I felt it important to change the layout of the column for this month, and write instead about some of the questions I get asked about being a Muslim, with particular focus on the month of Ramadan, which has just passed.What is Ramadan and what is it’s purpose?
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. If you have any Muslim friends or colleagues, you will know that Ramadan came to a close just over a week ago. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is from the foundational pillars of being a Muslim. Fasting is a major way of cultivating God-consciousness in the heart and mind, Muslims fast from just before sunrise to sunset. Fasting has many physical and spiritual benefits: it helps purify the soul, inspires self-reflection, increases empathy and good works. Ramadan is also the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, as a source of guidance for humanity. In times where God-consciousness is threadbare, Ramadan perfectly restores the centrality of God in our lives. Ramadan, therefore, is so much more than just abstaining from all food and drink (yes even water)!
Why is charity important during Ramadan?
Muslims focus on increasing all of their good actions during the month, but particularly increase their devotion to God by increasing their prayers, recitation of the Qur’an, feeding the hungry, and paying a mandatory charity to the poor before the end of Ramadan. This spirit of giving is channeled more-so from the sympathy we feel when we experience hunger ourselves. As a Muslim, we are encouraged to give locally, and ensure that no-one goes to sleep hungry in our community. It is for that reason, that I have been supporting Mosques across the country to set-up their own community fridges, like we have with the Halifax Community Fridge, open 365-days-a-year. In the last few months, we have helped launch community fridges from Mosques in Bradford, Keighley, Birmingham, Ashton and are actively supporting another 20+ Mosques to stop hunger in their local communities. This Ramadan, we were able to support over 15,000 families across the U.K., stopping them from going to sleep hungry, the majority of these families incidentally, were not Muslim.
Are you glad that Ramadan and fasting is over?
Many may assume that Muslims become overjoyed in seeing the back of Ramadan, but in fact it’s quite the opposite. Ramadan is the best month of the year, it brings the best out of people, fosters an incredible sense of community, and allows us to build a greater connection with our Creator. It is for that reason that I chose to fast voluntarily every Monday and every Thursday, without fail. On average I tend to fast voluntarily around ten days a month. It helps keep my Ramadan connection going all-year-round.
These were just a few questions which I get asked regularly, if you have any suggestions on topics I should write on or have any questions relating to Islam, please do get in touch.