Welcome to the forum . Holy Ramadan will start in next 10 days
A related article by our convert bro.
What is Ramadan? (describing Ramadan to non-Muslims)
Name of Counselor Idris Tawfiq
..The first thing we need to tell others is that we fast for Allah's sake alone. This, in itself, may come as a very strange idea.
Most people, especially those with no religion or belief in God, do things for themselves alone or for the ones they love. Allah tells us in the noble Quran, which Muslims believe is the word of God, what means:
[O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) piety.] (Al-Baqarah 2:183)
In other words, Muslims fast to please Allah. Even if there is no other outward benefit or effect, their fast is for Allah's sake. He has asked it of us and we do it in response to His command. This, alone, is quite a shock to the belief system of many. Muslims are not fasting because of anything they will gain; they are fasting because Allah wants them to do so.
This, though, is maybe one of the greatest secrets of Islam. The word Islam comes from an Arabic root word that means both "submission" and "peace." A Muslim is one who submits to Allah. When his or her head touches the ground in prayer there is the realization that Allah the Almighty is in charge of all things in this world, even us. He not only created the heavens and the earth and everything in between, but He also knows every leaf that falls from every tree.
Submitting to Allah is the key. By submitting, we then experience the second word: peace. Muslims find their total peace, fulfillment, and happiness by doing what Allah wants. fasting , then, is done for His sake. Yet we gain so much in return, and feel so much better because of it. Maybe this is the key.
Another useful idea when talking to those who are not Muslim about Ramadan is to remind everyone just how wonderful it would be if everyone in the world was given the chance to start over again, to forget the mistakes of the past, and to begin a new. There are not many people who would turn down such an opportunity. All of us have made mistakes. We also deliberately do things we know to be wrong.
Ramadan is a chance for Muslims to re-examine the way they have lived their lives over the past year. They can resolve to lead a better life in the year to come. It is like a spiritual Spring-cleaning, where we dust everything down, and throw out everything that is not important and essential in our lives.
Seen in these two ways, then, fasting during Ramadan brings us so many blessings, not least the blessing of seeing how fortunate we really are. True enough, we fast for Allah's sake during the hours of daylight, but when the call to Prayer sounds at the end of the day, we are able to eat our fill. There are many in the world, though, whose fast will not end with the call to Prayer. They will starve to death because they have no food.
Our fasting in Ramadan gives us the chance to feel how hungry those who are less fortunate than us would feel. It helps us to give thanks for all the things we take for granted.
We take for granted not only things like food and water, but also the love of our family and friends, the good health we enjoy, and the fact that most us will have somewhere to sleep tonight.
So Ramadan is such a special time for Muslims. It focuses on the idea of sincerity to Allah the Almighty. We fast for His sake and we try by our Prayers and recitation of the Quran to call Him to mind throughout the day. In doing this, we find peace and contentment. Better than any film we have seen or any novel we have read.
Ramadan speaks directly to our hearts of the One who created all things. In talking to non-Muslims about the joys and the meanings of Ramadan, we should try to convey some of this.
I hope this answers your question. Please, keep in touch.
Thank you , its not really hard when you have the true faith in God, When you know who your fasting for, and also you begin to get the feeling of those who have hardly anything to eat each day, we will be glad we get to eat after the fast, but theres some humans like ourself who wont have as much ourselves to eat.
It makes us become more humble and sensible.
It gives us the strengh in faith to pray for those who suffer every second of their lives and Ask God to grant them that food also.
Take care
"Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists).".."[Al Qur'aan 3:2]
Thank you , its not really hard when you have the true faith in God, When you know who your fasting for, and also you begin to get the feeling of those who have hardly anything to eat each day, we will be glad we get to eat after the fast, but theres some humans like ourself who wont have as much ourselves to eat.
It makes us become more humble and sensible.
It gives us the strengh in faith to pray for those who suffer every second of their lives and Ask God to grant them that food also.
Take care
That's a very interesting sentiment, and one I hadn't thought have previously, it must be much easier to relate to people on the news who are suffering from food deprivation when you yourself have experienced it.
Perhaps the greatest benefit that accrues to the Muslim in the blessed month of Ramadan is turning in repentance to Almighty Allah, self-evaluation, and evaluation of one’s personal history.
In Ramadan, the door of repentance is wide open, the grace of our Lord is guaranteed and His favors are bestowed abundantly. Yet, where are those who repent and seek their Lord's forgiveness?
In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah advises,
(Say, "O my servants who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether and surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.") (Az-Zumar 39:53)
* This article was taken with modifications from the author's book Thirty Lessons for Those Who Fast.
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