Ramadan started this week. Some Philly Muslims want to work from home as they fast.

If you were fasting from food and water for 13 hours, would you rather work from home or in the office?

Monday marked the first day of fasting for Muslims who observe the holy month of Ramadan, a time to grow closer to one’s spirituality by enforcing values of patience, self-discipline, charity, and community. Each year, an estimated eight in 10 Muslims in the U.S. observe Ramadan, abstaining from food and drink (including water), as well as negative behaviors such as lying or backbiting, from dawn until dusk — all while deepening their relationship with God.

But for many Muslims, there’s now pre-lockdown Ramadan and post-lockdown Ramadan.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, Ramadan was a time for Muslims to gather in community for suhoor (the pre-dawn meal) and iftar (the breaking of the fast), as well as for prayers. And those living in non-Muslim-majority countries, like the roughly 3.45 million Muslims in the U.S., had the added challenge of navigating work and their social life as normal around their fast. (Muslim-majority countries are more accommodating around Ramadan, such as with adjusted work schedules.)

“[Ramadan is] like Coachella for Muslims.”

Lockdown changed all of that. No longer were there community iftars and early-morning IHOP runs for suhoor, nor large gatherings to pray at mosques. And as everyone began to work from home, Muslims were no longer experiencing being one of the only people fasting in their offices.

As the world has begun to open back up, and many companies are requiring their employees return to the office, The Inquirer spoke with Muslims across Philadelphia about what Ramadan means to them, and whether they prefer working from home or in the office during their fast.

These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

I was technically not born Muslim, but I have been Muslim for as long as I can remember. My parents converted to Islam when I was about 3 years old. I practiced to varying levels and degrees over the course of time, but my practice has been most consistent high school-forward. And by consistent what I mean is praying regularly, fasting during Ramadan, going to the mosque for prayer on Fridays, things like that.

I’ve had a complex relationship to Islam growing up, just being in an environment where I was the only outwardly Muslim person in many instances and just needing to develop a level of comfort with having a unique identity. So it’s been a coming-of-age journey.

It’s a time of rebirth and renewal. In my opinion, the level and kind of spiritual discipline and focus I have during Ramadan oftentimes feels like the New Year in many ways. It’s a return-to-self or recalibration. We need to do an inventory to say, “OK, do we like the way that things are trending from a personal development perspective? Do they need to change? And how do we center faith in it all?”

[I would get] wiped out from the volume of human interaction and brain work that’s necessary in my line of work. One day, I was so exhausted from fasting and from praying at night and still getting up and trying to do a traditional eight-hour workday. I was working at TD Bank. My manager came to me and asked if I would like an altered schedule or a different working cadence for Ramadan. This manager really went the extra mile to advocate for me. This is truly lived allyship and acknowledgment that this helps me be my best self.

I work in a remote role now [at Salesforce], so there is not significant obligation for me to be in person during Ramadan, which is great. I work with an adjusted schedule; instead of the typical nine-to-five schedule, I’ll work from 7:30 into the afternoon. I often work naps into my day because just doing work is tiresome.

I feel very blessed and fortunate to find myself in working environments that are very amenable to observing Ramadan and still feeling like I am showing up as a high-quality professional. So I’m a huge advocate for it. I think having the flexibility to work from home in any format… goes a long way in promoting wellness and helping folks to be their full selves.

I’m always learning in the realm of my own faith. And always asking questions of the why, because if we ask questions of why we do something, then nowadays I have the reasoning when teaching my own son about that. I don’t want to make [practicing] a traditional thing, I want to be like, “You’re building your own connection to God himself, and you’re always improving in that aspect.”

I think it’s a reset. The gates of heaven are open to you. It’s more of a pathway for you to get closer to God. He’s giving you the roadmap, and you just have to follow it, but not blindly. It comes down to finding your true self, but also finding your weaknesses, your urges. See where your other flaws might be that you’re not aware of. Things like backbiting, or lying, or even cursing… catching yourself in that moment and the correcting it.

In the past, I wasn’t able to fast because of the longer days because of [health complications]. I’m on a regimen of 12 hours of medication. But as the days got shorter, I got clearance from my doctor, so only in [2021] I started to fast.

I was [an administrator] at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. By then, I was doing a hybrid schedule. One thing I really like about Philly is the diversity, especially in the Northeast area. So people were wishing me “Ramadan Kareem” at work because they were aware that the fasting month had started. For me, it was kind of a challenge going into work, but then I felt that I was more goal-driven because right after you eat [suhoor], you can sleep, but then you’re losing the moment. So I would eat [suhoor], drink coffee, keep myself hydrated, but then start working around an hour or two after the fast started. I would try to get more of my projects accomplished… and try and keep up with my original self because I don’t want [my coworkers] to feel bad. I didn’t want that aspect of it. I continued displaying positive energy to the staff.

I prefer going into the hospital. When I’m home, I’m more likely to be less productive. You just want to sleep in your bed, you’re in the comfort of your own home. And it’s more tempting to be at home because the fridge is right there and you just want to snack.

For me to go in, it was a different perspective of, I can try and be more productive and be part of a team.

I was born and raised Catholic, and I converted to Islam in my early 20s. It was a lot of self-learning… documentaries, lectures, reading different books. Over the last several years, Islam has played a significant role in my life. It’s always been the firmest pillar of support for me, the best place to get insight and advice on myself and my character development, who I’m supposed to be, but also how I’m supposed to treat people. It’s a rich source of education on the world and people and all types of topics.

It’s a beautiful experience, the fasting benefits, the communing with other people. It’s been an evolving journey for me as a convert. Ramadan has always been a time when I feel an impetus to grow in many ways, whether it’s just by self-discipline of fasting, but also from bad habits and trying to really refine oneself. It gives me time away from worldly desires to see what’s going on in my mind and my heart without distracting myself.

It was challenging. The type of work I do, I will typically travel to clients weekly. With travel, with having to be in meetings all day, you don’t even get a chance to take some time for yourself. Also, in a kind of work environment, many times we’re having team dinners or dinners with a client. It’s always, should I go and stand around and not eat? And having to have those explainer conversations. So it was a bit challenging in that regard.

It was a much more controlled experience for me. I don’t have to interact with people, I don’t have to share meals with people, there’s no need to explain why I’m not eating, there’s no deciding whether to go out for dinner with clients or the team. But then of course, with a lockdown it took away getting together. It was more isolated.

Now, post-pandemic and [hybrid], it’s been easier to juggle when I can control my schedule. If I don’t have to be onsite, I prefer to stay home and do my fasting because there’s less distraction, and I can be more focused spiritually.

I grew up in a practicing, religious household. I try as hard as I can to carry it with me.

It’s like Coachella for Muslims. It’s such a special time because everyone’s doing it together. Seeing everyone every evening, you always have iftar plans, plus you feel a sense of renewal. It feels like a blank slate, so I think that’s really beautiful.

The first Ramadan when I started working, I worked a lot of evening shifts. Everyone knew during that month that I would take lunch at exactly 8:21, or whatever [iftar time] was. Working during Ramadan was a little bit hard in the sense that you can’t really nap during the day, and being on someone else’s schedule can be a little bit harder. But it kept my mind busy so it was overall a good experience.

It’s also another way to show the people about Islam through your actions, so that’s always a nice opportunity. I had this idea that I want to bring in cupcakes around Eid to show the positive sides of Ramadan for everyone.

I was born Muslim. I’ve been practicing since I was a kid. I went to Arabic school when I was younger. I try to pray every day and really observe the faith.

To me, Ramadan is a time to pause and reflect. It’s really about sacrifice. But with that sacrifice, you gain such a deeper connection with yourself and with God, you get a chance to really reflect on what really matters in life. I think we can get really caught up in superficial things that are really driving our day-to-day, but not things that drive our higher purpose here. So I think Ramadan allows you that time to give up things to really learn more about yourself and gain a deeper connection to God, to really focus and recenter. And for me, I always find that it comes at the right time every year where I’m needing a little bit of reflection.

I’ve worked in places where folks have been really sensitive or at least understanding of who I am, so I could have those conversations of… adjusting my schedule. A lot of people think the hardest thing about Ramadan is not eating or drinking, but honestly you get really exhausted. The lack of sleep because you’re waking up [for suhoor], and the prayer at nighttime is longer.

Working from home allowed a whole new agency and freedom. You’re able to wake up and maybe adjust your schedule and your meetings a little bit later. You’re able to pray throughout the day, in the comfort of your home.

My company did not require a return to the office, but we do have an office location, and it’s a choice which is nice. I think during Ramadan, I’ll play it by ear because some days you want to get out and get moving, it’s easier to get through the day. But if a day comes where I’m tired or don’t really feel like socializing much, definitely plan to stay home.