This Ramadan is unique in comparison to the Ramadans that came before it just as today is unique in comparison to each yesterday that we have lived and every tomorrow that we will see.
As in years past, Muslims all over the world, myself included, will abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and engaging in sexual activity from sunrise until sunset for a month. The rituals and actions that render my fast to be valid will stay the same.
What will make this Ramadan different is my being different. While taking a moment to think about how much my life has changed this past year, I also should take a moment to think about how I have changed in the past year. Where has my growth been, where have I digressed, and how have I stayed the same?
Much of time we forget in our undertaking of journeys that how we reach our destination is just as important as the destination itself. In pursuit of our goals and objectives, worldly, material or otherwise, we often leave this behind. Our focus lies mostly on the external, and, as such, we prevent ourselves from seeing the remarkable people and places around us, because we fail to reach the potential within us.
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may attain consciousness
The potential of knowing myself more intimately is at its highest during Ramadan. What indicates that I have yielded the consciousness that fasting has the potential of nurturing is that I do something with the knowledge that I have acquired.
What good is knowing of my weaknesses if I don't strive to challenge them? What good is knowing of my strengths if I don't try to enhance them? Sustaining in action what I have learned of myself becomes one of the hardest challenges.
Even if I'm bringing nothing else from the last year of my life, what am I bringing from the last Ramadan of my life to this one? Whether you are fasting this year or not, be sure that as you move forward in your lives, to always take time to look back. Understand who you are by remembering where it is that you have come from, and allow for that remembrance and understanding to help define where it is that you will be.
I look forward to sharing once again reflections daily during this month of Ramadan. Although my days may be similar to those of a year ago, I pray that I have grown enough as a person that my thoughts and reflections on those days are different.
A quote that I shared last year that my wife had heard from a female Islamic scholar named Fariha Fatima is worth mentioning here again, mostly as a reminder to how those who are fasting can deepen the experience from the very first day:
There are as many forms of fasting as there are organs of perception and sensation, and each of these has many different levels. So we ask to fast from all that Allah does not love for us, and to feast on what the Beloved loves for us. Let us certainly fast from the limited mind, and all that it conjures up. Let us fast from fear, apart from fear and awe of Allah's majesty. Let us fast from thinking that we know, when Allah alone is the Knower. Let us fast from thinking negatively of anyone. Let us fast from our manipulations and strategies. Let us fast from all complaint about the life experiences that Allah gives us.Let us fast from our bad habits and our reactions. Let us fast from desiring what we do not have. Let us fast from obsession. Let us fast from despair. Let us fast from not loving our self, and from denying our heart. Let us fast from selfishness and self-centered behavior. Let us fast from thinking that only what serves us is important. Let us fast from seeing reality only from our own point of view. Let us fast from seeing any reality other than Allah, and from relying on anything other than Allah. Let us fast from desiring anything other than Allah and Allah's Prophets and friends, and our own true self. Essentially, let us fast from thinking that we have any existence separate from Allah.
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May your fasting and your prayers bring you the blessings of compassion and mercy, humility and forgiveness, and light to those who misrepresent your faith out of the darkness of their spiritual ignorance. And, I ask that you pray for these also, and fast for them.
Bless.
That's a lot of time. :-)
Shukran for the words of focus. As-Salaam Alaikum.
Ramadan Mubarak :)
Ramadan Mubarak.
Brother Imam,
I live in Grand Junction Colorado. There is virtually no Islamic community, functions and masjid. I am trying to observe Ramadan. It is a lonely experience. There is not another Islamic community within 300 miles. Can you give me any ideas for guidance as to how I can get through this month? I am trying but it is a very hard observance to do alone.
Let us be reminded that when we go back for our 2nd or 3rd helpings of food, the hungry don't have a 1st helping.
Let us be reminded that as we fast, it does nothing to put food in the mouths of those that are fasting all day every day. It does nothing to relieve their hunger.
Let us be reminded that our once a year, short term and temporary fasting does not alleviate the continuing hunger of those who are hungry every day.
And of course don't try to call them before late afternoon because they are sleeping away the "tough" times of day to avoid actually experiencing any slight hunger. But perhaps they are dreaming about how hungry the others are and dreaming of ways to help them.
Yes that must be it.
They are dreaming about ways to help the hungry.
If only the hungry knew they were being thought about during the evening feast or being dreamed about.
They would feel so much better.
Let our fasting be realistic, coming from each one's own heart and not be harshly imposed by our fellows' love to Allah. Let each one develop the necessary disciplined initiative of conscientious individuality. After the seventh day of fasting, a healthy human body has adjusted and any extended length of days and weeks is just routine.
Let us be kind enough to be reminded, the lengthy lent of Christians before Christmas and Eastern, were put into effect to conserve food at lean times.
Let us each be humble to discern, Ramadan was put into effect to take place intentionally at various times of the year; not for food conservation obviously. But for obvious contemporary horseback military mobile reasons: adults disciplined onto battle hypertension at day time and contrasted abundance at night.
Umm, no.
Like anything else in life, Ramadan is looked at by autonomous individuals for what is used to accomplish, not what is labeled.
To see life as is takes much more than following imposed Ramadan regimental discipline.