Ramadan is an important time of year for Muslims all around the world. It is a month of spirituality, fasting and community. Growing up, I began to associate this month with some wonderful experiences which I always look forward to. So let’s talk about some great things about the ninth month in the Islamic calendar!

Sehri outings

Sehri, the time before the Fajr (sunrise) prayers is the time that Muslims can eat in order to somewhat prepare themselves for fasting during the day. Once it is time for Fajr, however, you must stop eating immediately. Nowadays, Fajr is between 3 and 3:30 am, so we have sehri anywhere between 1-2 hours before. The most fun, though, is when you and your friends go out to eat for Sehri, maybe at a 24-hour IHOP or Denny’s. Everyone is awake and enjoying themselves. It is a lot like a sense of community, knowing that people are fasting with you, and that they will for sure be awake at this time of night! During no other period of the year will you be able to call up your friends and tell them to meet you at a diner at 2am, which is what makes it so rare and worth enjoying. Pancakes, eggs, homemade fries, you name it! No food is off-limits or too filling for your soon-to-be empty stomach. Of course, nothing beats a home-cooked meal so if you can manage to get a few friends together and have a nice breakfast at home, that is just as enjoyable! It is all about spending time together, connecting, doing things that you know will be difficult to do once Ramadan is over.

Iftar outings

So for me it isn’t so much about getting to eat Iftar out at a restaurant as it is seeing the perplexed looks on the faces of the waiters (or waitresses) when you tell them that you have to have some sort of food there by exactly 8:23 pm or some other specific time (which is when Iftar is). It is definitely entertaining, but of course most places will be more than happy to accommodate you once you explain why you need the food at that time. Iftar outings with friends and family are always fun, again because it gives you a feeling of solidarity and comfort. You and your friends and family are maneuvering your schedules through Ramadan, but in terms of your Ramadan schedule you know that you’ll all be doing more or less the same thing. Spending more time with friends and family during this month is one of the many blessings of Ramadan!

Getting closer to your faith

Whether you are a religious Muslim or a non-practicing Muslim, Ramadan is a great time to get in touch with your religious teachings. Going to taraweeh, reading the Quran, being more regular with my prayers seemed super tedious to me when I was a kid, but as I got older I began to realize how important it was and I actually began to enjoy it, especially reading the Quran with translation. I get to understand its meaning on a deeper level and learn more things about my faith that I was previously unaware of. Of course, there is no wrong time to learn more about your faith, but since Ramadan is a particularly spiritual month and it is a time when most people get more in tune with it, it is a perfect time to start. And even if it doesn’t get you closer to it, it can definitely educate you more about it.

Teaching others about Ramadan

A good thing about being a minority faith in a country which is predominantly Christian is that it allows you to educate those who otherwise wouldn’t be aware of certain aspects of Islam. It gives us a chance to dispel stereotypes and widen the horizons of those around us. With all the negativity towards Islam right now, exposure to it is one of the best ways to dispel fear and ignorance. So don’t be irritated or annoyed when people inquire a lot about the different practices in Islam and Ramadan-- many times they are trying to understand what it is and how it relates to our faith. Because Ramadan is an extremely spiritual month, they are able to gain insight into other practices in Islam which they otherwise wouldn’t always see, such as fasting. It is a great opportunity to broaden people’s minds and raise awareness!

Getting to see more of friends and family

Like I said, Ramadan is a month where inevitably you will see a lot more of your friends and family, whether it is for sehri or iftar or whether you see them at the masjid for prayers, it really allows you to connect (and for some people, reconnect) with their community. You get to spend more time with one another and just be there for one another in general. As a person who is quite social, this is one of the best parts!

Of course, there are lots of other great things about Ramadan which haven’t been mentioned. Comment below and let me know what your favorite parts of this month are!