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Ramadan - a time of opportunity
The Islamic month of Ramadan is a time of opportunity. It is a great time to start conversations with Muslim friends and colleagues. Find out when Ramadan starts this year.
What is Ramadan? It is the special month of fasting. All adult Muslims are expected to fast during daylight hours from all food and drink. And from smoking too. This means that your whole day is re-organised. You get up well before dawn to eat. The usual meal times through the day are cancelled. After sunset, families and mosque communities eat together, enjoying a renewed sense of solidarity. That is the key to its power.
How do ordinary Muslim people feel about Ramadan? That is a great question. Some look forward to it, especially the very devout. Some dread it, especially those who are not really practicing. They may feel conflicted as they negotiate their way through the month avoiding giving offense or getting caught. For many, it is just a tradition, something that you do because you’ve always done it, with its good points and its bad points.
How do Muslims we know feel about it? It’s a great question to ask them – so long as we can ask it in the right way, as friend who is genuinely curious wanting to understand, not as someone looking to find fault. Another great question is about the benefits people are supposed to get from it, a much better question than simply “why?”
Of course, to make this a conversation, we need to be ready to respond to their questions to us. Do we fast? What traditions do we follow? What does our faith mean to us?
Yes, it’s a time of opportunity, but is it an opportunity we will take?
Ted from the Mahabba Network