Tasting Ramadan

          It is not uncommon for inquisitive people of other faiths or none to attempt to understand the dynamics of the Blessed Month. Often, such inquiries are limited to questions regarding the length of the fast, the conditions that must be fulfilled to maintain it, or the physical hardships that are its product. Some, however, wish to engage further, and are prepared to abstain from food and drink during daylight hours to experience for themselves the pangs of hunger and thirst that are a product of a nil-by-mouth day. But this is not fasting. This is merely not eating and drinking. Fasting cannot be divorced from faith. To fast is to invert one’s normative practices in order to intensify one’s remembrance of The One. The fast is designed to remind of the miraculous perfection that defines human existence, and to raise awareness of how every moment is part of an intricately designed tapestry of beauty inimitably weaved by The One. The fast facilitates consciousness of Allah Almighty, and the vigilance required to ensure that the fast is not violated demands both discipline and wakefulness, character traits that we all too often lack. It is precisely the movement beyond the merely physical that is the secret to the spiritual efficacy of fasting, and hence the fast that exists without remembrance of Allah Almighty is no fast at all.

          Should a person outside of the faith wish to comprehend the appeal and dogged persistence of the practice of Ramadan in an age in which substantial energy is spent ridiculing and deriding it, she does not need to fast, for it is not the physical aspects of the fast that make Ramadan special to the Muslim. Rather, the beauty is found in the remembrance of Allah Almighty which is induced by the process of fasting. The fast stimulates the reassuring collapse of the fears and concerns of the material world in the face of the all-encompassing peace of His presence, and grants a feeling of satisfaction as, however small our efforts may be, we are using our existence as it was created to be used, to sing His praises and give thanks for the abundance that surrounds us.  Hence, Ramadan is a means by which one can be delivered back to the Source. One from outside our faith tradition who wishes to comprehend the magic of this month should experiment metaphysically. She should attempt to see each moment of her life as tailor-made for her, perfectly arranged to reveal the hidden aspects of her character, made possible only by Allah’s Knowledge and Design. She should acknowledge that each moment is a statistically-impossible miracle, to which the only appropriate response is to fall down in prostration before its Creator. She should consider the challenges and hardships that define her life not as an undue burden, but as an opportunity to clarify her vision, and to come to witness the beauty of her existence as created by The One. This is the core of the circle of Islam. Ramadan and all other Islamic spiritual practices are the radius, vehicles that have the potential to deliver humanity from the outer to the inner, to support the transformation of their perspective, to elucidate previously hidden Realities, and to return hearts to their home. Hence, the fast of Ramadan of the most potent tools on the path to human transformation.

          Ramadan is a time of remembrance of Allah Almighty, our purpose, and the need to serve others. It is a time of solace, as we are granted a much-needed break from the misapplication of our energy towards materialistic ends which are unbefitting to our honour. For one month, His reign is restored in our hearts, and despite the fatigue, hunger, thirst, and headaches, we swim in an ocean of quiet contentment and tranquillity, knowing that we are aligned with the universe in our remembrance of Him. Those who wish to taste the sweetness of Ramadan should acknowledge and remember The Creator. And all success is from Him.