Fasting no reason to be less productive - PM Najib

The Prime Minister said this was because every individual had responsibilities to carry out regardless of whether he or she was a student, worker, child or parent, even during the fasting month.

As such, he suggested that Muslims place emphasis on the 'sahur' (pre-dawn meal).

"As a child, I was often reminded to not miss the sahur because the pre-dawn meal was considered a breakfast, a meal important for health.

"For me, the sahur is important as a source of energy for us to remain productive throughout the day," he said in a post on 'Sahur and its Advantages' on his blog www.najibrazak.com.

More importantly, Najib said, Muslims should not take lightly the practice of having the pre-dawn meal as it was the practice of Prophet Muhammad.

The Prime Minister said that despite his heavy schedule, every day during Ramadan he and his family would have sahur together and engage in conversation.

"Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), family ties can be strengthened even in the short time. This was something we often engaged in when my father was around," he said in reference to the second Malaysian prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.