Tuesday 23 July 2013

The Highs and Lows of Ramadan

Summer beckons and as the days become longer and hotter the auspicious occasion of Ramadan begins..

If your not too sure what Ramadan is then allow me to give you a quick explanation:Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year and during this time strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset. It's an annual fast which allows Muslims everywhere to feel the way a person in poverty would do and as a part of this you must donate as little or as much as you can to charity.

And as a young Muslim myself it is kind of a duty to make sure that i partake.Not that it is easy when the sun is absolutely scorching and your not even allowed a drop of water. Fasting means exactly that no food and no drink and this year seems to be the hardest as not only is it difficult to fast in the summer but the fast is around 18 hours long. The question has been asked a lot by non- Muslim friends and especially teachers 'How are you doing it?' and to be honest I really don't know but i guess i'll just put it down to willpower. 

There's also a matter of people saying 'I could never do that!'Well then i dare you to try. Or just try to go without your favourite food. I'm sure you'll definitely surprise yourself and if you do decide to try it then why not let me know how it went.
 

Do you accept the challenge?
So the lows of fasting is that the day just drags on, i literally mean it. On normal days it seems like i never have the time to do the things i want to do but in Ramadan its the total opposite. The normal response to this is 'Why don't you just go to sleep?' but that defeats the whole purpose of Ramadan - you're supposed to feel the way a person in poverty would. Another low is putting on weight. Most people would be like surely you lose weight in Ramadan but this is not the truth at all. Instead, you put it on because straight after you finish eating at 3am yes i said 3am you go to sleep leaving no time to digest the food.The most obvious low is when you're out an' about and everyone else is sipping on that cool cola or licking that cone of ice - cream and you're just like what about me? 

Following the lows there are also highs. Ramadan lets you think about charity and you are rewarded everyday by that feeling in your heart that lets you know you have done something right in this world. It makes you become more charitable and lets you reflect on your life and how you live it. Most important of all at the end of each day you realise how much you really have and you generally just appreciate things a LOT more.

But it leaves me to wonder i fast every year and to be honest i only become truly religious when it comes to the month of fast and at the end of Ramadan i forget all about it. So this year i am making a promise to myself:To always appreciate my life and the people in it and of course to appreciate food heheh :)


Ramadan Kareem to everyone.



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