Observing Ramadan: Week One Update

This year, Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and prayer, began on Saturday April 2. Though I don’t consider myself Muslim, I decided to partake in the monthly fast this year to put myself in the shoes of billions of Muslims across the globe and to learn the lessons of patience, self restraint, humility, discipline, and generosity that are central to the practice.  

Before I began, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t participating in Ramadan ignorantly. I started out listening to a few podcasts about the practice, reading articles, and watching videos to gain a fuller understanding of its religious and spiritual significance as well as the specifics of the fast itself. 

Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It was during one night in the last ten days of Ramadan––the exact date is unknown––in which God revealed the Quran, the Islamic Holy book, to the prophet Mohammad. The night is referred to as the Night of Power, or Laylet al-Qdur. The primary purpose of Ramadan is for Muslims to grow closer to God and their loved ones by participating in a fast from sun up to sun down for the entire month. They not only abstain from food, but also water, smoking, sexual activity, and any other “immoral” behavior such as gossiping, lying, or arguing during the hours of daylight. Muslims also engage in more prayer than usual and spend extra time reading and reflecting upon the Qur’an. 

So far, my experience observing Ramadan has certainly led to some pretty significant levels of introspection and reflection. Firstly, I’ve come to realize just how much food used to play a role in my day to day life. Stepping away from that–at least during the day–has led me to think more deeply about how I spend my time. I’ve found myself reading more, listening to music more, spending more time in nature, and engaging in more meaningful conversations than normal. I realized just how much time I was dedicating to food during the daylight hours in my life—and eliminating that has freed up a lot of time for more meaningful activities. On perhaps a more superficial note, I have also noticed the number in my bank account rise on account of a lack of spending money on food. 

As someone who does love to eat, I've
also felt my will power really be tested throughout the entire week. Something that Ramadan has made me quite aware of is that the opportunity to eat presents itself so very often in my day to day life. And saying no to each and every opportunity that has come my way during the day for the past week has been quite difficult. However, it’s allowed me to develop a sense of gratefulness towards the idea that these opportunities are available to me so often. 

One week into the fast, I’m overall glad that I’ve decided to participate in Ramadan. While there have been times where I really could have used a Caramel Crunch Kind Bar ™ to boost my energy and relieve the grumbling in my stomach, I think I’m learning a lot about being grateful and discipling myself, and I’m gaining an understanding of the religious and cultural significance of such a widely practiced and revered tradition in the Islamic faith.

****DISCLAIMER**** In the spirit of total honesty, I must note that I am allowing myself one exception when it comes to fasting: my morning coffee. I initially was going to also forgo coffee, but it seems I've developed an addiction to the drug such that if I don't have it in the morning I get a pretty severe headache, and I figured if I'm not going to let myself eat all day, it would be a disaster to also not have my coffee. (Although, I am going to try to wean myself off a dependence on coffee after Ramadan when I can then at least have something to eat)