The first Muslim to spend Ramadan in space

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who will soon reach space, is not the first Muslim to reside on the International Space Station (ISS), but he will be the first Muslim to reside there for 6 months and spend the month of Ramadan in space. . His compatriot, Hazza Ali Al Mansouri, was, in 2019, the first Muslim to reside on board the international station.

The SpaceX shuttle that will transport Sultan Al Neyadi and his fellow astronauts to the International Space Station will take off on February 26, 2023, a month before the start of Ramadan. So he will spend the whole month of fasting aboard the International Space Station. This detail did not escape the reporters present at the press conference hosted by the crew at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

In space “Fasting is not compulsory”

As such, the Emirati astronaut didn’t beat around the bush to answer a reporter’s question. “I am in the state of a traveler and there I can break my fast. In fact, fasting is not obligatory in my case,” Sultan al-Neyadi answered explicitly, mentioning an exception that the state of the traveler is formed in the Islamic religion.

In any case, a Muslim can break his fast when he feels bad, Sultan Al Neyadi recalled in his response to the American journalist. “Actually, fasting isn’t compulsory if you’re not feeling well,” he specifies to underscore his answer, before mentioning the danger this might present to his mission in space or on the edge of space.iss. And the Emirati astronaut added, “In this regard, anything that could endanger the mission or possibly endanger the crew members already allows us to eat enough food,” explaining that It is the task that takes precedence in this type of situation.