Open Discussions/ Gulf Cultural Club
Ramadan Experience
Ramadan, Fasting and Quran
Dr Laith Kubba (Quran Foundation)
John Woodhouse (Universal Peace Foundation)
Ramadan is not just an experience but a re-drawing of the map of the human life. Fasting is not just an annual advent, but a way back to basics. It is not just a test of the human endurance, but a means of protecting life. The month of Ramadan is revered by Muslims who observe fasting all its days in response to the divine command. It is a spiritual experience at a time of increasing materialism, the aim of which is to elevate the moral and spiritual standards. Most of those who observe fasting, it is the real spring of the soul, the body and, indeed, of life.
Tuesday, 24th February 2026
John Woodhouse: What Is Fasting? In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline wit ha penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have.
What are the Lent fasting rules? On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days-or on any Friday during Lent.
What are the Lent rules on abstinence? In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent. Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals.
At what age do you start fasting for Lent?Those ages 18- 59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance.
Who is exempt from fasting during Lent? Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt. The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast.
When is fasting over?Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document Paschalis Solemnitatis recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.”Can you eat meat on Good Friday? On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the Easter Triduum, which marks the end of Lent. However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent.
Do Sundays count for fasting?It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision.
Are fish frys OK? Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant.
Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent? No. Abstinence refers to food. Some parish birth records from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice.
What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee? Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine. A smoothie that constitutes a meal would probably count as food.
What are the fasting rules around alcohol? The Church does not specifically limit alcohol. A person’s personal discretion is best. My daughter, a very orthodox Catholic, and I have a difference of opinion about what are the best kinds of penances in Lent. She agrees with the traditional idea of temporarily giving up something one enjoys. I feel that this is a wasted opportunity. My daughter argues, as does the Church, that it strengthens one’s will power as well as makes an offering to God.
My choice is to give up something that one should not be consuming, getting into the habit of doing without it during Lent, then continuing without it after Lent. Or start doing something that you should be doing, and keep on after Lent. This regular discussion with my daughter came about again this year, and caused me to wonder what were the thoughts of my fellow Animators concerning Lent. Did they have views about what people could or should be doing? If penance, what sort of penance? If resolutions, what sort of resolutions? Is it time to bring something new to Lent, or are the traditional actions the best?
The Animators are people, mainly Catholics, who have been trained by the Vatican-backed Laudato Si’ Movement to inform and inspire others to engage in dialogue and action on the current environmental crises. I think my favourite option for living Lent, given the massive over-consumption that the world is drowning under, is to buy nothing at all that isn’t essential. And if we carried that on after Lent, what a success!
Having garnered views from the Animators, I find that Anita shares my antipathy for overconsumption, and recommends that we don’t buy more than we need. She has joined her parish’s project of a community garden where they grow food for themselves!
Clare, while appreciating the positive sacrifice of buying nothing, prefers “to do something extra, something which has often become a part of my everyday life”. One example she gives is ‘Meditation Monday’, the aim of which is to manage stress, improve mood and find peace in one’s daily life.
Another extra she does is a ‘Lenten Pilgrimage, where local people are invited to attend a different denominational church each Sunday afternoon’. John likes to do a variety of positive things, so he joins ecumenical Lent groups and reads daily spiritual writings. To add to the variety, he also gives up alcohol. But he feels that the best thing would be to do practical action and outreach, such as helping refugees.
Geraldine is not so keen on “sudden, major change”. She feels that slow, gradual change suits some people better, despite her having successfully given up things permanently after giving them up during Lent – sugar for example. She would encourage both sacrificial penance and doing something extra. Susan believes that Lent is a good time “to examine our lifestyles and change our hearts so that love for God’s creation is expanded”. Especially, she says, to consider how ethical the products we buy are.
The Animators are agreed on restraint in buying being a good commitment for Lent, and Kevin adds that he tries not to buy anything new at all, reminding us that plenty of items, especially clothes, are available ‘pre-loved’. Along with other Animators, he also likes to give something up – Guinness in his case – and to add spiritual activity, like going to Mass as much as possible. Menchu is all for not buying anything unnecessary in Lent, and also for continuing the habit permanently. The Ignatian Solidarity Network has a Lenten No-Buy Challenge initiative which she joins in with. She previously committed to not eating processed food, and changed to a vegetarian diet, which she continued after Lent. She was very busy last Lent organising a Laudato Si’ Lent Awareness Campaign and a Laudato Si’ Lent Day in her parish, as well as presenting Laudato Si’ Stations of the Cross online. She joined in with several other Lenten activities as well! She encourages us to make our own poster display for Lent – see photos.
Stephen agrees with the idea of Lent being about doing more. “Giving up our precious time for others can be penitential, but so often brings unexpected spiritual benefits”. He sees giving up treats as “an opportunity to give more resources to others”, which is making something negative into something positive.
Like Susan, he thinks it’s important to find out how ethical the brands we buy are; he subscribes to Ethical Consumer magazine, and advises googling the name of a product or company followed by ownership. I would recommend also, before buying a product, to google it adding the words ‘ecologically friendly’ to find the greenest version.
David agrees with Stephen about positive thinking – “thinking in a positive way and creating awareness is the way to go”. He also likes to add a spiritual exercise – in his case, the Stations of the Cross. Another spiritual exercise that he recommends is a nature walk, as a “helpful reflection on creation”. While Sean agrees with the tradition of alms giving during Lent, and donates to various campaign and charity groups, he thinks Lent is also an opportunity to spend more time in prayer and discernment, for instance studying the Mass Readings. He prefers to think of resolutions as ‘objectives’, and to be realistic about them by using the SMART technique – Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic, Time Related. He sounds a smart man!
Not like me. I would rashly make a commitment, then find to my astonishment that it is doable, the hardest part having turned out to be the decision to make the commitment. One surprise from this survey is that no-one seems keen on fasting. Not only is fasting traditional in Lent, it can have positive health benefits. Still, it’s not for me! It seems to me that we Animators agree with each other in most ways – buying little, having a positive attitude when giving up things, continuing after Lent if we can, adding a spiritual activity. So, a mixture of the old and the new perhaps. It’s typical of the Animators that the new embraces concern for the natural environment.
I conclude with a prayer ascribed to Saint Gregory the Great:
Keep we the fast that men of old learned from on high in mystic ways,
Till yonder sun hath duly told his hallowed tale of forty days.
This covenant long since revealed to patriarchs and ardent seers,
Christ by His own example sealed, Author of time, and Lord of years.
More wisely therefore let us walk, sparing food and wine and sleep;
Over trifles and our talk more jealous be the watch we keep.
Still by our sins, O Lord, we grieve thy love, so full of pardon free:
Author of mercy, still reprieve the souls that turn again to thee.
Remember whence our fashion came, frail creatures; yet thy creatures still,
Crush for the glory of thy name, the murmurings of our stubborn will.
The guilt that dooms us put away, with larger grace our prayers requite;
At last, and ever from this day, teach us to live as in thy sight.
Dr Laith Kubba: When the word Ramadan comes to mind, many people immediately think about the length of the fast. Especially those who are not Muslims tend to associate Ramadan primarily with fasting. It is visible, physical, even health-related. But the majority of Muslims think of Ramadan not only as a month of fasting, but as the month of the Quran — the month in which the Quran was revealed. Some may place special emphasis on prayer or charity, yet much attention is given to the Quran. That will be my focus this evening.
With the limited time I have, I will speak about the Quran in three dimensions. The first concerns you as a reader of the Quran. There are over a billion Muslims, and the majority who fast are keen at least to complete a full reading of the Quran during this month. Perhaps they do not engage with it deeply throughout the year beyond their daily prayers, but in Ramadan they aim to read it cover to cover.
The second dimension relates to Muslims at large — to public affairs and what is happening in the Muslim world. Does the Quran offer answers? Can it help in what Muslims are going through today?
The third dimension concerns humanity as a whole. We are collectively at a crossroads — this year, next year, in the coming decade. Is the Quran relevant to these crossroads?
Let me begin with this broader question: is the Quran relevant to humanity at large? Of course it is relevant to Muslims, and especially to those who fast. But is it relevant beyond that?
Over the last hundred years there has been an intellectual battle, particularly during the era of communism, in which science was reduced to strict materialism. Nothing beyond what could be tested, measured, sensed, and comprehended was considered knowledge. Faith was dismissed. Yet throughout history, human beings have wrestled with something beyond the senses — an ultimate Divine reality.
Some approached religion scientifically and concluded that all religions arise from the human mind’s inability to answer certain questions. According to this view, religion is a response to fear of the unknown — rituals, priests, and narratives created to fill the gap. The human mind, like a hungry stomach, seeks answers. Once filled, it stops searching.
But with the advancement of science — dark matter, quantum physics, the mysteries of life itself — scientists increasingly acknowledge that there are realities beyond the purely material. We can assemble the ingredients of a cell, yet we cannot spark life itself. There appears to be something beyond.
Historically, two broad schools emerged. One denied anything beyond material existence — what was called scientific materialism. That position has weakened. The second school sought transcendence through meditation, as in certain Eastern traditions, aiming to rise beyond the senses but without affirming a personal, willing Divinity.
Then there is the Abrahamic tradition — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — which affirms revelation: that the Divine communicated guidance to humanity about our existence, our responsibilities, and our accountability.
In our time, these questions are urgent. With artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and immense technological power, intelligence alone does not provide direction or meaning. Pure intelligence without moral guidance can become dangerous. Imagine power combined with greed and no sense of accountability. Humanity faces real challenges.
If we seek guidance, we must examine the scriptures available to us. The Bible, in its various translations, preserves spirit and meaning, though debates remain about textual history. Other claimed revelations are not widely accepted as universal scriptures.
As for the Quran, we possess its original Arabic text, preserved and recited continuously. Any translation is an interpretation; the Quran itself remains in Arabic. Yet its meanings can be accessed in translation, even if depth increases with knowledge of the language.
Understanding the Quran expands as human knowledge expands. Just as our view of the universe deepened from naked-eye observation to telescopes and satellites, so too our lens for reading the Quran can widen. The text has been there for fourteen centuries; what changes is the mind reading it.
The Quran presents clear structural ideas: the absolute oneness of God; the movement of nature toward its Creator; Divine attributes rather than physical descriptions; the history of humanity; revelation and accountability; and the call to do good. These themes are accessible even in translation.
The Quran presents itself as guidance for humanity, not merely for Muslims. It offers a framework that can speak to modern challenges — if read with fresh eyes in the 21st century.
Now let me move to the second dimension: Muslims today. When we look at the news, we see conflict, instability, and many struggles across parts of the Muslim world. People ask: if the Quran is so powerful, why are Muslim societies not flourishing?
This is a valid question. I would argue that the root problem is a dilution of centrality. The Quran is believed by all Muslims to be Divine revelation. It transformed a fragmented society in Arabia into a civilization that influenced vast regions of the world. What gave that early community its momentum was the message itself.
Yet today, culture, politics, institutions, and inherited interpretations sometimes overshadow the Quran rather than being framed by it. What is needed is a reset — a re-centralization of the Quran as the primary reference point, against which culture and institutions are measured, not the other way around.
Some argue that the Quran is difficult to understand and must be monopolized by specialists. Expertise is important, but the Quran describes itself as guidance for people. It calls for reflection. It should not be locked away; rather, Muslims must re-examine their traditions in light of it.
Resistance is natural. Any call that challenges structures and interests meets opposition. But the obligation remains: to put the Quran first and to read it with the awareness and knowledge available to us today.
Finally, the third dimension: our personal relationship as readers of the Quran.
Many of us read it during Ramadan, sometimes quickly, aiming for completion. Even a passing reading reveals recurring themes and interconnected ideas. There are verses revealed in Mecca that establish core beliefs and values, and verses revealed in Medina addressing social, legal, and communal matters. Together they form a coherent whole.
There are levels of engagement. The first is simple recitation. The second is reflective reading — noticing patterns, distinctions, and connections. With reflection, one begins to see harmony between the Quran and the natural world.
For example, the Quran speaks of rain descending from the sky, mixing with the earth, producing diverse plants and fruits. Often, near such descriptions, it also speaks of revelation descending — verses sent down to hearts. Just as rain interacts with soil to produce varied growth, revelation interacts with human minds and cultures to produce diverse insights. No one has exclusive ownership of its meanings.
The Quran is like an ocean; each person draws according to the size of their vessel. The more open and informed the mind, the more it can receive.
The highest level, perhaps, is to read the Quran with the intention of allowing it to shape and refine the mind — to build a living relationship with the Divine through it. There is nothing sweeter than a sincere connection with the Divine, and the Quran serves as a window toward that connection, especially in Ramadan.
Let me close by saying that the purpose of establishing a Quran Education Foundation is not merely religious instruction, but to encourage this renewed engagement: to reset our approach, to re-centralize the Quran, and to make the Quran for all and for life. That is the vision and the motto.
*Dr Laith Kubba is the Director of the Quran Education Foundation (QEF). He was formerly director of international relations at the Al-Khoei Foundation in London, a global charity and faith-based endowment, and founded the International Forum for Islamic Dialogue (IFID), a London-based network of open-minded Muslim activists and intellectuals. He regularly contributes to global media talks on democratization in the Middle East and North Africa, Islam and democracy, and politics in Iraq. Dr. Kubba holds a B.A. from the University of Baghdad, Iraq, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, UK. He was senior advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister and a spokesman for the Iraqi government. He was also a senior director for Middle East and North Africa programs at the National Endowment for Democracy.
***John Woodhouse is a Roman Catholic who organises the Westminster cathedral interfaith group and is co-ordinator of Laudato Si’ animators UK. John is organist and choirmaster at St John the Evangelist, Caterham Valley. He has been married to Liz for 50 years and they have 3 children and 3 grandsons. He paints in oils, enjoys swimming, opera and the Proms and is a retired librarian. He founded the Westminster Cathedral Interfaith group 13 years ago and it meets monthly to discuss papal documents and visit mosques, synagogues, temples and exhibitions. He has been on Faiths Together in Croydon walks in the parks and has been involved with the group about combatting hate crime.
