:wa:
format_quote Originally Posted by
rabimansur
...Would Allah accept my efforts or would it be unacceptable for a nonmuslim to try and follow this practice?
well , if u die as a non-Muslim , then there is no reward in hereafter for any good deeds. U will get rewards in this life only. But there is no harm if u try to do fasting . Some non-Muslims do fast in Ramadan with Muslims :statisfie
And God knows Best.
Ramadan-fasting Pastor
Reis (L) says fasting can help him become a better Christian as well as a better pastor, husband and father. (Bellingham Herald photo)
CAIRO — Everyday before sunrise, American pastor Ben Ries wakes up to eat before starting his fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
"It raises your awareness about hunger in the world," Ries told The Bellingham Herald on Monday, August 31.
Ries, 30, the pastor of the Sterling Drive Church of Christ in Bellingham, has decided to join Muslims in fasting Ramadan to get a better knowledge of the Islamic faith.
He says fasting can help him become a better Christian as well as a better pastor, husband, father, and member of a diverse world often fractured along religious lines.
"Part of my reflection is, 'Who am I in this world?'" said Ries, who became pastor of his small Bellingham church two years ago.
"I'm not so narcissistic to think I have everything figured out."
As he knows little about Islam, Ries sought to find someone to help him observe the holy Muslim month.
Googling the internet, he found Monem Salam, the president of Saturna Brokerage Services, a subsidiary of Saturna Capital Corp., in Bellingham.
The American pastor immediately e-mailed the Muslim leader, asking him to be his mentor during the dawn-to-dusk fasting month.
"It seemed like it could be a good partnership," Salam said.
"We could both learn from each other."
Ramadan is the holiest month in the Muslim calendar.
In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.
Muslims dedicate their time during the holy fasting month to become closer to Allah through prayer, self-restraint and good deeds.
Ground-breaking
On family dinners, Salam and Ries started to meet before Ramadan to teach the pastor about the fasting month.
Ries has also started reading the Noble Qur’an and is keeping a journal about his reflections and experiences during Ramadan.
"I'm not a big breakfast person, so it's been difficult for me," he said.
The US pastor hopes that his experience of fasting the Muslim holy month would be a healing step towards a better world.
"As a Christian, I believe this world is broken," he said. "It's not as it's supposed to be."
Salam, who has made a documentary about his experience and his family as a Muslim family living in American society, agreed.
"He's breaking some ground here," Salam said.
He said sharing Ries’s experience with other church members and non-Muslims would have a better impact on understanding the Islamic faith.
"Hopefully, in the future, we'll have more individuals doing it.”
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...m_campaign=rss