![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/257\/2017\/06\/066efef2-d1b0-4543-9426-55865cb6e58a-7783-00000f970848674c.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWe are in the final week of Ramadan, and I won’t lie: it’s been hard. The days have been long, the nights have been short, and the weather has been hot.<\/p>\n
For me, it’s not the hunger or thirst (yes, I can’t even have water). Rather, it’s the sleep deprivation.<\/p>\n
By the time I’m done eating and enjoying being able to eat again, it’s 10 pm. Then I still must do some night vigil prayers before going to bed for work. So, naturally, I’m getting less sleep. During “regular” days, I drink coffee to make up for it. Can’t do that now. And so, I am frequently dragging, especially in the mid to late afternoon when there is still a good 3-4 hours left before sunset.<\/p>\n
Yup, it’s been hard.<\/p>\n
But, you know what? That very moment when I break my fast; the very moment I put that date or piece of candy or drink that glass of milk, the feeling is amazing. Not just because I can now eat and drink again. But because of the sense of accomplishment: I did it. I fasted 17 hours today and made it safe and sound.<\/p>\n
Now, of course, those who are sick or physically unable to fast are exempt. But for those of us blessed with the physical ability to fast and choose to do so, the sense of happiness at the end of the fast is truly indescribable. It is as the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was reported to have said:<\/p>\n
“The fasting person has two occasions of joy: one when we breaks his fast, and the other when he meets his Lord.”<\/h3>\n
During Friday prayers two weeks ago, I heard an amazing thing about the fast: it’s a marathon, and it is incumbent upon us to finish the race. I can relate to that because I ran the 2010 Chicago Marathon in honor of my late daughter. At the end of the race, I was exhausted: my legs were killing me; I couldn’t sit down from the pain; my feet were on fire. But, it was one of the happiest moments of my entire life.<\/p>\n
The same is with the fast: throughout the day, I am tired, fatigued, and many times, cranky. But, when it’s all over, and I can eat again, it is an amazing feeling. The Qur’an talks about this:<\/p>\n
“…He [God] desires<\/em> that you complete the number of days required<\/em> and that you extol God for His having guided you aright and that you render your thanks unto Him<\/em>.” (2:185)<\/h3>\nWhen it’s all said and done this coming Sunday, there is such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and happiness – not just that the fast is over, but that I was blessed to be able to complete another year of fasting for the sake of the Lord. And then, I look up to the sky in eternal gratitude for this blessing.<\/p>\n
So, yup, it’s been hard, there is no doubt about that. But – in the end – I believe it is totally worth the pain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The fast of Ramadan in the summer has been hard – very hard. But the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude makes it totally worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[146,845,846,6,730,148],"class_list":["post-1413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ramadan","tag-fasting","tag-hard","tag-long","tag-quran","tag-ramadan","tag-summer"],"yoast_head":"\n
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But, in the end, it is totally worth the pain.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/ramadan-summer-2017\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Word, Common Lord\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-18T17:59:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-06-18T18:02:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/files\/2017\/06\/066efef2-d1b0-4543-9426-55865cb6e58a-7783-00000f970848674c.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hesham A. 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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. In 2007, his blog \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is \u201cthe most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.\u201d \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" has also received an award for being one of the \"Top Muslim Blogs for 2010\" by Awarding The Web. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. 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