Increasingly, each Ramadan, we hear scientists, athletes and even the occasional showbiz celebrity talking about the benefits of the holy month, which will soon draw to a close. Such claims are well-intentioned, and many are even backed by evidence. For instance, compelling research suggests links between fasting and cholesterol regulation and fasting and enhanced mood.
While such benefits are by-products, or side-effects, of Ramadan, they are not its primary aim. The holy month is not intended to be primarily about enhancing health and psychological well-being. Instead, fasting in Ramadan, like the fasting practices of earlier religious communities, is explicitly prescribed for spiritual ends.
However, the well-being benefits of Ramadan and other spiritual practices have not gone unnoticed. Psychologists, coaching professionals and well-being gurus frequently borrow ideas from the world’s great religious and philosophical traditions. Sometimes the borrowing is acknowledged, and sometimes it isn’t. I also suspect that occasionally the authors of “new” approaches to well-being are blissfully unaware that they’re reinventing the wheel.
In short, much of the global well-being and self-improvement industry is essentially old wisdom in new bottles: earlier ideas re-worded and repackaged to appeal to contemporary sensibilities. Brand evangelists use buzzwords and jargon (mind-hacking, heartfulness, urge surfing) to revitalise ideas that would have been familiar to our stone age ancestors.
This borrowing and repackaging can be, of course, big business. The self-improvement industry has boomed in recent years. For example, the number of self-improvement book titles in US bookstores tripled between 2013 and 2019. A report by NPD Group, an American market research firm, suggests the global self-improvement industry was worth $10.5 billion per year as of 2020, and it is growing rapidly.
Whenever I read popular self-improvement titles, I typically hear the echoes of ancient philosophers and humanity’s great spiritual teachers. For example, the concept of grit, popularised by Angela Duckworth in Grit: The Power of Passion and Persistence, overlaps with the concept of fortitude, one of Roman Catholicism’s cardinal virtues. It is also reminiscent of the Islamic writings on sabr – frequently translated as patience or perseverance.
Similarly, in-person well-being interventions typically aim to cultivate traits like kindness (paying-it-forward), gratitude (journaling) and awe (savouring). But, again, these are all qualities that are elaborated and encouraged within the world’s great religious frameworks.
Some well-being interventions, however, are open about their spiritual underpinnings and origins. Many forms of yoga and some mindfulness practices acknowledge their spiritual roots while still downplaying them. For example, Jon Kabat Zinn, the founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), worked hard to present the intervention in a way acceptable to mainstream Americans within a secularised healthcare setting. He writes: “I bent over backward to structure it and find ways to speak about it that avoided as much as possible the risk of it being seen as Buddhist, ‘New Age,’ ‘Eastern Mysticism’ or just plain ‘flaky.’”
The holy month encourages fasting and exposes worshipers, night after night, to messages of patience, gratitude, generosity, humility, mindfulness, forgiveness and awe
This borrowing and repackaging, in most instances, is well-intentioned. Efforts to promote human flourishing are typically motivated by empathy and compassion: our innate tendency to care about, and want to alleviate, the suffering of others. Regarding the motivations for developing and promoting MBSR in the West, Prof Kabat Zinn suggests mindfulness is a vehicle for “moving the bell curve of our society toward greater sanity and well-being”.
Greater sanity and well-being are needed. The societal increase in mental health problems has been documented. For example, in the wake of Covid-19, the World Health Organisation reported a 25 per cent rise in the global prevalence of depression and anxiety. However, the rate of mental health problems was on the rise long before the pandemic.
Several research studies trace the increase in adolescent mental health problems to a specific year: 2011, when social media took off. Gazing further back in time, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud’s protege, connected the rise of mental health problems to dwindling religiosity. Concerning Europe, he writes: “… with the decline of religious life, the neuroses [mental health problems] grow noticeably more frequent.”
Whatever the cause or causes for the current rates of mental health problems, there is a growing need for activities and experiences that help us find greater meaning, purpose, belonging and contentment. As we accelerate full throttle into the digital age, I suspect such human needs will be in even greater demand.
Those presently wrapped up in the holy month of Ramadan are indeed fortunate. The month encourages fasting and exposes worshipers, night after night, to messages about patience, gratitude, generosity, humility, mindfulness, forgiveness and awe. Beyond the individual, the holy month encourages togetherness through communal fast-breaking or congregational praying. For the human psyche, the benefits of Ramadan are incalculable and ineffable.
I enjoyed the holy month of Ramadan 15 times while I was a resident of the UAE. Each year was unique, beautiful and memorable. From the exquisite recitation of the Quran reverberating around the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque during the night prayers to the joyful atmosphere of the Ramadan tents. If holidays (holy days) tend to leave us rejuvenated, what about holy months?
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Bullet%20Train
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Leitch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Aaron%20Taylor-Johnson%2C%20Brian%20Tyree%20Henry%2C%20Sandra%20Bullock%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Overall standings
1. Christopher Froome (GBR/Sky) 68hr 18min 36sec,
2. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) at 0:18.
3. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 0:23.
4. Rigoberto Uran (COL/CAN) 0:29.
5. Mikel Landa (ESP/SKY) 1:17.
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
More on Quran memorisation:
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Company%20profile
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
The five pillars of Islam
New schools in Dubai
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
Zayed Sustainability Prize
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
World%20Food%20Day%20
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RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E6pm%3A%20Baniyas%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(PA)%20Dh97%2C500%20(Dirt)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Alajaj%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%20(jockey)%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%20(trainer)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E6.35pm%3A%20The%20Pointe%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C200m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Awasef%2C%20Pat%20Dobbs%2C%20Doug%20Watson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.10pm%3A%20Palm%20West%20Beach%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Long%20Kiss%2C%20Jose%20da%20Silva%2C%20Antonio%20Cintra%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.45pm%3A%20The%20View%20at%20the%20Palm%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C200m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Ranaan%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Bhupat%20Seemar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E8.20pm%3A%20Nakheel%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh105%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Raaeb%2C%20Antonio%20Fresu%2C%20Musabah%20Al%20Muhairi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E8.55pm%3A%20The%20Club%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh95%2C000%20(D)%201%2C900m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Qareeb%2C%20Sam%20Hitchcock%2C%20Doug%20Watson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E9.30pm%3A%20Palm%20Beach%20Towers%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Falsehood%2C%20Adrie%20de%20Vries%2C%20Musabah%20Al%20Muhairi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
