Bismillah.
Ramadhan or the month of fasting
for Muslims is now fast approaching. And for a country where non-Muslims
dominate the population, there are always some point in time where a lot of
people are getting curious of what really Ramadhan is. What do Muslims do in
this month? Why is it so special to them? What can non-Muslims do to appreciate
this month? And how can non-Muslims appropriately join in with their
celebration?
To have a short reading on
need-to-know-about-Ramadhan, please visit my post:
Ramadhan for Non-Muslims. And in this post, we will talk about answering the
question stated earlier: What can non-Muslims do during Ramadhan? Here is a
list of things that non-Muslims can do and should avoid doing, from one
Muslim’s personal experiences in living in a place where non-Muslims are the
majority.
What you can do:
1. Know
who are Muslims around you.
Before Ramadhan
kicks in, keeping in mind who are Muslims around you--in your neighborhood, in
your office, or in your classroom—will ultimately ease things both for you and
your Muslim friend. Why is this so? When you are aware that this friend of
yours is a Muslim, you will be more careful and would avoid inviting your friend
for a meal when he or she is fasting. These kind of scenarios—a non-Muslim
inviting a Muslim to eat—is a common happening in places where Muslims are
minority of the population (like the metro Manila), because the people are
already used to it. Of course, a Muslim would politely decline your invitation
considering that maybe you never knew that he or she is fasting. But if you are
fully aware of this, these kinds of awkward scenarios would be avoided.
2.Ask
about Ramadhan
If you can spend
some free time with a Muslim friend, ask him or her about Ramadhan. What do
Muslims usually do before and after fasting, where do they spend their days,
ask about ‘Eid, what should Muslims do and not do while fasting, and some other
simple questions you can ask that your Muslim friend can answer. This is a good
way for you to learn more about Ramadhan and Islam, and also a good time for a
fasting Muslim to spend time sharing what he or she knew. (Just be
understanding and moderate on asking questions and don’t go higher than what
your friend can afford to answer :)
3. Try
fasting for a day
If you have a
Muslim room-mate or a house-mate, you can ask him to let you join and
experience fasting. Wake up early and eat shuhur
together, observe what they would do and ask if you are doing things right.
Start by fasting for a half-day where you can break your fast by 12 noon. But
if you are really up to the challenge, then try fasting for a whole
day and
join your friend until
iftar (breaking
of fast at sunset)
. Experiencing it
personally would give you a wonderful idea on how the Muslims endure these 29
days of fasting for the sake of Allah. (Again, you don’t push yourself too
hard; if you cannot endure a whole day without food or water, you can always
start with half-day fasting. Everything is made easy in Islam).
4.
Offer
some help for exhausting tasks
Maybe most
Muslims would deny becoming weak and unable to do strenuous tasks when fasting,
but it’s always the natural way things go. If you have an empty stomach, you
will certainly feel weaker physically. And so, as a concern non-Muslim friend,
you can always offer them help in some ways. If you saw them along the road,
carrying some very heavy things (assuming you do not have anything urgent up
your shoulders), approach them and offer some help. In shaa Allah, your Muslim
friend will surely appreciate that kind of kindness.
5.
Help
them be reminded of Ramadhan
Even Muslims
forget what they should do and should not do while fasting. If you have some
knowledge of what a Muslim should do (pray on time, read the Qur’an) and should
not do (listening/participating with no-good talks, staring intently at the
opposite sex), then you have the right sense to remind them too. Ask them how
many pages of the Qur’an did he finished today, how many voluntary prayers in
the Masjid, etc. Maybe this is supposed
to be a Muslim’s task to remind him in the first place, but having another
person reminding him is always a great help.
What you should avoid:
I only have two things in this
list. So far, I only found these two on the list that one should avoid (as much
as he or she can) during Ramadhan:
1. Avoid eating in front of fasting Muslims
Muslims who are
fasting would usually avoid food-places like restaurants. But there will always
come a time that they cannot avoid it at all (for example in lunch meetings).
If you are aware that one of your companions is a fasting Muslim, you can
always try to eat somewhere else first as a respect to your friend. But if
things are not on your control, at least ask your Muslim companion if it’s ok
to eat in front of him or her (I am pretty sure he or she will say “Sure, its
fine with me” :)
2.
Avoid
mingling with a Muslim of the opposite sex
Talking and
mingling with the opposite sex is a normal day-to-day happening in a
non-Muslim’s life. This might sound weird for non-Muslims, but this is
something that a Muslim should avoid doing—not just in Ramadhan, but in the
other normal days as well. I cannot talk about the reasons why because it would
need a lot more than just a single write-up with a short discussion. I would
just give emphasis on the notion that during Ramadhan, one of the things that
would nullify a Muslim’s fasting is through untoward intentions for the opposite
sex. And to avoid these from happening, the simplest way is to avoid mingling
with the opposite sex unless highly necessary.
If you have this
comfy, hug-all-friends kind of personality, try avoiding what you usually do
(hugging or clinging to the arm of a friend of opposite sex, even if it may not
mean anything to you). Muslims are really not comfortable with such :)
Lastly, RESPECT EACH OTHER
This last thing
on my list is the most important of all and applies for both the Muslims and
non-Muslims. Having different faiths and beliefs would never be a reason for
anyone to be misunderstood and create trouble to the other group. When there is
tolerance and respect, everything will come into place. Respecting each other’s
beliefs, being open-minded and understanding them is the ultimate ingredient in
living harmoniously with anybody, whatever their beliefs may be.
========
Disclaimer:
Again, I am
reiterating that I am no scholar in Islamic ruling and I only know what little
basic things about our religion. This post is intended merely to help those who
wanted to know more about Ramadhan and Islam and what they have to know about
this month’s importance to the Muslims. If you may find some errors in this
post, something that is contradicting with what you heard or learned form a
real scholar, please do not hesitate to inform me that I may correct them. I am
already asking an apology for those shortcomings I may have.
I am praying to
Allah that He may guide us all to the right path and reward us for every good
deed that we do. May He forgive us and may He allow us to receive his bountiful
blessings in this coming Ramadhan and the next one to come. Ameen.
Salam Kasilasa
-AIMD
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