WHAT RAMADAN MEANS TO ME

Today at the sundown the month of Ramadan is started.

As Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar whose time reckoning is tied to the moon phases. Sighting of the new moon of Ramadan, indicates that the blessed month has begun. And Muslims started to pray Taraweeh on that night. A special prayer in the holy month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is more than refraining from eating and drinking throughout the day. It is about the purification of the heart and the mind. It is about recognizing the inner aspect of human being which is hardly being recognized when we are so caught up in dealing with our daily routine. Wake up in the morning, having breakfast, read some news, having meetings, coffee time, lunch meeting, sports, another meeting, tea time, dinner and go back to sleep. And before we know it, life feels like one big loop one's stuck in the same routine all over again.

Therefore it takes at least a whole months to break the routine. Because it wont be enough to disrupt something that already feels like it's part of your system on a two or three days or even two weeks alteration. That's why Muslim around the world stick to the one month life conditioning.

Now, what's change during Ramadan?

Aside from abstain ourself from drinking from dawn to dusk, we simply having breakfast way early and skip lunch. But that is not even the hardest part about Ramadan, who is known as the month of the Quran - because it was during this month the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

There are more to Ramadan aside from refraining from eating from drinking or doing intercourse from sunrise to sunset - basically the time when the sun is up which symbolized for when the Truth is coming, we mute everything including our bodily desires. As the Prophet said,

“Whoever does not leave evil words and deeds while fasting, Allah does not need him to leave food and drink.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1903). And this is the deeper significance behind this holy month, because the true purpose of fasting is to bring about the increase of taqwa which embodies the purely internal and contemplative attitude of heart rather than merely external ritual practice. That's why the Prophet said: "Taqwa is here, taqwa is here" as he pointed to his chest three times.

And what Ramadan means to me?

I used to hold a notion that Ramadan is so deeply connected with family togetherness and vibrant celebrations that is unique in every region. And i don't have all that. My current situation is different. No family festivity during Ramadan. Just me, myself and my rituals. And i learned to be okay with it.

I learned to see another dimension of welcoming Ramadan and still hold its joy and festivity in a more subtle way.

I learned to use fasting month as a tool for us to bring about a real internal change in myself. Hoping that as the Quran once revealed to the Prophet at 27 Ramadan, may the same Power of the spirit revealed something inside me as well this month.

As God taught me to let go something what i thought to be essential but then turn out to be just one of the accessories of life. I see the holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to take the journey toward inner self. Confronting the questions that i have spent my whole life looking for the answer, "who am I and why i am here?"[]