Saturday marks the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Muslims all over the world will fast from food, drink, cigarettes and sex from sunrise to sunset for 30 days.
From Wikipedia:
Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramaḍān is a time to fast for the sake of Allah, and to offer more prayer than usual. Muslims also believed through good actions, they get rewarded seventy times as much as they normally can achieve. During Ramaḍān, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
Ramadan is a special month in which families and friends gather each night to break the fast together. I remember our first Ramadan in the Middle East surprised us by how festive it was. I also remember it was a lonely time. We thought the most difficult time to be living overseas would be Thanksgiving and Christmas because we would miss our families so much. We certainly did miss them then, but found that we actually missed them more during Ramadan! Seeing how busy all of our friends were with their families was a stark reminder that we were so far away from ours.
That is why it was so special when we were invited to break the fast with friends and their families. I imagine that this is also true for Muslims living outside of their countries during holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter (and of course during Ramadan). A couple years ago we had one of our most enjoyable Thanksgiving dinners with family in Iowa. We had invited our friend from Jordan to come to Iowa with us. It was a pleasure sharing this holiday with him. While I’m sure he would have loved to have spent a couple days with his family, I know that he was glad to spend a couple days with our family.
So I’d like to challenge each of us. Muslim friends, would you consider inviting non Muslims to break the fast with you some night during Ramadan? This is a great way to help others grow in their understanding of who you are and why you fast. And Christian friends, would you be willing to invite a Muslim neighbor, classmate, coworker, friend to share Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter dinner* with you and your family? This is a great way to help them grow in their understanding of why these are important days to you.
*When hosting Muslims it is essential that we not serve pork or alcohol since both are forbidden in Islam.
Thank you for the reminder about pork and alcohol. I like this idea. I confess, however, that I don’t know where to meet Muslims. I’m doing well enough to meet people of other Christian traditions. How would I go about meeting a Muslim? Are there social groups? What do you recommend?
You might have come across this site before- http://www.30-days.net/. Just sharing it here for the Christians who are willing to understand and pray for their Muslim friends.
I was invited two years ago to break the fast at Ramadan with several Muslim friends, initially accepted and then a few days later respectfully withdrew. My personal concern was (is) the apparent application of 1 Cor 10:14-22. I am not talking about simply eating a meal with someone of another faith, but specifically partaking with them in something which is (from my perspective) somewhat ceremonial or sacred. I’d really appreciate some insight on this from anyone willing to offer.
Ben,
Thanks for your honesty and your desire to be faithful to obey all that God has commanded us through his Word. The first thing that comes to mind as I think about the text you mention is that Paul is specifically talking about food sacrificed to idols and even then he says in chapter 8 and the rest of chapter 10 that food offered to idols is nothing because idols are nothing and food does not commend us to God. His bottom line reason for abstaining is not that it was offered to idols, but whether it will offend the conscience of anyone who is present.
When Muslims break the fast each day they are not sacrificing or making offerings to idols. They are breaking a fast (i.e. eating after abstaining from food and drink all day). Certainly there is a religious component because it is their religion that moves them to fast in the first place. But I don’t think this is the situation Paul has in mind in 1 Corinthians 10.
I feel very free to break the fast with Muslim friends and we have gladly prepared the meal and invited Muslim friends to our house to break the fast with us. However, the Bible also make it clear that anything not done in faith is sin (see Romans 14:23), so if you can’t break the fast with a Muslim friend with a clear conscience then you should respectfully decline.
Dustin,
I live in an African Muslim country, and Ramadan is a very hard time for us. It is not a festive time here, as people are grumpy, hot, and basically in a bad mood. Most people sleep all day.
I would love to know what you guys did during Ramadan when you lived in the Middle East. Did you fast? If so, why? If not, what was your answer when people asked if you were fasting? People often assume we are Catholic, and we just have a different month that we fast (lent).
I would love any advice or insight. Thanks for you blog!
Cara,
I understand why Ramadan is hard for you. We experienced these difficulties as well. Ramadan is very festive in the beginning, but it does get difficult for people to fast for a full 30 days and I have also seen short tempers.
I have fasted during Ramadan (my wife hasn’t). However, there have been times when I haven’t fasted. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I don’t fast in order to atone for my sins. I fast in order to worship God and to emphasize the desires of my heart through prayer with fasting. I am always glad when Muslims ask me whether I fast because whether I am or not it gives me an opportunity to speak with them about why we fast and to learn from them about why they fast. Anytime we fast for the sake of God (whether it is during Ramadan or not) it honors him. Jesus expected his people to fast. When we fast during Ramadan it also honors our Muslim friends.