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For Muslims, fasting is an obligation even though they are on duty even though they are in outer space. That moment was experienced by the first Arab astronaut, Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud.
Do you know the name at a glance? Yes, he is part of the royal family of Saudi Arabia, to be precise the son of King Salman.
Prince Sultan slid on June 17, 1985 using the space shuttle Discovery belonging to the United States Space Agency (NASA) from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, United States.
In the space program, Prince Sultan expanded the task of the NASA STS 51-G mission for seven days in orbit. There, he helped deploy satellites for the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat)
Not only as the first Arab astronaut to go into space, Prince Sultan also set a record as the first Muslim to go into space. When he went to space, he was 28 years old.
Interestingly, this mission coincided with the month of Ramadan. In a fatwa of the Mufti of the Kingdom of Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz, people who travel to space may not fast. However, Prince Sultan chose to fast.
In fasting at an altitude of 387 km from the Earth's surface, Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud admitted that he felt tired due to lack of sleep. Under conditions of zero gravity, it is difficult to fall asleep soundly.
He also felt dry and lost fluids, but he was able to complete the fast until breaking the fast. He then canceled it with a sweet and sour chicken dish.
Like most other astronauts. Prince Sultan still has to eat three times a day. For him, fasting is not the biggest challenge in space, but during prayer.
"You have to put your feet in special straps to stand firmly in the shuttle because of zero gravity," he said, quoted from Aa.com, Sunday (3/4/2022).
Prince Sultan revealed when prostration is his biggest test during prayer.
"Prostration is impossible, only part of it is possible. Also, in this atmosphere, prostration causes dizziness," he said.
Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud is also trying to stay able to recite the Koran in space. According to him reading the Qur'an is his duty as a Muslim.
“Allah gave me the blessing to read the entire Quran in five days. After doing my daily tasks including scientific experiments, photography and follow-up to the launch of Arabsat, I dedicate most of my free time to recitations,” he said.
"I ask Allah to bestow success on all of us in this challenging mission so that we respect the beliefs of all those who trust us. Fajr prayers make me comfortable and optimistic," concluded Prince Sultan.