Ramadan

[2:183] O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.

Fasting is decreed to help us attain salvation.  Thank You, God, for this wonderful gift You provided to us. God usually inspires me during Ramadan to do a self-evaluation through reading the Quran, meditation, and reflecting.  This self-evaluation helps me recognize what I need to work on to be righteous in an attempt to attain salvation. 

First, my physical body’s schedule, routine, and maintenance become disrupted. I go from an active day with a long uninterrupted sleep, rejuvenating my body to perform tasks the next day, to an active day with two spurts of about half the sleep, affecting my ability and how I perform tasks the next day. And there are actually some days during Ramadan with no sleep at all.

The first thing I always do when dealing with any of my struggles is implore God to help me.  There is not too much I can do about being a little more sluggish and tired than usual, but one tactic I try is putting water on myself. 

When my eyes are telling me close down and rest, I go to the bathroom and throw water on my face and head.  This seems to work at least for a half hour or so.  Then of course there is also the power nap.  I put my head down, close my eyes, and rest.  But since I don’t think it’s a good idea to get caught sleeping on the job, it’s hard to get a power nap there.  Essentially, somehow, someway God provides me with just the right amount of energy and strength to get me through the day. I feel like my self-evaluation lesson here is to keep a more constant remembrance that this physical world is only a temporary illusion.

[57:20] Know that this worldly life is no more than play and games, and boasting among you, and hoarding of money and children. It is like abundant rain that produces plants and pleases the disbelievers. But then the plants turn into useless hay, and are blown away by the wind. In the Hereafter there is either severe retribution, or forgiveness from GOD and approval. This worldly life is no more than a temporary illusion.

Anytime you challenge yourself to go through something, you create a ripple effect,

that impacts your entire body, mind, heart, and soul. If you use your mind to meditate on God, your body becomes relaxed, your heart is in a peaceful state, and your soul is growing.

Putting my physical body through the assignment of fasting definitely affects my heart with a more profound belief in God and the Hereafter, my soul with growth, and my mind to see things that I don’t see as well when I’m not fasting.  Not only does the physical body struggle during fasting, my state of mind seems to get tested just as much.  I seem to find my patience more quickly removes itself during Ramadan.  Here is an example of how a conversation could end up with one of my children.

Me: (Going into the kid’s room, softly asking) Hey buddy, would you mind helping me clean the kitchen so I can prepare dinner.

Kid: (Playing video games, answering) Yeah sure.

I go to the kitchen and wait. 30 seconds later no one has entered the kitchen yet.

Me: (Going back into the kid’s room,

Cont'd on page 2