It takes commitment.
Ramadan takes commitment. In fact, being Muslim in general takes commitment. But that’s the beauty of it.
Think about it: in addition to the month of fasting and the holy pilgrimage, Muslims pray five times a day and they abstain daily from alcohol, drugs, and other “indulgences” that have become a way of life for so many others. This is work. This is making a conscious effort every day in one or the other aspect of life.
And yet Muslims make the effort to accomplish all these feats as a way of life. We look forward to making the holy pilgrimage, we look forward to the holy month of Ramadan, and we panic when we are not able to make a prayer in time.
Odd, no?
That word, odd, could possibly be a sub-definition of Muslims.
We are indeed odd because we actually enjoy devoting our life’s moments to these acts of worship and more. A lot of the time, we’ll go above and beyond the basic requirements to do more.
That’s what Ramadan is all about.
From elementary school to my first year in college I was consistently asked during Ramadan “aren’t you hungry?”
Well yes.
“Aren’t you tired?”
Yes.
“And this goes on for 30 days straight?”
Yes.
“I’m so sorry for you.”
Please don’t be, I love it!
I stated in a previous post that if Ramadan was just about not eating and drinking, Muslims would not look forward to it the way that they do.
No, Ramadan is about going above and beyond all month long. And Ramadan is practice for the rest of our lives. We do not allow ourselves to fall into the habit of praying daily, we put on our alarms and snooze alarms and we continue to do this until our body adjusts and we’re able to wake up for Fajr Salah on our own without the alarm.
During Ramadan billions of Muslims all over the world make goals to become better versions of themselves in these 30 days. If that’s not considered beautiful, I don’t know anything else that could be.
Yes, being Muslim takes commitment, but it’s a commitment with many a reward that we continue to reap as our commitments in the various tasks of following Islam increase.
The 30 Days of Ramadan series is written by Sobia Siddiqui, CAIR-TX Communications Intern. Enjoy more of her writing on her personal blog, Religion in the Melting Pot.
