Ramadan should be a time for reflection, not date-scented shopping

Supermarkets have wheeled out the 20kg bags of rice. High-street stores have popped hijabs on mannequins. Cosmetic companies are churning out products scented with pomegranate, cardamom, saffron and “sticky date” - at Lush you can buy Salam shower gel, Noor lip butter and a massage bar that apparently smells like a turmeric latte. All this can only mean one thing in our modern, consumerist world: Ramadan is upon us.

- Nadeine Asbali

Ramadan, the holiest month in the Muslim calendar, began last weekend. It is my favourite time of the year (and not because I can bulk-buy rice for the year in Tesco). It is a time of spiritual growth and reflection, of turning away from our own desires and egos to focus on God, and of letting go of the trappings of the earthly world - including food and drink in daylight hours.

Over the past few years, Ramadan has become commercialised as major companies wake up to how lucrative the so-called Muslim pound is - estimated to be worth more than £20.5bn ($25.8bn). But this year things feel more unabashedly consumerist than ever. For weeks now, my social media feeds have been inundated with influencers (sponsored by major corporations - one of which even manages to misspell iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal) telling us that getting ready for Ramadan means a new decor theme in every room, brand new personalised prayer mats for the entire family or a whole new wardrobe for visits to the mosque.