In the current and next few weeks, you may come into work and find your co-worker taking a power nap at 9:30am. At break time, you’ll notice he\she is missing in the discussion about Harry Potter over at the water cooler. At the staff meeting, you will be shocked when he\she is offered coffee and cookies and refuses ! By lunch time, your concern about his\her missing at the water cooler compels you to investigate the situation. Then you remember what he\she had mentioned last week over a delicious lunch. Flooded with relief, you go up to his\her desk, and proclaim with much gusto, “Ramadan Mubarak (Moo-baa-rak)!” Ramadan’s Blessings to you! The month of Ramadan is a happy occasion; it is the month that the Muslim holy book, The Quran, was revealed to our Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him). Muslims are called by their religion to celebrate the month by coming together in worship, fasting each day for thirty days from dawn until sunset. While this may seem like a tremendous feat, consider this: Fasting while working is an even greater endeavor. Make it a little easier on your Muslim colleague by following a couple of simple rules:

The Greeting The next time you find yourself in line for the copier with your Muslim colleague, feel free to wish him or her “Ramadan Mubarak” or “Ramadan Kareem” or simply “Happy Ramadan.” We absolutely love it when people acknowledge Ramadan and are happy about it.

Positive Reinforcement Keep in mind that we’re fasting voluntarily and, actually, pretty joyously (despite the tired, sad look on our face). We’re not forced to fast. In fact, there are immense amount of benefits of fasting and we wait for this month the whole year, so you don’t have to feel sorry for us. We are not trying to be rescued (other than by that ticking clock taking us closer to sunset!).

The Lunch Meeting Most of us understand that life goes on, and so do lunch meetings, and if we are participating in them while fasting, don’t worry about eating in front of us. This is just part of the test. We appreciate your acknowledging our fast, but don’t feel the need to discuss it every time you show up in our line of sight holding food. Just try not to eat smelly foods. . . and please ignore our stomach when it growls at your sandwich.

No Water It’s true — we can’t drink water either. Again, this is part of the Ramadan test and our exercise of spiritual discipline. This is probably why you may not find your friend at the water cooler. Try switching the break time conversation to another location in the office. You should probably also let them skip their turn for the coffee run this time.

Iftar Dinner Consider holding a Ramadan Iftar dinner. Iftar is the Arabic word for the meal served at sunset when we break the fast (it’s literally our ‘breakfast’). This will be a nice gesture for Muslim coworkers and will give others the opportunity to learn about and partake in Ramadan festivities. Although there is no specific type of meal designated for iftars, it is is tradition to break the fast with a sweet and refreshing date before moving to a full-on dinner. Fasting is not an excuse, Although energy levels might be low, the point of fasting is not to slack off from our other duties and responsibilities. We believe that we are rewarded for continuing to work and produce during our fasts. Fasting is not a reason to push meetings, clear schedules, or take a lighter load on projects.

That said – we won’t mind if you will help us with our work and we can take a nap for some time!