Ramadan is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and is a month on the Islamic calendar. Many know about this month as the time that Muslims around the world fast from dawn to dusk. However, it is a lot more than that; Ramadan is a month of peace, prayer, love, charity, kindness, empathy, community and feeling closer to God. It is during this month that the Night of Power falls; this is the night that the Holy Quran was revealed for the first time, which makes it even more special.
This year we are expecting it to start either on 22 March or 23 March; this is dependent on the new moon being sighted. Once sighted, we will get ready for the first sehri, the gathering before dawn to eat and prepare for the upcoming day of fast. What people eat/drink during this time varies.
When I lived at home with my parents, we would get up at 3.00am, then have a feast of curries – vegetable, fish and meat – and end with mangoes and cream mixed in with rice (to stop the indigestion). Now, I have a gluten free cereal bar and a glug of water! Sehri ends with the first prayer, Fajr, and then running back to bed quickly to sleep what is left of the hours before having to start school or work.
The fasting day comes to an end at dusk; this is called iftar – when friends and family all sit together eagerly waiting for it to be time so we can break our fasts with a date and a glass of water before diving straight into a plate of whatever cravings we have had during the day.
During Ramadan, Muslims make more effort to practice our religion, so we try and do all 5 prayers of the day, do more for charity, abstain from things that can be considered as being bad for the body and mind such as bad language. Our non-fasting friends and colleagues can help with this; allow us the 5-10 mins we need to pray and if we have a tired moment during the day then let us be, we will be fine again soon enough!
The first few days of Ramadan can be hard; the body is adjusting and, in a way, detoxing; no coffee, no energy drinks, no chocolate! Once this stage is over, then the rest of the month flies by and before one knows it, we are starting to plan for Eid ul Fitr, the celebration at the end of Ramadan. This is when we wear our best clothes and gather with family to gives presents and stuff our faces with lots of food and drink! The joy of the first coffee after a month of fasting cannot be described in words!
My favourite part of Ramadan is the sense of community and belonging; the feeling that millions and millions of people around the world are in this act together and we are going through similar emotions. I do love Ramadan; it is like a friend that lives far away and you only get to see them once a year.
Thank you to Shapna for sharing this article.
