Answer
Short Answer:
- Muslims fast Ramadan to please Allah. Muslims are not fasting because of anything they will gain; they are fasting because Allah wants them to do so.
- With the right intention, we can come closer to Allah during this month. By surrendering to His will, we experience peace.
- Ramadan is also a chance for Muslims to re-examine the way they have lived their lives over the past year.
______________________________________
Salam Sara,
Many thanks for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
It is an interesting one, because it is a great gift to see ourselves as others see us, and your question is asking how we can present Islam to those who are not Muslim, taking account of the fact that they might know very little about Islam.
Sometimes, as Muslims, we talk so much to others about what we believe and do, without thinking too carefully about what they are hearing.
In other words, what we say is not always the message that other people hear, because we are not prepared to take people as they are.
Ramadan: A Film They Have Not Seen
Often, we talk to them from the point of view of where we would like them to be, rather than where they actually are at the moment.
Talking about Ramadan is a wonderful way of talking about Islam, but we must remember that those who are not Muslim will be carrying with them all the baggage that the television and news media have loaded on their shoulders.
Media images have a powerful way of clouding over the real message of Islam. So, in talking about Ramadan we need to proceed slowly.
If you have ever read a really good novel or been to see a really good movie, it is difficult to convey how much you enjoyed it to someone who did not experience it.
No matter how much you describe the action and the characters, you need to have experienced them first hand to fully appreciate how good they are.
Ramadan is a bit like that.
Telling someone who has not experienced the joy of Ramadan exactly what it is like is just like telling them about a film they have not seen.
Fasting for Allah’s Sake
The idea of fasting for a whole month is quite alien to most people in the world.
Cutting down on food for a while to lose weight is perhaps the nearest they have ever got to fasting.
Doing so for God’s sake will be quite outside their experience.
And yet, as Muslims, we know that Ramadan is about much more than giving up food and drink during the hours of daylight.
We know that with the right intention, we can actually come closer to Allah during this noble month of Ramadan and we can feel both uplifted and content by the very fasting that seems to others so odd.
The first thing we need to tell others is that we fast for Allah’s sake alone.
This, in itself, may come as a very strange idea. Most people, especially those with no religion or belief in God, do things for themselves alone or for the ones they love.
Allah tells us in the noble Quran:
{O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) piety.} (Al-Baqarah 2:183)
In other words, Muslims fast to please Allah.
Even if there is no other outward benefit or effect, their fast is for Allah’s sake. He has asked it of us and we do it in response to His command.
This, alone, is quite a shock to the belief system of many.
Muslims are not fasting because of anything they will gain; they are fasting because Allah wants them to do so.
This, though, is maybe one of the greatest secrets of Islam.
The word Islam comes from an Arabic root word that means both “surrender” and “peace.”
A Muslim is One Who Surrenders to Allah
When his or her head touches the ground in prayer there is the realization that Allah the Almighty is in charge of all things in this world, even us.
He not only created the heavens and the earth and everything in between, but He also knows every leaf that falls from every tree.
Surrendering to Allah is the key.
By surrendering, we then experience the second word: peace.
Muslims find their total peace, fulfillment, and happiness by doing what Allah wants.
Fasting then is done for His sake. Yet, we gain so much in return, and feel so much better because of it. Maybe this is the key.
A New Start
Another useful idea when talking to those who are not Muslim about Ramadan is to remind everyone just how wonderful it would be if everyone in the world was given the chance to start over again, to forget the mistakes of the past, and to begin anew.
There are not many people who would turn down such an opportunity.
All of us have made mistakes. We also deliberately do things we know to be wrong.
Ramadan is a chance for Muslims to re-examine the way they have lived their lives over the past year. They can resolve to lead a better life in the year to come.
It is like a spiritual Spring-cleaning, where we dust everything down, and throw out everything that is not important and essential in our lives.
Seen in these two ways, then, fasting during Ramadan brings us so many blessings, not least the blessing of seeing how fortunate we really are.
Also, our fasting in Ramadan gives us the chance to feel how hungry those who are less fortunate than us feel.
It helps us to give thanks for all the things we take for granted.
We take for granted not only things like food and water, but also the love of our family and friends, the good health we enjoy, and the fact that most us will have somewhere to sleep tonight.
So, Ramadan is such a special time for Muslims. It focuses on the idea of sincerity to Allah the Almighty. In doing this, we find peace and contentment.
Ramadan speaks directly to our hearts of the One who created all things. In talking to non-Muslims about the joys and the meanings of Ramadan, we should try to convey some of this.
I hope this answers your question. Please, keep in touch.
Salam.
(From Ask About Islam archives)
Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links: