Ramadan and Economic ‘Progress’
It was about 66 years ago that Habib Bourguiba publicly drank orange juice on television during Ramadan and encouraged Tunisians not to fast if fasting would reduce national productivity. He framed his position as a matter of economic development, arguing that building the nation required strength and continuous work. He even tried to justify this by claiming that economic struggle was a form of jihad and that such a struggle allowed concessions from fasting!
Much has been written about the economic impact of Ramadan. Research shows that Ramadan does not simply reduce economic activity. Rather, it reshapes the economy through predictable cycles. Retail and hospitality sectors often see increased activity. Money circulation rises. Businesses adapt to new schedules. The shifts are complex, not simply negative.
Ramadan also produces social benefits that are rarely measured in economic statistics. It increases charitable giving, strengthens family bonds, builds community solidarity, and encourages moral discipline and spiritual reflection. These are not small matters. Even a secular leader should recognize that these qualities contribute to a healthy and stable society.
What is often ignored, however, is the clear double standard. No society consistently treats productivity as the highest value. Western economies slow down for Christmas and New Year holidays. Summer vacations reduce output across Europe. China, which is widely praised for its economic performance, observes lengthy holidays such as Chinese New Year and Golden Week, during which factories close and economic activity slows for weeks. Yet no one argues that these traditions prove those societies are irrational or backward.
In the end, productivity is not the highest goal of a Muslim. Pleasing Allah comes first. Nations are not strengthened by working without pause, but by building people of discipline, faith, and moral character. If Ramadan brings us closer to Allah and shapes better human beings, then that is a success greater than any short-term economic measure.
لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله A fundamental difference between the Islamic and Western views on economics is that the latter is premised on humans clamouring to maximise their utility in a context of scarcity, whereas Muslims operate under Allah s abundance and rizq that already been ordained at birth. Fasting or not fasting will not change an iota of one's rizq.
Some people have no shame whatsoever. They openly defy the Commandments of Allah right in front of the whole world and then seek to justify it afterwards. Yes, we all sin and commit acts of disobedience but the true believer does not seek to justify it or to publicize it to other people. Many of these modernist thinkers hold the belief that adhering to the religion of Islam actually has a deleterious impact upon our worldly progress, which is a false notion. And, as you indicated in the article, economic prosperity and productivity is not the main goal of the believer but rather living a life that is pleasing to Allah. We ask Allah for the good of this world as well as the good of the hereafter and to protect us from the Hellfire. The true success is attaining the pleasure of Allah and being admitted into Paradise.