentives alone. The micro level change at the individual level brings a communal level change. That relieves the funding pressure to achieve SDGs.

SDG 10 focuses on reducing inequality. It requires that individuals in communities practice sharing and redistribution rather than accumulation and waste. Love for accumulation can be tamed through self-control and restraint. Fasting in the month of Ramadan brings parity where all members of the community hold themselves back from fulfilling their physiological desires from sunrise to the sunset. It helps in controlling yearning for instinctive pleasures and achieve moderation and balance.

SDG 3 talks about good health and well-being. It has been scientifically proven that fasting leads to better health by improved blood sugar control, cellular repair, reduction in bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides without affecting the good HDL cholesterol, boosts metabolism, reduces inflammation and helps the body break down body fat for energy.

It also helps in weight loss, muscle strength and sharper focus. Eating while hungry and drinking while thirsty regulates the intake and digestion of food. It allows the gut an important break. Many people often feel light and more productive as a result of that.

Breaking fast in congregation in mosques builds communal harmony, reduces waste and brings people together in sharing the resources. This sharing model reduces the total energy and material required to feed a large number of people. Shared meals at mosques (communal consumption) are inherently more resource-efficient than individual cooking for every person.

It provides access to food to everyone, regardless of their income. It fosters the spirit of sharing within the community rather than practicing isolated accumulation. It encourages the spirit of service to the community rather than fetching. Often, people take part in organizing, donating, servicing and willing to let others share first before they consume. It actively works against the isolation of marginalized groups, ensuring they are integrated into the social fabric of the community.  

Fasting in Ramadan encourages people to wake up early and start their day using the daylight. For waking up early, it also compels one to sleep early as well. Doing the daily chores in the daylight and starting the day early helps in productivity and reduces the stress on energy resources, such as electricity. 

Before the end of Ramadan, every Muslim must give a specific amount of food (or its value) to the poor. This ensures that even the most vulnerable members of society have a dignified meal for the Eid celebration. It is a practice to foster empathy. By feeling the physical pangs of hunger, fasters develop a profound, first-hand empathy for those facing chronic food insecurity. This psychological shift often leads to increased long-term advocacy and donations toward hunger relief.

Fasting is a leveller. Whether one is a billionaire or a labourer, the rules of the fast are identical. This shared experience breaks down class barriers and fosters a sense of global community where everyone stands on equal footing before God.

Lastly, Ramadan is also the peak time for Zakat (obligatory almsgiving, usually 2.5% of accumulated wealth). This system acts as a sophisticated tool for wealth redistribution, moving resources from the wealthy to the bottom of the population to reduce income inequality.