How can America benefit from Ramadan? Ever thought that fasting the month of Ramadan can help solve challenges in our life and communities around America?
In our modern-day life, despite being high on technology and materialism, yet we run unnoticeably low and may be dehydrated and starved on moral, social, educational and spiritual aspects. In this post, I have attached two power point presentations (Ramadan the Month of Fasting and Quran (ppt), Ramadan and Personal/Social Development (ppt)) about Ramadan, for the reader to know what is involved, and its application as a mechanism for individual and community development that I hope could benefit America.
It is not uncommon that fasting, in general, is not new to mankind. It has been prescribed by God to people in His divine revelations, prior to the message of Quran. He ordained it as a mean to attain righteousness, in the Creator’s term. I was talking to a colleague of mine, last Friday, when Ramadan and fasting came during the conversation; it was the first day of fasting. He thought that I could drink during the day or eat certain type of food. I said, we don’t do either during the day. He mentioned that in Christianity there is fasting too, but depends of which group one is following. Wanted to know more, so I asked, “Which group do you follow?” He said “None.”
Not knowing the details of how fasting in previous nations was, except what I read in one of the Gospels that Jesus was advising his people to be sincere to God in offering service. Fasting was one worship mentioned. They should fast with sincerity, and hide that to the point paleness of one’s face would not be observed, and people can’t tell. Indeed, it is understood fasting is not just abstinence from food, drink, and lawful blessings during the fasting period. This is what one could describe at “beginners fast”. But it elevates in ranks with the next level being to abstain from wrong doings through our external faculties including hearing, sight, limbs, and tongue. Fasting peak is where our internal faculties of heart, spirit and mind control the thought, and intentions to abstain from any drive except for having the best motive in doing the right thing for God’s sake alone, and according to his standards.
Noticing the similarity and common ground, I thought to share a contribution about fasting Ramadan covering two areas. The first is for the reader to know what is involved. The second is its application; how individual and community empowerment is attained through Ramadan, so that specialists in the field of human development use it as a resource to help America become better.
What is unique about fasting in Islamic teaching is the whole “Ramadan Package”, if it is an appropriate term to use. The first set of slides, Ramadan the Month of Fasting and Quran (ppt), illustrates the “What”! What is and what happens in Ramadan. It starts by providing some terminology about Islam and how it fits in the big picture of the cosmos. It is followed by its core beliefs and practices where fasting fist as one of its pillars. Then it describes the Ramadan package; including, requirements, how a day and night go during the month, Quran, Qiam, Itekaf, Lailatul Qadr, and finishes with the Eid prayer and celebration. Don’t worry about what these terms mean. They are explained in the presentations.
The second set, Ramadan and Personal/Social Development (ppt), highlights how the activities associated with the month of Ramadan promote a balanced growth and nourishment of the spiritual, material components of individuals and communities. The beginning in this group iterates that regardless of the use of the Arabic word Islam, yet its meaning is indicative of following the way of life God’s laid out for mankind since the beginning of time. That humanity are connected and the system of their purification and growth has been the same. Fasting is one of them. It emphasizes the first premise of fasting which manifests people’s relation to their Creator as servants and slaves. Then explains the impacts of following what he commanded us to do through fasting on spiritual, social, moral, behavioral, educational and physical impacts.
When I stared a new job at Chicago Bridge and Iron, in 2007, one of the first courses we were listed in is how to use Franklin Covey system of organization, in order to be efficient, productive, and hence give the best use of our time to the business. There promise was that if we apply their tool for 21 days, we will develop a habit of effective organization, it will become permanent and will make a difference in our lives. That was one day, one time course. Ramadan is 29 to 30 days, all round program, that comes every year till one dies. Given the information shared, if we extrapolate Franklin Covey promise, we definitely must notice a change in all dimensions mentioned, in a growth continuum.
This being said, getting into the implementation of Ramadan methodology in America, or elsewhere, requires personal conviction, which is a choice left to individuals.
Note: I compiled the presentations several years ago. One has a feminine color touch, from a presenter, that I didn’t change. In the ppt version, I took the presenter name out and marked a place for logo, for you to use in your public education and outreach functions, if you would like to use these slides. No acknowledgements or credit is sought, so, you can remove my name and email from the first slide.