Tag: Christian’s guide to ramadan

Ramadan 2019 – Call to Prayer

On By Mona SabahIn Islam, Jesus Christ, Muslim

May 5, 2019 begins Ramadan for the Muslim world. If you type “Ramadan 2019” into the search bar, there will be a myriad of results – from recipes for the first breaking of fast to what the requirements are to keep a Ramadan fast. For those who may not know, Ramadan is a month of fasting AND feasting! It is a celebration for the entire Muslim community. However, when I was a Muslim, I was not like some of my friends who looked forward to this time. I dreaded the month and it made me anxious.

There were good reasons for me to be anxious, for I was not a good Muslim. I would think about food all day long, I would find reasons not to fast and then, I would just plain give up after about a week (if that!). Of course, I didn’t tell people about this sad state of affairs and lack of dedication. I simply added on to my scale of bad deeds and lied to people that I was indeed fasting.

There are many rules of what to do and what not to do during the 30 days of Ramadan. There are even rules for the NON-MUSLIM (as spelled out here from an article from Saudi Arabia, the arbiters of what goes and what does not go for Islam) who lives in a Muslim country! The article says that even though one might not be a Muslim, they still need to adhere to the laws – no eating or drinking in the public while the sun is shining, no chewing gum, no smoking, etc.

just stay home…

For the Muslim person, there are many rules that spell out how to behave and how to begin and end your day. I was told that drinking a small amount of water from rinsing my mouth after brushing was haram (bad deed) and could technically break my fast. I was also told that anger or being mean to my family (= being “hangry”) would also nullify my fast. So many rules!

from: Masjid Daar as Sunnah

Many Christians want to know – what does Allah want from Muslims during Ramadan? There are many things, but here’s a chart for quick reference. Notice under the “5 Quick Tips” on number 5, it says “Follow up a bad deed with a good deed.” I believe that just about sums up Ramadan. It is a time for Muslims to try to please Allah… but with all those bad deeds, can one actually please him?

So what does the BIBLE say about pleasing God?

According to the website gotquestions.org In the New Testament, the apostle “Paul reminds the believers in Rome that “they who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). So the first step in pleasing God is to accept the sacrifice for sin that He provided in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Only then are we “in the Spirit” and not “in the flesh.” We do this by faith because “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). “

All of us who have confessed that Jesus Christ is the only sinless one who could pay the price for all the sins (bad deeds) in a perfect sacrifice that was pleasing to God become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In order to please God, we have to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit who is given to us and who lives in us, instructing us daily how to walk according to the ways of God as revealed in the Bible (the word of God). We also have to live by faith, live and love according to Jesus’s command (John 14:21) which is to love Christ and love one another.

I believe that is one of the biggest differences I found in leaving Islam and accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. There was a peace in knowing and accepting that I could not please God from my own works. I kept messing up daily — I would think a bad thought, reply in anger at the driver who cut me off, or lie about something. I kept sinning and falling short of the rules I was supposed to abide by. The beauty of Christianity is not in us DOING things, it is in what Jesus Christ DID already for us on the cross.

May those who are fasting for Ramadan seek the one True God who is revealed in the Bible as the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) AND may those of us who belong to Christ pray for the next 30 days for Muslims around the world to find peace through the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.

A Christian’s Guide to RAMADAN

On By Mona SabahIn cultural diversity, culture, Diversity, Muslim, Teaching, Uncategorized4 Comments

ramadan-dos-donts

I used to dread Ramadan as a Muslim… I knew I was supposed to look forward to it each year, but it was so much better to simply ignore it was coming and that I would be judged by how many fasts (“Roza” in Urdu) I would keep.  On the occasions I would fast, I would sleep all day, get headaches, try to brush my teeth because I couldn’t have water and even passed out from dizziness (I used to pass out all the time growing up).  I wrote another blog about fasting here last year.

All of that was worth the night time activities. Being one who enjoys having people over to our home, the evenings would be a time of celebration (we made it!) and we would feast, play board games and cards and eat full meals again until the wee hours of the morning before sunrise… only to do it all over again.

There was even a joke in our family-if you weren’t fasting and if someone asked you if you were keeping your fast, you should always say “yes, I keep it in my closet.” The bottom line is that for Muslims, keeping a fast is a matter of honor and shame for your family. Muslims will ask you straight up if you are fasting or not to see how pious you are (or not, in my case). There is definitely a sense of pressure from the community. This is not felt so greatly in Pakistan or in the Middle East because everyone there assumes you are fasting – it’s just what you do. During the day, restaurants are open only to foreigners (and even that is limited).  In some Muslim countries, it is a punishable crime to eat and drink in the public during Ramadan and the religious police look for people! Everything shuts down, so the only thing to do for women, especially is to watch long movies and sleep.

For many Christians, Ramadan is a mystery. I hope today to untangle some of those confusing ideas.

  1. Ramadan starts upon the sighting of the crescent moon by Saudi Arabia’s High Judicial Court. The dates always vary of when Ramadan starts due to Islam’s use of a lunar calendar (hence the shape of the moon on all things Muslim).  Fasting is for 30 days.
  2. TODAY, May 27 is the first day of Ramadan for 2017
  3. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the FIVE Pillars of Faith (requisite checklist for all Muslims)
  4. It’s not truly fasting as in the Christian sense of the word (completely abstaining from food and water like Jesus did in the desert (see Matthew 4) for 40 days and nights. Fasting for Ramadan is a flip of night and day. You can eat all you want from sunset to sunrise – you don’t touch food or water (not even a sip, otherwise you break your fast) from sunrise to sunset. It’s embarrassing for a Muslim to gain weight during this time!
  5. Ramadan is a time for prayer. Muslims try to get closer to God. WE CAN HELP!!!
  6. Join a Christian movement called “30 days of Prayer”  http://www.30daysprayer.com/ to pray for the Muslim world to come to the LORD. The website also has a devotional book you can order, as well as e-mail reminders to pray for the Muslims around you.
  7. Women who are pregnant or nursing (or menstruating) cannot fast. They will have to make up their fasts at a later time in order to do their duty as a Muslim. Children and the very elderly do not have to fast. There are also some exemptions made for athletes and those who are traveling.
  8. Some Christians I know want to fast in solidarity with their Muslim friends – you can most definitely do that (=freedom in Christ!), however please note that fasting during Ramadan is complete with religious obligations and rules set forth by Islam. Don’t follow those rules or do something contrary to the beliefs you have in Christ Jesus. These two religions are very, very different! Make it clear why you are fasting so that they don’t get the wrong idea or so that you are not misleading them into believing something else. Be clear about who you follow, that’s all.
  9. We can enter joyfully into a fast and even share the breaking of the fast party with our Muslim friends and neighbors. Let them know that Jesus allowed Christians to fast in Matthew 6:16-17 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face.”
  10. At the end of Ramadan, all Muslims celebrate Eid — many of my fond memories as a child revolve around us celebrating Eid with so much joy! Eid is scheduled for June 25 this year.

69859_artworks-000076178737-9xpof4-originalMuslims are our neighbors, and Jesus instructed us to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mat 22:39) Pray For Muslims in Love. Invite them to your home! 

The Bible says: 15and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. ~James 5:15-17