JEDDAH, 14 October 2004 — The changing working hours in Ramadan spread laziness and lessen productivity. A large number of employees, teachers, employers, students and parents are asking that working hours begin in the early morning and end at noon instead of beginning at 10 and ending in the afternoon.
A survey conducted by Al-Madinah daily showed that most people believed that moving working hours to begin at 10 a.m. and the practice of staying up all night made both students and employees inefficient and lazy. The survey also showed that most people preferred to go to work early morning so that they could finish work earlier.
“Starting earlier would mean sleeping earlier and not staying up all night,” said Nada Faris, a schoolteacher and mother of two. “With the way the Ramadan working hours are, things are frantic for me. I’m always running and racing to get things done after work. I’m barely able to get iftar ready for my family. If work were earlier, I’d be able to get much more done in plenty of time.”
“This is a special month,” said Ali Sulaiman, an employee at a local Jeddah advertising agency. “It’s supposed to be a month for reflection and not one for sleeping. If we look back at Islamic history, we’d find that many battles and achievements occurred during Ramadan. So Muslims were up on their feet, not just working but in the battlefield, while they were fasting. To use fasting as an excuse for sleeping and eating more and doing less is unacceptable.”
Abdul Aziz Muhammad, a teacher in a public school, said: “The time between fajr (dawn) and 10 a.m. is wasted. We just sit around not letting ourselves fall asleep, waiting for the time to go to work. And even if some of us fall asleep, we wake up in a much worse state than if we don’t sleep. You should see the shape the students come to class in. More asleep then awake.”
Different people commented on abusing time during Ramadan. “I disagree with the way night and day trade places in Ramadan. Everyone sleeps most of the day since most can get away with it and then they’re awake all night. It’s unhealthy,” said Dr. Noura, a professor and administrator at King Abdul Aziz University. “The effect is very bad. It wears us and the students out.”
Abdulilah Zaid, a salesman in a jewelry shop, was in full support of beginning the working day at 7 instead of 10. “Making sure that we’re up, awake and active should be something we aim for, even more in Ramadan because it’s supposed to be a month of worship and spiritual reflection. And being half-asleep on the job contradicts all this.”
Dr. Ahmad, who works in a government clinic, differed with those who want to advance Ramadan working hours. “It isn’t convenient for patients to come in very early because of the fasting. Most patients come in starting about 9 p.m. So, as far as medical establishments are concerned, the present Ramadan working hours are fine.”
Muhammad Raid, a sports teacher in a private boys’ school, said: “I don’t think that changing the working hours in Ramadan would be suitable because everyone, including students, stays up all night. How could they go to work or school early in the morning? The timing for everything should change and not just the working hours.”
Mariam Nasser, who lived in the UK a few years ago, said: “I don’t understand the big fuss about changing working hours because of Ramadan. Sure, there is the weather factor but we used to break our fast about 9 p.m. and then we’d start fasting again about 3 a.m. And yet whether we were students or employees, our working hours stayed the same.”
Nizar Abdul Aziz said: “Sleeping through the fast and staying up all night eating and having a good time contradicts the purpose of Ramadan. Plus during the early hours, we tend to be more active and can be more productive. I find the times to be unfair to working women responsible for families. Between working and coming home and managing the family and food affairs, how can the month not end up in a mess?”
Abu Fahd, a senior businessman, said: “It’s unfortunate but I can’t deny that Ramadan is known to be a slow and unproductive month because people are either sleep-walking or eating. It’s like the month has become an excuse to be inattentive and not on the job. May God forgive us; this is such an important month but look at how we spend it.”
