Ramadhan is a month of the ninth month of the lunar calendar (the one Muslims follow) where Muslims all over the world give up their basic needs — usually counted as food, drink and sexual needs, everyday, from before sunrise to sunset, (approx. 13.5 hours in Sri Lanka), for the entire month.
Reasons we do this include, but are not limited to, respect for the commands set down by our creator and showing the fact that we would be willing to give up even our basic needs for Him being the core factors, and the happiness that comes at the end of the fast, the sense of achievement, being able to identify and feel how the poor and hungry feel everyday of their lives and reform our ways to be more charitable, and health benefits as other factors.
This command is binding upon every Muslim, except for a specified list of people that include the traveler, sick and elderly.
We believe that this is a blessed month, where Satan is locked away, the rewards given for any good we do is multiplied, and therefore, do all the good we can.
This month is anticipated by, and brings joy to millions of Muslims worldwide. This feeling is difficult to explain.
Even the Muslims most furthest away from the rules of Islam obey this commandment and fast during this month. It is the biggest annual global practice that has happened for centuries, and will keep happening.
At the end of this month, the first day of the next month, a day of celebration is held, where it is a command to be happy and celebrate, and fasting on this day is prohibited (haram). This marks the end of Ramadhan.
So in case you weren’t aware, that up above is the basics of this practice we Muslims do, called fasting. So let’s assume you’re a skeptic. You’re an atheist. You go around wondering why the fact that people starve themselves would make sense. You think that these people with a religion are estupide. It’s all confusing to you. You think we’re insane.
But think about this: this practice has officially been happening for almost one and a half millennia, (I’m not doing the math for precision of dates, but I know for a fact that it’s more than 1430 years) carried out by hundreds, then thousands, then ten thousands, and very soon, millions of people worldwide.
So why would such a practice prevail for such a long time, without receiving criticism or people abandoning the practice or feeling negative about it? One and a half millennia is a very long time.
Because something in there makes sense. Because something in there delights us. Something in our gut tells us that this command from The Big Guy is just healthy for us, and a good way to bring our unruly lives back to order — by giving more charity, bringing back empathy for the starving, waking up at dawn, eating less, being in control of ourselves.
So suck it up, skeptic, there’s your answer. People would have made this practice extinct, or socially rejected it, if it was insane. It’s a practice that survived millennia.
That’s logical. Keep thinking about it.
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