Ramadan

by ArabianBroncoFan on Sep 6, 2008 3:59 PM MDT Comment 26 comments

Quick question, I hope someone can find the answer. I've read that Ryan Harris and Hamza Abdullah are muslims. Being muslim myself, i wonder how they are dealing with Ramadan, the muslim month of fasting.

During Ramadan, one cannot eat or dring from sunrise to sunset, the purpose being to feel for those who are less fortunate. Harris and abdullah, however, are NFL players. I played HS football during Ramadan and it was extremely hard just to stay standing in practice. Harris is also a lineman, making it even tougher.

The raider game starts at 7:15 Mountain, right? that means these players, in accordance to religion, won't be able to hydrate or eat until around the second quarter (sundown here in Pittsburgh 7:40ish)

Can they play the whole game?

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Good question about Ramadan

I’ve wondered about that, and also have read that Hamza and Ryan are Muslim. Broncos have obviously dealt with the problem before, but I have no idea how. In order to play the game, they must make some sort of exception to the rule.

while yet unspoken, you are master of the word. After it is spoken, the word is master of you.

by bradley on Sep 6, 2008 4:17 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Ramadan and athletes.

In some faiths, exceptions are made (depending on the sect, etc). For devout Muslims, trainers and dieticians in the modern age are able to make adjustments and still keep with the tenents of an athlete’s faith. The players that choose to participate will follow dietary and excercise advice and do just fine. Other athletes will make the personal decision not to participate in the fast.

Some churches grant special dispensations (such as the Mormon church allowing Steve Young to play on Sundays). Many potential athletes have historicaly had to do without professional sports altogether. Thankfully, in the case of Ramadan, the sciences of nutrition and physical training are able to help athletes who follow Islam.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Sep 6, 2008 4:59 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

HT is the knowledge master!

I bet you kill in Trivial Pursuit.

"It's the first time that I've probably ever seen a 260 pound back run into a free safety and go flat on his back, I mean it was exciting." ~John Elway

by jibbons on Sep 6, 2008 5:33 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oddly enough...

…I suck in the sports and leisure category. I do pretty well with the rest.

My mother won a tournament in Colorado when the game first came out. While being very, very bright (she knew almost all of the answers) she studied and memorized every card.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Sep 6, 2008 6:56 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I remember reading about this last year

but it looks like this year he’s just fasting on off days.

Denver Post article

by rwg on Sep 6, 2008 5:02 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Who??

by RiG on Sep 6, 2008 5:30 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I rememberhearing harris wasnt following Ramadan...

though abdullah did
Whats up with the no hydrating though?

by RiG on Sep 6, 2008 5:29 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

How about this--they sit down for a half hour and take a big 'IV' full of water and vitamines!

No eating or drinking there.

Broncos broncos everywhere and all the league did blink,
Broncos broncos everywhere think moldy faiders stink!

by Mike Clark on Sep 6, 2008 6:10 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

LOL, nice, but a bag of fluids is contrary to the spirit and intent of fasting. I grew up in a religion that espoused fasting, and it can be tough, especially when you do a proper “biblical” fast meaning no food or drink from sundown to sundown. From a nutritional and health standpoint, the occasional fast is a healthy thing to do… it helps your body cycle and recuperate from some of its messier tasks. Breaking a fast is interesting, because usually you have programmed yourself to be really hungry and eat a huge meal. Not only do you not eat the world, but if you jump in too enthusiastically, you tend to get sick and “lose it”. On several occasions our church (I haven’t been a member for about 25 years) would encourage an extended fast to facilitate a particular lesson or attitude, and I don’t remember who went the longest, but I lasted 6 days before I decided enough was enough. (Seriously, I think I left the group shortly there-after) Sometime during the second day, you body decides to enter famine mode and you don’t feel hungry, nor that particularly thirsty. Up until that point however, thirst is the worst part of the ordeal.
From my experience, especially considering Ramadan only requires “12 hours”, I wouldn’t consider it to be a huge issue, unless the game time makes it one. Going a quarter and then being able to drink or eat an energy bar would be doable in general, but I don’t see too many performing a half or full game during a fast… even a short Muslim fast.

I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.
Shaquille O'Neal

by tannji on Sep 6, 2008 7:02 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually I hate religions. What I'm into is a relationship with the GOD that created the Universe.

Funnny me. What I get out of the, ‘Word of God,’ is that we can do no good work that is good enough to gain our own salvation. The ‘Word of God’ says that, “GOD” became a man—they called him Jesus—he lived a sinless life and did many miracles to fullfill scriptures. Jesus was then put on a tree (nailed to a cross) and because he was GOD, come in the flesh, his death was able to pay for all sins. Then—to ensure eternal life—he rose on the third day (by his own power).
Jesus ‘God-the son’ became the blood sacrifice to pay for all sins. God has made eternal life so simple that few but a child can ‘GET IT’.

This world’s peoples want to work, work, work, and all the GOD that created us has asked is believe.

GOD became a man. For our sins he was pummled, lashed with stripes, and killed for our sins. The perfect sacrifice—we need not work for our salvation—GOD did it for us—we need only believe.

Broncos broncos everywhere and all the league did blink,
Broncos broncos everywhere think moldy faiders stink!

by Mike Clark on Sep 6, 2008 7:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

and

GO BRONCOS.!!

Broncos broncos everywhere and all the league did blink,
Broncos broncos everywhere think moldy faiders stink!

by Mike Clark on Sep 6, 2008 8:10 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

So what are you??

i bet you were raised catholic and know just believe youre own stuff..yep
you believe in Muhamad??

This is how i see stuff…,
if one group is ever too devout to their god which they cant critically study and believe since there religion is right and all others must be killed bad things can happen. lol
if one is brain washed since being born and has the choice of suicidally bombing infidels and going to paradise with 40 virgins or not and being ridiculed and go to hell-and they absolute believe in the afterlife then they will pick the one which gives them the most pleasure. And in the long run thats the first choice and is the obvious answers EVERYONE would choose even me if you “believed”,, but your probably thinking you would feel bad but you wouldnt cause of the way you were raised things youve seen. you would never of had the oppurtunity to step back and see it the way we can. Your conscience would be totally different -geared so you wouldnt feel bad.

and GO BRONCOS!!!

by RiG on Sep 6, 2008 9:14 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Response

Hello Mike:

Yes you must believe. If you truly believe then you will live the faith. In that case good “works” will flow naturally from your behavior. If you mean working a bunch of hours in your corporate world job: you may have an obligation to support your family. In my work, management expects a minimum of 20% extra or 48 hours per week. If you don’t put in the extra hours you may get on a layoff list. I decided to work the extra hours to keep paying bills.

RiG:

I was raised and still am Catholic. I do not agree with killing people that are of different faiths (even Atheists / Scientology). I can point out what I believe but others must make religious decisions themselves and live with the decisions. I too must live with what I decided (and failures that I make). There are several web sites about the Catholic faith such as http://www.vatican.va/ if you want more information.

I would like to switch this thread back to Broncos football. If you want to continue the religious dialog offline let me know (and give your email) so I can reply.

In response to the post: I agree with HT about about sports medicine.

Victor Frankl:

What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

by wyoeng on Sep 6, 2008 9:43 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey wyo--no--I was never catholic--pagan maybe--new-age...almost there....aryan...almost there also.

I just happened to be—many many and many years ago under dire-straights and thoughts that I needed to kill myself to survive. Funny the changes that GOD can do if he wants you to say something down the road. I can’t help but tell the truth—people that have read these remarks don’t have to believe—but they are the truth. GOD became the people HE created—took all of the sins that man would ever do on his shoulders—placed them on a cross—died—as the sacrifice (so all sins would be forgiven) (the perfect sacrifice) and then rose again on the third day to prove eternal life.

This is a really a simple post if you think about it.

Broncos broncos everywhere and all the league did blink,
Broncos broncos everywhere think moldy faiders stink!

by Mike Clark on Sep 7, 2008 6:18 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, I was raised Mormon and worked my way out of that cult by reading and reaserching the bible.

Broncos broncos everywhere and all the league did blink,
Broncos broncos everywhere think moldy faiders stink!

by Mike Clark on Sep 7, 2008 5:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

There was a story about this last year regarding Abdullah....

naturally the lazy reporters failed to catch that Ryan Harris is a muslim. He said he eats large amount of food when he can…but ya, it isnt easy.

Isn’t Ramadan a fasting between sun rise and sun set?

If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08

I got a high ankle sprain in college and it still hurts! ~ TSG 8/13/08

by Tim Lynch on Sep 6, 2008 7:33 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Yea.. for the whole month

i hope he doesn’t decide to go on a pilgrimage to mecca next week.

by RiG on Sep 6, 2008 8:55 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

only neccesarry once

in a lifetime, correct? Hopefully they’ll wait until they’re either retired or playing for Oakland post-Denver release.

"I could never quite get the hang of Thursdays..."

by FlaBroncoFan on Sep 6, 2008 9:21 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

It has its own season.

People don’t go to the pilgrimage until December (this year; it rotates, following the Lunar calander). So if he decides to take off, it would be right at week 15 or something :) Not happening.

Go So Cal. I am the bigger one.

by amirebram on Sep 6, 2008 11:48 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great response

i’m surprised by how quickly i got answers, and the ongoing conversations. this really is a successful site. Yes, pilgrimage is only necessary once, flabronc. Here’s to a great season.

by ArabianBroncoFan on Sep 6, 2008 10:37 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Good Post ArabianBroncoFan

Glad you are posting on MHR!

Victor Frankl:

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

by wyoeng on Sep 6, 2008 10:45 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is this normal?

2 our of 53 players being Muslim is like 4%. That’s a pretty high ratio. Do other teams have as many Muslim players, or did the Broncos just like Muslim players or something?

Go So Cal. I am the bigger one.

by amirebram on Sep 6, 2008 11:50 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

There are plenty of Muslim atheletes out there

Broncos lite (Texans), have Salaam, then there are Ahmad brooks, abdul hodge, and a converted RB WR in the hall of fame whose name escapes me. Off football there is Shaquille O’neal (sort of), and (post prison) Mike Tyson. There is a list i think on wikipedia

by ArabianBroncoFan on Sep 7, 2008 3:23 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs