Ramadan
All The Questions You May Have
By: Anysa Aguenar
Salamou3alaykoum everyone! I'm Anysa and a few of my passions are reading, writing and traveling! I mainly read romance, fantasy, poetry and a little bit of non-fiction. My favorite genre to write is poetry and my favorite country I've traveled two times to is Palestine! I genuinely can't wait to go back, but until that happens I'll just keep watching my vlogs over and over again.
The month Ramadan is a really important month for us Muslims since it's one of 5 pillars that all Muslims must follow if we want to be rewarded with paradise, but as much as we love Ramadan a lot of non-Muslim are still quite confused about a lot of things surrounding this amazing month. So I'm here to answer some of them for you!
What is Ramadan, and why do we celebrate it?
“An Angel came to him and asked him to read. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’”
Ramadan is the month when the Qoran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Hira cave, the story of the first Qoran revelation is one of the most important verses in the Qoran because it highlights the importance of reading as a Muslim. Ramadan is also never during a set date, because Islam uses the Lunar calendar which means that Ramadan always gets pushed 11 days into the new year. I honestly enjoy it a lot, because if you have lived over 33 years you'll have experienced Ramadan during all seasons, which will be a little strange in 2030, because it'll fall in December also known as Christmas season!
How Do We Celebrate Ramadan?
Much like Christmas and Easter we celebrate it with our entire family eating delicious food at the end of the day, reading Qoran, praying extra prayers, and giving even more charity to whoever needs it. The point of Ramadan is to celebrate the gift, that is the Qoran, by stopping all the worldly pleasures that are made permissible all year round like eating, drinking, and romantic relations with your partner. We do this to focus on other ways of worship like fasting from dawn to sunset, attending Islamic lectures, and inviting others for iftar (the meal eaten after sunset). One of the sunnah's (the way of life of the Prophet ﷺ) that I follow during Ramadan is eating an uneven amount of dates and drinking enough water during suhoor (the meal eaten before dawn) and you'd be surprised by how little hunger I feel whenever I eat that for suhoor. I honestly understand that fasting seems quite intimidating to non-Muslims, but I promise you that there is no Muslim who would be fasting if it was truly difficult or harmful for them.
Does every Muslim have to fast?
While the answer is technically yes, there are some exceptions to the rule, for obvious reasons chronically sick people, and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding don't have to fast because it would be harmful to their bodies, the other exceptions are children, women on their periods, and travelers. Every Muslim has to start fasting when they reach puberty, except for chronically sick people, every single person on this list does make up for their missed fasting days once Ramadan is over. I do want to answer one off-topic question that I get asked way too much, which is “Can Muslims shower while they're fasting? And can't you have a little sip of water?". And my answer will always be “Yes I'm allowed to shower while I'm fasting. It's even encouraged since hygiene is one of the most important things in the religion, but no I'm not allowed to drink anything until the sun sets.” Most Muslims are also used to fasting because we've been doing this for years already the most ‘difficult’ day during Ramadan is usually the first one because you just have to get back into the Ramadan routine, but by day two you're already forgetting that you can't drink or eat anything for the rest of the day.
How do you do Ramadan successfully?
There is no one-way ticket to success in the Ramadan, but the rule of thumb that I always use is a Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ “Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little.” - (Sahih al-Bukhari 6464) I love to remember this hadith because it relieves the nerves that Ramadan could bring because Ramadan can seem really difficult if we don't stop to remember that everyone is on their own journey. Some of the best Ramadan’s are always the ones that you share with a lot of people, whether it's during suhoor, iftar, or taraweeh (a voluntary prayer performed after the last prayer, Isha, every single night during Ramadan). One of the most well-meaning questions that Muslims get asked is also “Do you really not mind me eating in front of you?”. And I promise you, no Muslim ever cares if others eat in front of them, that's also part of the test that is Ramadan, but if you feel guilty about it I also want to tell you that if a fasting Muslim has to sit with someone who's eating for the entire duration of that meal an angel is praying for that Muslim specifically until the meal is done, and there is no Muslim that doesn't want an Angel praying for them personally. So Muslims remember the best kind of Muslim is the one that makes mistakes and always repents for them, and non-Muslims the best thing you can do for Muslims is try to understand our religion better. So here are some books that could help you with that!
The Clear Qoran
It wouldn't feel right if I didn't recommend the one book that made Ramadan possible. But the reason why I recommend this Qoran specifically is because it's by far the most accessible one for non-Muslims, it tells you where it was revealed, and sections the ayat's (verses within the surah's) so you'll know what God is talking about in each surah and it's completely in English. That's also the reason why most Muslims use the Arabic version alongside this one because we have to use the Arabic pronunciation in our prayers. But if you only want to understand the Qoran better, you're set with this one!
The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet ﷺ
By Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri
As one of the most important people in the religion, the Prophet ﷺ is the perfect person to read about if you want to understand Islam better. His entire personality is so intertwined with Islam that there's no doubt you'll immediately fall in love with him. His kind heart, patience, and gratitude towards us is unbelievably amazing it's no surprise that so many people love him and by extension Islam so much, but the true props will always be with Allah ﷻ because no human could ever create such a perfect person nor story.
Patience and Gratitude
By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab this book was published in 1320 by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah who was an extremely intelligent scholar and jurist. The books he's written are so ahead of his time it's a true testament to his intelligence. While this book is more directed to Muslims, I do think that non-Muslims would benefit from it. It's also less than 100 pages and incredibly easy to understand!
Umar Ibn al-Khattab: His Life And Times
By Ali Muhammad As-Sallabi
As one of the most influential people in Islam Umar's story is one of strength, trust, and perseverance. His personality and heart changed from a young man that was feared by everyone to a man that had the personality of a prophet. In his time as the Khalifa (leader of the Muslims) he conquered 12 countries, one of them being Palestine! That alone should make anyone want to read the amazing story of Umar Ibn al-Khattab.
That being said, I hope this article taught you some new things about Islam and you'll want to learn even more about us.
