--- title: "During Ramadan, Muslims Fast From Sunrise to Sunset. A Muslim Astronaut Will Experience 16 Per Day." description: "Given that the sun rises and sets 16 times per day on the ISS, it may be kind of difficult for Muslim astronaut Sultan Alneyadi to fast during Ramadan." date: "2023-03-23" modified: "2023-03-23" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/muslim-astronaut-ramadan-iss" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "religion" - "the digest" - "UAE" --- # During Ramadan, Muslims Fast From Sunrise to Sunset. A Muslim Astronaut Will Experience 16 Per Day. ![Given that the sun rises and sets 16 times per day on the ISS, it may be kind of difficult for Muslim astronaut Sultan Alneyadi to fast during Ramadan.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Space Race, Religion, And Creed For Earthbound Muslims, the beginning of Ramadan this week marks a period of fasting from sunrise until sunset — but for Emirati astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, who will be aboard the International Space Station for another five months, it's a somewhat different question. As [*CNN* reports](), Alneyadi — who will see the sun rise and set a whopping 16 times per day — reasons that his journey off world means he can lean into an exemption in which Muslims who are traveling during Ramadan are allowed to not fast. "We can actually break fast," the Emirati told reporters [during a January press conference](). "It’s not compulsory." He added that "fasting is not compulsory if you’re feeling not well." "So in that regard — anything that can jeopardize the mission or maybe put the crew member at risk — we’re actually allowed to eat sufficient food to prevent any escalation of lack of food or nutrition or hydration," Alneyadi said. ## Ghost Of Ramadan Past Though he's one of only a handful of Muslims to go to space, the Emirati astronaut's Ramadan situation is not a first on the ISS — that distinction goes to Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a Malaysian astronaut who got special exemptions from his country's Islamic council to either postpone his fast until he returned back to Earth and from having to kneel while praying, which for obvious reasons would be difficult in microgravity. As for Alneyadi, the answer to his questions is, like many matters of faith, open-ended. "We’ll wait and see how it goes," the Emirati astronaut told reporters back in January. **More on the space plays:** [*NSYNC's Lance Bass Was Training to Be a Cosmonaut When He Heard Something Fascinating*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()