Saturday, August 29, 2009

Ramadan Mubarak!


“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint...Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting...”
(Al-Qur’an 2:183,185).

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is the month in which Allah revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and intimate relations with their spouse during the daylight hours of the blessed month. It is a time for Muslims to contemplate on their belief and increase their faith by actively increasing in worship, prayer and reciting the Qur'an. It is an opportunity for spiritual as well as physical purification.


This year marks my third Ramadan. Looking back on the previous years, each month was uniquely different from the other.

The first time I decided to observe Ramadan was during my senior year at UConn, when I had first begun learning about Islam. I didn’t understand how someone could deny themselves food or water for an entire day, and repeat this process throughout an entire month. I remember having to explain to my fellow CAs why I wouldn’t be joining them for meals in the dining hall and why I wasn’t taking part in snack time during my education classes. I remember dreading the sound of my alarm early in the morning and wondering if I really wanted to eat a bowl of cereal when it was still dark outside. I can also remember the excitement as I counted down the minutes until I could break my fast. What I remember most clearly about my first Ramadan was that while I had been able to fast for the entire month, I felt that I was missing another important piece.

I spent my second Ramadan in Kuwait. Being that Kuwait is a Muslim country, I was surrounded by people who were fasting and celebrating this blessed month. I was invited to share iftar, the meal eaten while breaking fast, with coworkers and friends and was able to experience the sense of community that this month elicits. I remember being incredibly motivated; rushing home from school and jumping into bed to read my English translation of the Quran, keeping a journal of how many prayers I prayed, listening to Islamic lectures and sending emails to my parents and sister in an attempt to explain my faith and experience. At night I walked to the mosque next to my apartment for isha (one of the five obligatory prayers) and taraveeh. Taraveeh are extra prayers that are held only during the month of Ramadan. Each night, 1/30th of the Quran is recited so that one can hear the Quran in its entirety by the end of the special month. I remember the mosques being filled with people, so much so that by the end of the month, the Great Mosque in Kuwait City had to close the surrounding streets to make space for people to pray. Ramadan in Kuwait was incredible. It was a great introduction to living in a Muslim country and helped me feel more connected to Islam.

Today marks the second week of my third Ramadan. I am again back to being a minority, watching as people eat and drink in their cars or at the table next to me during my Farmington teacher orientation. I am again met with questions as to how someone is able to not eat or drink for a month and not die from it. Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah) being back in a non-Muslim country gives me the opportunity to do dawah, to teach about Islam and my Muslims observe this special month. Most of my efforts with teaching have been focused on my parents who have decided to experience this month with me.

We set our alarms for 4:15 AM and meet downstairs in our pajamas to eat suhoor, the meal one eats before sunrise. My mom’s plate is always unique; sometimes its black bean soup and scrambled tofu while other days she has salad and leftover salmon from the night before. My dad has stayed consistent with his piece of bread and peanut butter and has now added a bowl of oatmeal. My meal falls somewhere between.

Eating suhoor in the morning and then breaking our fast together at night has been such a beautiful experience. We no longer sit in front of the television, since it hasn’t been turned on in the last week. We sit in front of our food and make dua, or personal supplications and prayers, and then eat while enjoying each other’s company.



One of the benefits of Ramadan is being able to thank Allah more sincerely for things that we quite often take for granted; food, water, family. That being said, thank you Allah for making me one who has access to food and water whenever I need or want it. Thank you for continuing to shower me with Your blessings and giving me opportunities where I can become more firm in this deen. And thank you for blessing me with a beautiful family, who has embraced my reversion to Islam with a tremendous amount of support.


For more beautiful pictures of Ramadan

1 comment:

Heather @CritterChronicles said...

Becca, that's beautiful! I loved hearing about how this experience has changed for you over the years from a foreign and rote ritual, to the more spiritual event that it is meant to be.

PLEASE keep up with this throughout the month of Ramadan; for other non-Muslims like myself, this can also be a form of dawah for you.

Ramadan Mubarak! Love you!