Ramadan Is Not About Fasting.

For those of you who know me, know that it takes a lot to ruin the pep in my step ??. The reason for that is simple… Ramadan!

Ramadan started last night and most people I know, including Muslims, think Ramadan is about:

1.     Fasting from sun up to sun down

2.     Or about feeling what the poor and hungry feel

3.     Or about connecting with your inner self

The reality is Fasting is just one of the tools in Ramadan's Toolbox.

Enduring Hardship is the goal.

There’s a famous chapter in the Qur’an called Ash-Sharh (The Relief). Verses 5 and 6 read:

“Verily, along with hardship, there is ease. Undoubtedly, along with hardship, there is ease.”

I don’t know a single person that hasn’t experienced hardship in their life. A natural disaster, war, divorce, loss of a loved one, being laid off, an F on an exam, being bullied, a heartbreak. Every stage of life brings with it new challenges and hardships that are seemingly worse than the previous.

Ramadan is about willingly enduring some hardship so that you are mentally, physically and emotionally prepared for whatever life throws at you.

Nothing is going to fully prepare us for every hardship but Ramadan is a toolbox filled with tools to help us in our training:

• Fasting                From food and water for 14 hours a day, 30 days straight
• Praying               Outside of the 5 daily prayers, Taraweeh is a physically demanding prayer that typically takes an hour or so, right after you break your fast at night
• Reading              The entire Qur’an to get clarity, direction and purpose
• I’tikaf                  Staying up part/half of the night in meditation and worship
• Charity                Giving 2.5% and more of your wealth to anyone in need

Ramadan is honestly exhausting, but it's on purpose!

We study to get a degree, workout to be in shape, and train to get more experience. Fasting, Praying, Reading, I’tikaf and Charity are all designed to prepare our mind, body and soul for tough experiences in our life so that we don’t find ourselves helpless and in a hole.

Ramadan is the dear friend who pushes me every year to be better. I fall short constantly, but the month is always welcome in my heart.

In the words of Biggie “If you don’t know, now you know”