But as the holy month officially started Friday evening — it lasts until May 1 — fasting is seen as an act of worship.
“We want to enjoy Ramadan, but we want to understand that it is a worship that we are performing to please God,” said Mustafa Islam, imam of Masjid An-Nur mosque in Springfield. “It’s a time to reflect, and we should enjoy each other’s company in that type of environment and that type of atmosphere.”
This year is also special for many, as the coronavirus pandemic previously interfered with family and community gatherings or impacted events usually held during the month.
The period of fasting begins today and constitutes about 30 days of abstaining from eating and drinking from sun up to sundown.
Leading up to the fast, several local Muslims shared what Ramadan means to them, and their motivations as they fast during the holiest month of the Muslim calendar.
“It’s a direct order in the Quran (the holy text of Islam) to fast, and fast is basically boot camp for me every year. I replenish my soul during this month by fasting, by praying. ...,” said Akber Mohammed, a past president for the Miami Valley Islamic Association, which runs the Masjid Al-Madina in Springfield.
Mohammed has fasted every year since he was 10-years-old.
For many, the fast serves as a reminder of what it feels like to be hungry and thirsty. It generates compassion for the needy and impoverished around the world. Fasting is obligatory for those who have reached puberty, but there are exemptions, such as for the old, the sick, pregnant women, travelers, or anyone who is simply not able to participate at the time.
“If a person is unable to fast, they can feed a hungry person for each day of the fast,” Islam said, whose mosque runs a food pantry. “(It allows you) to establish a discipline all over again so that you can be ready to face another year.”
In addition, fasting is a period of purging bad thoughts and refraining from disputes or conflict.
Islam has observed Ramadan and has fasted every year since he become a practicing Muslim in 1975. Since then, the holy month has served as a period of restraint and reinvention.
Ramadan — the date changes every year since Islam follows a lunar calendar ― is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and according to Muslims, when the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation from God.
“It’s one of my favorite months of the whole Islamic calendar because I feel that everyone gets spiritually very connected to God,” said Samina Ahmed, who attends Masjid Al-Madina. “The reward is so much more in this month for everything good that you do. I really look forward to it,”
The congregation at that mosque often gather there on the weekends to break the fast together and participate in an extra prayer at night. It is also a time of charity, as members participate in giving back to the community as well as inviting non-Muslims to learn more about the holiday and the religion.
“So we’re supposed to, as Muslims, help in our local community to see if anybody is in need,” Ahmed said.
She’s observed Ramadan annually for most of her life, so has her children and now her grandchildren.
Fasting is not limited to eating or drinking. Chewing gum,smoking and lewd thoughts are also prohibited.
Ramadan is alsoa time when people can work on letting go of bad habits and exercising self discipline, Ahmed said.
“Pretty much it is a time to reflect on yourself and what you have done throughout the year, what you need to improve on and how you can leave some of your bad habits,” she said.
Though Ramadan can be seen as a community event and fasting as a group activity, it is a deeply personal effort.
“You don’t know if anybody else is fasting for sure. The only person you know whether or not they are fasting for sure is yourself,” said Islam.
Ahmed agreed.
“You are doing it solely to please God and to get the reward from him. That’s a very special feeling and spiritually very connecting,” she said.
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