The Power of Ramadan and the Power of Prayer

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The Power of Ramadan and the Power of Prayer

 Dawud was a teenager who had been abandoned at birth. He had been cared for all his life by foreign missionaries in a Muslim town just south of the Sahara. He had been born lame in one leg and the missionaries had cared for him, raised him and got him medical treatment. They raised him as a Christian. He started school late and only reached high school well into his teens. Extreme variations in age in this school was not unknown. I taught there and found a woman in her thirties in what we would call Year 8.

Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting. Muslims are required to fast from food and drink during daylight hours. The Islamic year is shorter than ours, so Ramadan comes at a different time each year. This one fell in June and it was phenomenally hot, over 40 in the shade most days. Two days into Ramadan, Dawud declared that he was a Muslim and would keep the fast. The missionaries were heartbroken. They had not seen this coming at all. Why would Dawud choose to embrace Islam at the very hardest time of year? He had not fallen out with his adoptive family. He was not under pressure from the authorities. He made a choice. 

Peer pressure was a factor, but that does not do justice to what was happening. Ramadan is a community experience. It is not necessarily enjoyable, especially the first week as the body adjusts to going without during the day and then needing to be up much more at night, but there is a huge sense of being in it together. 

I first saw Ramadan in action when I lived in Sudan. My Christian Sudanese friends told me that the Muslims all went a bit crazy in Ramadan; it was best to give them a wide berth. It was a good time to have Christian conferences and training days but not a good time to reach out. I knew from books what it was in theory, but now I saw it in practice. It is like an annual renewal event. Muslims who were backsliding and getting into bad habits, made extra effort. Those who were middle of the road tried harder. Those who were zealous became more zealous still. That sense of everyone pulling together is a major element. Dawud wanted to belong so much, he went without water all day in the blazing heat. 

I found that Christian missionaries in my new location had much the same reaction as my Christian friends in Sudan. Ramadan was a time to back off. As a team we discussed it and decided to commit to praying months in advance that Ramadan would not slow the progress of the gospel. As the time got closer, we realised our prayer was too timid. We started praying that Ramadan would serve the gospel. That year we saw a huge difference – more interest, more openness and more responsiveness than usual. That was 1988, which I think I am right in saying was also the first year that the 30 Days of Prayer Booklet started.  

Ramadan occurs every year, but at a different time, as it follows the lunar calendar. Find out when it starts this year. Does it have the same power in the UK? The question is not a simple one to answer. Some British Muslims really look forward to it as a very sweet time of year, others dread it and many are somewhere in between. Every Muslim household is affected as food and sleep times are changed. People know what they should be doing even if they are not. The sense of community is there, but often people find themselves in work environments that are not conducive to fasting. It is a very tough time for converts who are living with Muslim family. For those who feel a deep need to draw near to God, it is a time of seeking. We should be praying for these folk that God surprises them. For people who go through Ramadan reluctantly, breaking the fast and trying not to get caught, let us pray that their dissatisfaction leads to them to be open to other ways. Let’s pray too for believers caught in the tensions of the month. 

If we know any Muslims as neighbours or colleagues, we should not hesitate to take an interest, to ask them how it is going and to listen sympathetically. We can tell them that we are praying that God will touch them, give them his peace and to bless them in greater measure.

Ted from the Mahabba Network

Ramadan: A Time of Opportunity

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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

How can I share Jesus with Muslims at Christmas?

How can I share Jesus with Muslims at Christmas?

Here are some resources to share the love of Christ with Muslims during Christmas and New Year season.

There are recommended links to articles, tracts and even a Christmas card insert for Muslims in English, Turkish and Tamil.

They can also be used via social media, e-mail, etc.

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Christmas card inserts

Share a Christmas card: https://www.mahabbanetwork.com/blog/greet-muslim-friend-christmas

Share about the star at Christmas: https://www.mahabbanetwork.com/blog/following-the-star

Christmas articles

Finding common ground with Muslims in the Christmas story:  https://christianityexplained.net/to/muslims/christmas-quranic-commonalities/

Can I wish a Muslim Merry Christmas? http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/oskar/merry_christmas.html

Explaining the real Christmas to Muslims: http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/oskar/christmas_crime.html

New Year’s reflection

Talking with Muslims around New Year about life's questions:  http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/oskar/good_enough.html