Muslims who fast in the Polar region are different from other regions. If, for example, Muslims fast for about 13 hours from sunrise to sunset, in the Polar regions or countries that experience the midnight sun phenomenon or a long day, it is difficult to determine when it is day and night, especially to determine the time for tarawih prayers and fasting.
Two students, Genesia Wahyu Saputro from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Imran Aryan Kamil from the University of Tasmania shared their experience of 'Fasting at the ends of the North & South Earth'. Both had unique experiences, Genesis had the longest fasting time while Imran had the shortest due to the geographical location of their domicile countries which were close to the North and South Poles of the Earth.
"The first ten days I followed the local clock. Iftar at 20.30, Isha at 22.30 then continued tarawih. But after the 12th day of Ramadan, where the sun does not set, Maghrib and Isha are brought forward," said Genesia, who lives in Norway.
Norway is one country that experiences a long day. Even during the summer there is a midnight sun phenomenon, the sun continues to shine for 24 hours. The Muslim community in this country then makes a number of reference times for prayer and fasting that facilitate such conditions, because it is impossible for Muslims to fast continuously without breaking the fast.
"On the 12th day they follow local hours where iftar is at half past nine but Isha is around half ten. After Isha, I go straight to tarawih. So the hours are adjusted," explained Genesia.
He added, there are three times that are used to determine the time for tarawih prayers and fasting there, namely the local clock which corresponds to the sundial although it will be adjusted if the conditions are midnight sun, the fishing time for areas 45 degrees north latitude and above, there is also a the name is Mecca local time by drawing a straight line from Mecca to the area where we are, then the clock is adjusted.
Genesia described that every mosque or Muslim community there will release a schedule guide which includes the three types of time: local hours, fishing time, and Mecca time.
"There are guidelines for the imsak schedule and others during Ramadan, only this is in digital form and there is a timetable, there is a local schedule, Mecca schedule, and fishing time please follow it," he said.
Meanwhile, Imran, who lives in Tasmania, Australia, has so far not experienced any problems in determining the time for tarawih prayers and fasting because according to him the hours are still the same.
"At the mosque we follow the local clock because the sun rises and sets are similar. The tarawih prayer after Isha is not far from that hour, the tarawih prayer is not too late. To see the time for prayer and iftar, one mosque relies on a website and agrees to follow from there ," he said.
What Genesia did in Norway and Imran in Tasmania was in accordance with the guidance of the Shari'a to facilitate worship during Ramadan. In one of his books, the expert on the interpretation of the Qur'an, M Quraish Shihab, explained that fasting is still carried out by measuring time, not based on the journey of the sun, namely from the dawn to sunset.
The reason is, if this is the basis, fasting in regions such as Norway and the North Pole will be very long and ultimately make fasting very difficult for them. In fact, in the context of fasting, Allah has confirmed in the Qur'an.
"Allah wants ease for you, and does not want difficulty for you." (Surat al-Baqarah [2]: 185).
Not only that, in all religious guidance is also confirmed by God. "He has never made for you in religion the least bit." (Surat al-Hajj [22]: 78).