Lessons I Learned in Ramadan

Ramadan is my favorite month of the year. It is a month of fasting, beautiful days, blessed nights, reflection, rejoice, family times, prayers, spirituality, getting better in religion and improving as a person.

Every year I learn many learn precious lessons in Ramadan that stay with me throughout the year and change me as a person. As we fast during the day, refraining from eating and drinking; we learn to be patient and practice self-control. We have an opportunity to re-evaluate certain aspects of our lives. to get rid of certain bad habits, to adopt to new and better habits, and realize the value of many things we take for granted.

Here are some of the lessons I learned this year:

1. There’s more to life than food

Ramadan can be challenging if you are working or a student. If you’re working during Ramadan you are still required to give your best, finish tasks and projects, use your energy and brain without any food consumption and most importantly; without coffee. This can be challenging in the beginning, but eventually it made me realize the importance of many things that I did not notice in daily routine. Refraining from food, made me focus on other things. It made me see the importance of work ethic, or perseverance of my goals, ambition and the importance of persisting in whatever you do. With minimal energy and a long task list, I realized the importance of time management, motivation in work and in life. Although food is usually just a part of our daily routine, it is actually substantial and when we stay away from it, it makes us see others things in life through a magnified glass. It draws our attention to other elements of daily life which we may over look. When my routine life was interrupted and I was put in an inconvenient, challenging situation, it made me realize there is more to life than food.

2. Every day is a day to celebrate

What I love about Ramadan is the festive environment and the fact that the entire family comes together for futoor (breaking fast) time. It is a tradition that comes to life in Ramadan, without exception every day we all gather at dinner table. So much thought and effort is put into everything, setting up the tables to preparing different types of food, sending it over to the neighbors etc. It is like a celebration every day. In addition to this, we have family and friends gathering almost every night. It made me realize that we don’t really need a reason to celebrate and enjoy life. It is the right people and attitude in life that gives us a reason to celebrate every day.

3. Faith can get you through anything

We are all aware of the importance of faith in life but it is not until we are actually deprived of something that we start to practice it the most. During Ramadan, when we are out of energy and facing whatever challenges we may be facing whether work or personal life, we continue with our roles and responsibilities with complete faith that it will get better that in the end, things will be better. In short term, the fast won’t last forever, in the long term our problems won’t last forever. The spirit of Ramadan highlights the importance of faith in the most testing of times and how it’s the single most important thing we need in life to succeed and keep going. During Ramadan, as we seek closeness to God, He becomes a reality in our lives. As we fast, we know that He watches our actions however secret they may be, it intensifies the consciousness of God in our hearts and strengthens our faith. There is a sense of revival of faith in Ramadan and a positive atmosphere which reminds us how crucial it is to have faith in our daily lives.

4-Count your blessings

We all know that fasting is not just about abstaining from food but that is a big part of it. By staying away from eating and drinking, we come to realize just how many of life’s blessings we take for granted. The access to food being one of them. When we are put in a situation which is faced by large number of population around the world, we are able to see just how terrible starvation and hunger can be. The blessing of having good health, a family, a house and stable lives, these are luxuries unknown to many around the world. It humbles us and helps us empathize with others, things we wouldn’t think about amidst our own busy lives. It also makes us realize that no matter how big our problems may seem we are lucky beyond we think because many don’t even have access to basic human needs. It awakens the human in us, humanity is the ability to feel for others. This is why Ramadan is about ‘Starving your body, feeding your soul’.

5-Change your attitude, change your life

In Ramadan, our daily routine changes drastically. We don’t eat during the day. We stay up at night most of the time, there are frequent visit, events and gatherings and working hours change. All of these changes require adjustment, at first it may seem like an inconvenience but if we manage to change our attitude; we can actually see the beauty in all of these changes. For example, refraining from food and by refraining from the natural human urges to satisfy one’s appetite, we can develop a stronger ability of self-restraint, so that we can then apply it to our everyday life to bring about self-improvement. The lesson I learned was, changing your attitude can change your life, whatever situation you are in, you’re ability to deal with it through a positive attitude means everything. Change is not always bad, it is what you make of it.

6-Happiness comes through giving

Although giving charity and helping others is generally encouraged in Islam, in Ramadan it is especially urged. Fasting makes us sympathize with the suffering of others, and desirous of helping them. The atmosphere encourages giving to those who are less fortunate and hence promotes a community spirit of giving. It is in this spirit of giving that you realize that happiness comes through giving not just receiving. When you share smiles with others, help them in whatever way you can, you feel a great happiness and satisfaction that is incomparable to anything else. It opens your heart, teaches you empathy and make you a better person. We learn the importance of sharing and caring, it makes us more considerate of other’s struggles rather than just concentrating on our lives. It made me realize through giving you are actually receving.

7- Prayer is your most powerful tool

Ramadan is a time of heightened spirituality, closeness to God, prayers and beautiful reminders. In Ramadan, the spirit of faith and prayer comes to life, whether it’s going to the mosque or having beautiful reminders from friends of family, you realize how important a prayer is. Prayer دعاء is one of the most beautiful acts of faith. It symbolizes having strong faith, looking forward to the good and never giving up hope. Praying consistently and with complete faith means that you believe that whatever situation you are in may improve, whether it is a health problem, a concern or a wish, eventually you will be granted all that you pray for. This teaches us patience, humility, faith, belief and a positive attitude, all of which are absolutely necessary for getting through life. Henceforth, making it the most powerful tool for those who believe in it.

Photo from: www.shakira.science