The Ramadan Debate - Spirituality vs. Productivity PDF

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Abu Productive May 30 Islam & Productivity, Ramadan & Productivity 19 Comments
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5/14/2018 The Ramadan Debate: Spirituality vs. Productivity - ProductiveMuslim.com
There is a heated debate among Muslim professionals that take place every year regarding
Ramadan. The debate is divided between the “Spiritual camp” and the “Pragmatic camp” and it
goes as follows:
The spiritual camp argues that Ramadan is the month of spirituality, and we should focus our efforts
on acts of worship such as fasting, prayers, charity and recitation of the Qur’an – and if possible, we
should take time out from work during Ramadan and make the most of the blessed month.
The pragmatic camp argues that we should be practical about Ramadan, and balance (reduce) our
spiritual commitments during Ramadan so that we can maintain productivity in the workplace and to
stop giving Islam or Muslims a bad name.
How do we settle this debate? And, does being productive during Ramadan negate enjoying the
spirituality of the month?
The Ramadan spirit and challenge

When we think about Ramadan, most of us – as Muslim Professionals – look forward to the spiritual
and cultural elements of the month: the soul-moving prayers, the beautiful recitations of the Qur’an
that move us to tears, the delicious iftar meals with our family, and the happy and hearty “Ramadan
Kareem!” greetings you hear from family, friends and even strangers. This is what makes Ramadan
special for us and a month that nearly 1.7 billion Muslims around the world look forward to every
year.
However, we cannot deny that Ramadan comes with its own set of challenges – especially with
regards to our productivity. This includes the long fasting hours, the feeling of thirst and hunger that
challenges our concentration at work, sleeping late because of the late night spiritual/cultural
aspects of the month, having to wake up early to eat a meal at a time you normally do not feel like
having breakfast, and people who, because they cannot have their nicotine/caffeine fix during
fasting hours, are not in the mood to discuss your new project.
Applying this on a macro level, and you would probably come to the same conclusion as two
researchers from Harvard Kennedy School of Government did in their paper “Does Religion Affect
Economic Growth and Happiness? Evidence from Ramadan” (Campante & Yanagizawa-Drott, 2013):
“Ramadan affects Muslims’ relative preferences regarding work and religiosity… and has negative
implications for economic performance, but that nevertheless increases subjective well-being
among followers.”
Read the NPR Interview excerpt which explains the above research in more detail.
Understanding the debate
I was not aware of the intensity of this debate until 2011 when I partnered with DinarStandard, a
growth strategy research and advisory firm based in New York, to produce the first survey on
productivity during Ramadan. One of the unintended consequences was that some news media
picked up the research and plastered headlines on how productivity drops in Ramadan and how
much it is costing Muslim majority countries billions of dollars in GDP loss. Soon after, we started
receiving both criticism and applause from both debate camps: The spiritual camp was furious as it
seemed that we negated the importance of spirituality of the month and that no billions of dollars of
lost productivity could ever be measured to the spirituality and the blessings of the month (this is
not what we meant by the study, please read the research recommendations here). And the
pragmatic camp was cheering saying how much this research was needed in the Muslim world.
What surprised me in the debate is that there was an “EITHER/OR” mentality amongst the debaters:
EITHER you are spiritual during Ramadan OR you are productive. Some of those in the spiritual
camp, have a very strong belief that nothing “productive” gets done in Ramadan and that Ramadan
is the month of fasting, prayers and recitation of the Qur’an, and people should not try to reduce the
value of its spirituality by emphasizing the need to improve work performance and productivity.
Those who are in the pragmatic camp simply said a no that people can be productive in Ramadan
and if that means reducing the spiritual commitments so that people can work as efficiently and
productively as their non-fasting peers, then that is part of the struggle.
Another nuance of this debate is that it is clearly divided between Muslims who live in majority
Muslim countries where working hours are reduced and there is a cultural ‘acceptance’ of reduced
productivity in the month (as well as ramp up of spiritual advice received before/during the month)
versus Muslims living in non-Muslim majority countries who basically have to keep up with
everybody else who are not fasting otherwise it will affect their performance at work (and perhaps
do not receive as much spiritual dosage from media and the surrounding environment).
Settling the debate: Understanding taqwa
What I realized from this debate is that it is a debate about the purpose of Ramadan. Specifically,
how we understand the concept of taqwa (God-consciousness or righteousness) during Ramadan,
which is what the Qur’an emphasizes as the purpose of Ramadan. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed
upon those before you that you may become righteous.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2,
Verse 183]
For those in the spiritual camp, taqwa is about performing acts of worship and hence during
Ramadan, they only want to increase their acts of worship. For those in the pragmatic camp, taqwa
is not clearly defined.
Taqwa comes from the root Arabic word “to protect” or “be protected” and the idea is for one to be
protected from the hell-fire and make choices in their life that lead them to the Paradise.
If we think about it, taqwa is essentially about being disciplined. Being disciplined with not only our
spirituality (by doing acts of worship and avoiding sin) but also with our soul, body and mind. Put in
other words, having taqwa is about being conscious of making ‘righteous’ choices in the full
meaning of the word – not just for our spirituality but everything that makes us human.
My contention in this debate is that we narrowed down the purpose of Ramadan to a specific
understanding of taqwa that we only fulfill the purpose of Ramadan by performing acts of worship
and nothing more, and being productive in our workplaces is not part of taqwa. This, to me, is a very
limited understanding of the purpose of Ramadan and of taqwa in general.
What if we expanded the meaning of taqwa and made it about making those disciplined choices –
not only for our spiritual well-being but for our physical and social well-being also? What if taqwa is
not only about avoiding sin or performing the acts of worship, but also in applying the same
consciousness to what we eat, how we sleep, what to focus on, and how to manage our time
optimally – with the intention of achieving success in this life and the next?
What if God-consciousness (taqwa) becomes a driver for your productivity and not a deterrent to
being productive? What if the purpose of Ramadan is to explore your full human capacity and not
just your spiritual capacity?
How to expand your human capacity

during Ramadan?
Throughout my years of productivity training – working with thousands of Muslim professionals,
students, and working mothers, I found that Ramadan is the best time to test our true capacity as a
productive human being. Let me put this in context: outside of Ramadan, it is easy for you if you had
a bad night’s sleep, to get a quick coffee fix in the morning and you will be relatively functioning
throughout the day. But during Ramadan, if you do not sleep properly, and you do not wake up to
have your predawn breakfast, it is going to be tough and you will struggle to stay productive during
the day (or be spiritual at night). So these smart choices do not become optional during Ramadan,
rather, they become essential! And not just essential to performing well as an employee or family
member, but essential for your spirituality.
If we start seeing Ramadan as a challenge – a challenge that asks those who are in the spiritual
camp to be productive and serve others to the best of their ability and asks those who are in the
pragmatic camp to increase and improve their spirituality in the month, then we will understand that
Ramadan is truly about boosting our human capacity – spiritually, physically, and socially.
The above requires a lot of hard work and making tough choices about how we spend our energy,
our focus, and our time to optimize and improve our human capacity. This is the work that we have
been doing at ProductiveMuslim.com over the past 5 years and through our ProductiveRamadan
Online Course to help individuals understand what those choices are and stick to them before,
during, and after Ramadan.
If you are more serious about making this Ramadan more productive (and spiritual), then I highly
recommend that you consider joining the ProductiveRamadan Online Course where a team of
instructors will walk you through all the practical lessons you need to make you more productive
and prepared for Ramadan.
Conclusion
I started this article by mentioning the two sides of the debate. What I hope you would appreciate
by now is that having a productive Ramadan is neither about focusing on the spiritual side of
Ramadan only and neglecting (or even ignoring) our productivity and work performance, nor the
opposite. A productive Ramadan is about asking oneself the critical question: How can I be the
best version of myself – spiritually, physically, and socially during this blessed month? If enough
Muslims ask themselves this question and follow through with practical implementation of the latest
productivity science that helps them be productive, healthy and balanced human beings, then
perhaps in a few years we might get a different result from the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government research I referred to above, one that will say Ramadan not only improves subjective
well-being among followers, but also improves economic performance and productivity.
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Abdulkadir Jeylan
May 30, 2016 at 2:59 pm
Jazakallah Kheyr for the eye opening article

I have a few questions concerning this issue that is causing debate and might
clear leaning too much on either pragmatic or spiritual camp
How did the Swahaba and those righteous people before us perform their fast?
Did they stop working?
Did there commitment in doing maximum acts of worship during Ramadhan

ever stop them from fulfilling their duties in the best and most productive
manner?
Reply
Muazzam
June 2, 2016 at 1:46 pm
Wslmz Very good article
I think its about finding a right balance during fasting. In the time of the Prophet
(saw), a battle took place during Ramdaan, if I am not mistaken and they fought
and won. I think the West will always try to bring down the Muslim and say
what a bad thing fasting is, but we must try to find a balance and make people
aware that Islam can go hand in hand with today’s fast paced life.
In South Africa, where I am from, people actually work better during fast and
get more things done and plus since there is no lunch, people can take a a nap
after thur :)
Reply
Rabi Ahmed Mahdi

May 30, 2016 at 3:10 pm
Assalamu alaykum. Jazakallah for sharing this article. I just want to say that
during Ramadhan, one can be spiritual as well as productive. Personally I am
more productive and also spiritual. It’s only a matter of focus and will.Bissalam
Reply
Sohail Yusuf
May 30, 2016 at 5:09 pm
I am not an Islamic Scholar but as a fellow Muslim, from my own knowledge

and assertion, they were first and foremost dedicated to Allah swt and learning
from the prophet saw, therefore they were able to cope with the challenging
climate in the middle east in fasting in Ramadan. They also underwent greater
trials and and tribulations than us.
Reply
Mh
May 30, 2016 at 5:34 pm
I completely agree with you bro faris. the main question is- how can I be the
best version of myself-spiritually, physically, socially, mentally. May Allah grant
us a holistic understanding of islam. Ameen. :)
Reply
UA
May 30, 2016 at 5:55 pm
I guess our perception of what taqwa is – is the key to solving this issue. If we
(for example) get paid for doing 40 hours/week’s worth of work, then working
from 9-5pm (even if it means missing prayers at masjid and doing salah at work
and not spending that time in daura-e-Quran/etc) is fulfilling our obligation –>
fardh.
And if we are doing taraweeh [even 8 rakah, so we come home early and
sleep] and are not able to get up before suhoor to do looong ibadah, because
we have work that day, we can think of taraweeh as night prayer and not fret
about neglecting the pre-suhoor prayer.
There has got to be a balance, based on our own circumstances. Otherwise

nothing will get done and all we are going to be left with is bitterness and
frustration that we let a whole month of blessing go by because we thought
too little of the stuff we could have consistently done to gain rewards.
Reply
Ross
May 31, 2016 at 12:10 am
A matter of extremes, which is far from what Islam teaches. It is saddening that
even within the Muslim community, differences in opinions and preferences
despite its permissibility, is still debated. Islam definitely teaches us to have
discipline and balance on every aspect of our lives resulting to productivity. To
choose to do more acts of worship and leave work for this month of Ramadan
should not be condemned. For Who sustains us in everything is worth leaving
work. May Allah reward them for their efforts. To choose to keep up with their
work life with less time for taraweeh or Quran recitation should not be an issue.
May Allah reward them as well for fulfilling their life responsibilities given by
Allah to them while doing their obligations to Him. Allah knows best.
Reply
Shafshah
May 31, 2016 at 2:59 am
I completely agree with Abu Productive that each one of us should strive to
better ourselves spiritually,physically and socially.That is the key in getting
maximum benefit out of Ramadan.I also believe that we should not narrow the
meaning of taqwa.But having said that,I will be cutting down my working hours
this Ramadan as I am self employed. At the same time,my husband who works
as a software professional will be working his usual 9-6 hours. But,I know for
sure that he is far more spiritual person than me.So, I believe the issue is more
about keeping the Ramadan spirit alive in whatever situation we find ourselves
in.Allah knows best ..and may we all have a blessed and fulfilling Ramadan this
year..Insha Allah
Reply
Ute Diri-Dost
May 31, 2016 at 5:04 am
On what purpose was the survey of this institute done?Is this relevant for
Muslims only?-Also Christiins do fast,and Otters.Who depends in vis coffe or
cigarette in the morning should get rid of this addiction,anyhow this will work
only for a very limited time a cold shower will have the same effect.-So why
consider Ramadan different from other months in respect of productivity?The
Battle of Badr took place in Ramadan the companions fasting!Forget about the
ideas of being less productive and you will see the results!Why stress yourself
about Ibada!Everything lawful could be Inbada!Cut down opulent meals and
big parties then you will have more time to concentrate on Quran recitation
and prayers.-Drinking a lot of water will keep you going well during the
daytime,especially in the summer,in winter hours of fasting are very much
reduced anyhow so that you are able to enjoy your meals at our regular time.-
What I want to say is why making such a great fuzz about the matter?All the
year is worship time but we should bear in our minds that Ramadan is special
with it blessings of Allah and special rewards,and fulfilling Allahs command to
fast is to submit to Him whether we like it or not because of hardship.In striving
for Allah benevolence there is no further discussion .That is what Prophet
Muhammad and the companions did.
Reply
Aasif Manjoo
May 31, 2016 at 9:35 pm
I would agree balance and being proactive and positive are the key during
Ramadan. It’s important to seek continuous improvement in our understanding
and practice of our deen. Farz duties come first, and built around that should
be our work, family time, reviving the sunnah and helping others which are also
important acts of ibadah. Spiritual reform should go along with that as as
means for long term barakah inshaAllah.
Reply
Dahman
June 1, 2016 at 2:24 am
Are there ahaadiith concerning increasing acts of worship during ramadhan?

Increase qur’an recitation? And is there ahaadith for someone to refuce
working hours? Please can someone answer?
Reply
Muhammad Nma Baba

June 1, 2016 at 8:48 am
Jazakallahu khairan for demystifying the contention. its such a beneficial article
requiring several re-reading.
Reply
Rilwan Bin Nayeem

June 1, 2016 at 10:33 am
Before to go for a Debate something regarding Islamic religious aspect, we

should always check for in Qur’an and from life of Rasoolullah (sal). As you said
Abu Productive, the Ramadan is mostly concerned on taqwa which is clearly
mentioned in the qur’an. An that is the only verse mentioned in the qur’an
about this month. And if we see the life of our beloved Rasoolullah (sal), there
are many examples for his physical and social productivity on the month of
Ramadan. Battle of Badr, Building of khandaq to protect the city etc.. So it can
be clearly understand that the month is not only on spiritual side, but it’s all
about taqwa (righteousness) for this life & next.
Jazakallah khair!!
Reply
Mariya
June 3, 2016 at 5:39 am
Agree with Abu Productive and this shows that both sides have lack of islamic
knowledge especially on foundation of ISLAM(five pillars of islam) the aim of
Fasting is attaining Taqwaa ,You can’t attain Taqwa while you hiding your self in
a cave praying , fasting ,sleep ,giving charity as muslim you need to get your
self outside and dealing with world in good of manners and sabra order to
attaining Taqwa and on other side of pragmatic camp they are the real failures
here. Instead of waste there are time and energy they need first learning their
deen and biography of Prophet Muhammad ,Islam is deen of BALANCE on
both spiritually ,physically and socially
Reply
Sabina
June 10, 2016 at 6:49 pm
Thanks for a great article!
Reply
M
May 13, 2017 at 6:37 am
MashaALLAH…. beautiful write up…. indeed … all we need to do is look back

into the lives of Sahabas… when Ramadan came.. every thing went on regular..
work .. trade… diplomatic relations … etc… Madina continued functioning as a
hustling bustling city… :)
Reply
Apple
May 18, 2017 at 7:48 am
I get the feeling that this was written by a young person in good health without
too many responsibilities – for instance, someone for whom sleeping is a
choice, or eating healthfully means they’re going to have loads of energy.
It doesn’t address those of us who are already working at maximum capacity

the other 11 months of the year, are already doing our best to try to be in good
health and are already making those ‘disciplined choices’, and for whom
fasting is a genuine difficulty on a physical level. For me. at this phase in life,
fasting is more about being humbled by my incapacity and my inability to do
the things that are easier otherwise – not about being more productive.
Reply
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The Ramadan Debate: Spirituality vs. Productivity

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The Ramadan spirit and challenge

Understanding the debate

Settling the debate: Understanding taqwa

How to expand your human capacity

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About Abu Productive

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Follow @AbuProductive 117K followers

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Jazakallah Kheyr for the eye opening article

Did there commitment in doing maximum acts of worship during Ramadhan

Wslmz Very good article

Rabi Ahmed Mahdi

I am not an Islamic Scholar but as a fellow Muslim, from my own knowledge

There has got to be a balance, based on our own circumstances. Otherwise

Are there ahaadiith concerning increasing acts of worship during ramadhan?

Muhammad Nma Baba

Rilwan Bin Nayeem

Before to go for a Debate something regarding Islamic religious aspect, we

Thanks for a great article!

MashaALLAH…. beautiful write up…. indeed … all we need to do is look back

It doesn’t address those of us who are already working at maximum capacity

Join The World’s First Online Personal Development Academy

Become a Member Today »

The Ultimate ProductiveMuslim Goal Planner

Productive Muslim Academy

© Leading Productive Lives LLC 2018

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