Ramadan 2024
Ramadan 2024
Ramadan is a time of introspection, communal prayer, and the reading of the Qur’an. A time to connect with friends and family.
It is important to hear from our Muslim colleagues about what Ramadan means to them and learn more about their perspectives on this holy month. We have spoken to colleagues from Community Links who have shared some beautiful and heart-warming thoughts which offer a new and enlightening perspective.
Read more below:
What does Ramadan mean to you?
”Ramadan felt like pure magic to me when I was a kid, and its significance has always evolved for me over the years. Doing it year after year does not take its toll on me like I thought it would. In fact, it has given more than it has taken. I learn something new about myself and the world around me every time. From every valuable life lesson you can imagine, be it self-discipline, productivity,
self-restraint, resilience, patience, gratitude, abundance, value of family, the power of spiritual energy, the importance of community and so much more.
But to me the most important spiritual lesson must be humility. Humility because it takes a great amount of love and discipline to put aside your own self-importance and desires and adopt what you believe is what God is asking of you. It takes humility to recognise how dependent you are on the things that are invaluable, but you take for granted. It shifts the mind from thinking that food, family, love, affection, a roof over your head, living in a country where there is peace are basic human rights to realising these are blessings not everyone is guaranteed.
Humility then teaches me that if I have what I need then the rest should go to those in need, it reminds me that if I can live without food and water for up to 18 hours (in the summer) then I can live without other things that are not essential. If I were to anthropomorphise Ramadan then I would say it is the relative you have been waiting all year long to see, who has come bearing the gifts of mercy and new lessons, reconnection, reformation, and redemption. This relative brings an abundance of blessings and teaches me to see what I have been missing and the power of prayer. And when Ramadan leaves it makes me worry if I will see it again or miss the next one.’’
”Ramadan… is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. A month of fasting.
A month where Muslims around the globe wake up in the early hours to eat and drink.
A month where families collectively sit at the table as the sun sets, awaiting the Maghrib Azaan to open their fasts.
But what does Ramadan mean to me?
Ramadan is medicine for the soul. Ramadan comes at a time when we need it the most.
It heals our sorrows and wounds and replenishes our hearts. Ramadan gives Muslims a break from the stressors in life, it gives us a chance to pause and reflect. Ramadan gives us time to remind ourselves of what we have and remember those less fortunate.
Ramadan allows us to get closer to Allah (God) by acts of remembrance. Ramadan increases
self-discipline and helps us to become more mindful.
Ramadan encourages us to become the best versions of ourselves. And as Ramadan leaves us, the effects remain. As we celebrate Eid, we go through a bittersweet period, proud of the people we have become and the changes we have made but sad to see the holy month end. We take the lessons learnt in Ramadan through to our lives and pray to see another Ramadan come…’’
