During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Hamza Abdullah got up around 4:30 a.m. every day, read the Koran for 45 minutes, ate a hearty meal before dawn and then did not touch food or drink again until sunset — no matter how difficult practice turned out to be.

Other players find it impossible to imagine, said Abdullah, whose Ramadan fast ended yesterday. But he thinks the focus that comes from fasting all day improves his game, an effect echoed by other Muslim athletes like Hakeem Olajuwon, the former N.B.A. star.

“I have had some of my best games during Ramadan,” Abdullah, a 24-year-old safety, said in an interview. “I got my first and only interception while I was fasting.”