Ramadan, the holiest and most anticipated month in the Islamic calendar, is just around the corner. This weekend, nearly two billion Muslims worldwide will begin their month-long observance. During this time, they fast from dawn to sunset, refraining from food and drink. If you're unfamiliar with Ramadan, here are a few key things to know.
Ramadan is a time of profound spiritual renewal, fostering discipline, gratitude, and connection – its impact extends far beyond abstaining from food and drink.
While the physical health benefits of fasting have long been established, in addition to those, there are many ways in which Ramadan also nurtures and strengthens the human spirit. A few aspects stand out in particular.
Fasting for the soul
Prophet Muhammad encouraged the faithful to pursue the highest and most holistic form of spiritual fasting by eliminating distractions—such as eating and drinking—and focusing on a deeper connection with the Divine.
As a result, Ramadan becomes a time for profound spiritual reflection and self-discovery, offering those who observe it an opportunity to pause, realign, and strive toward their best selves. Ideally, this transformation extends beyond the month, shaping their character and actions throughout the year.
As the early 20th-century Muslim scholar Bediüzzaman Said Nursi explained, the goal is to engage all inner and outer faculties into a spiritual fast and enter into a sort of almost angelic state.
Avoiding unhealthy and negative feelings and actions is one of the aspirations in fasting. More than ever, Muslims try to abstain from bad speech like gossip, anger and dishonesty. The focus is on self-purification and personal development in moral character. Restraining oneself from indecent speech, looks and conduct are all ways to attain this high ideal of fasting.
In this process of complete devotion and deep contemplation, the one fasting exerts efforts to cultivate more mindfulness and other important virtues like compassion, kindness, humility, patience, persistence and resilience. Here, the Qur’an - first revealed in the month of Ramadan - is the ultimate guide for going through this season of spiritual self-transformation.
Embracing simplicity: The power of less In a world driven by a consumerist attitude, Ramadan reminds the human spirit through gentle and moderate abstinence, that a return to the essentials is healthy for the human spirit.
Eating too many processed foods and overconsumption is not beneficial to a healthy lifestyle. A life of simplicity and contentment allows the spirit to breathe again. It cultivates greater respect for the natural resources of this earth.
Wastefulness and excess should be avoided. Understanding that one does not need much to be satisfied is a powerful moment of inner liberation. At the same time, Ramadan increases gratitude and appreciation for existential things like water and food by uplifting their true value.
Essentialism also includes minimising distraction, decluttering the heart from all heavy burden and freeing oneself from toxic relationships. Distancing oneself from stress and envy and limiting a materialistic lifestyle are good ways to focus on simplicity.
Taking a digital detox from social media, if it becomes overly consuming and impacting one’s mental well-being, also seems wise. Ramadan is a time of introspection and reassessing one’s life and relationships.
Strengthening bonds
The food that one enjoys at the end of the day is often prepared by many human hands working together. More than ever, Ramadan serves as a reminder of human interdependence and our fundamental need for one another.
There is a heightened sense of community, solidarity and charity. Indeed, Ramadan calls human beings to nourish and strengthen each other by generously sharing one’s wealth and goods. In this time of giving, Muslims typically donate 2.5 percent of their wealth to the needy as a fulfilment of their obligatory almsgiving (zakat). They also host and sponsor many public community iftars and invite their non-Muslim neighbours to join them as well. These programs are a wonderful opportunity to learn and connect with one another.
In addition, fostering healthy and meaningful social connection is key to human flourishing and vitality.
The sacred month invites people to nurture social ties and respond to each other’s emotional and mental needs. Loneliness is detrimental to human health. Strong community bonds are essential for overall well-being.
Breaking fast together, spending increased time in communal prayers, reaching out to one another through acts of kindness and charities - all this helps to counteract isolation and foster a greater sense of belonging.
It is in this spirit that Ramadan presents a mandate to answer holistically to the needs of fellow human beings. Taking care of families, relatives, friends, neighbours and fellow human beings is a crucial aspect of holistic fasting. Making an effort to let go of grudges and resentments, trying to forgive one another and reconcile are all ways to cleanse and purify the heart from all unnecessary weight.
For all of these and many more reasons, Ramadan has been aptly described as the month of mercy and is always welcomed by Muslims as an occasion of spiritual rebirth and renewal. With the focus on personal self-development and healthy community building, non-Muslims too can appreciate the many benefits of this rich spiritual season of Ramadan.
The author, Zeyneb Sayilgan, PhD, is a Muslim scholar at the Institute for Islamic Christian Jewish Studies specialising in Islamic theology, Christian-Muslim relations, and the intersection of religion and migration.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT Afrika.
➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories
