{"id":95,"date":"2011-08-09T12:11:09","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T16:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=95"},"modified":"2011-08-09T12:11:09","modified_gmt":"2011-08-09T16:11:09","slug":"ramadan-realities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/ramadan-realities\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramadan Realities"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful<\/em><\/p>\n

This was my guest post on the Beliefnet blog, City of Brass<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

As Ramadan approached, I had no small amount of dread<\/a>. Fasting, of all the ritual practices of Islam, is the most difficult for me to do. I am not happy to admit this, but this is one of my (many) human weaknesses. Add to that the long, hot days of summer, and you get dread on my face and in my soul. In fact, I addressed this fear in a poetic letter to my soul<\/a> just before the month began.<\/p>\n

Now, Ramadan is here in full force, and I will just have to suck it up and fast. It is strongly recommended to eat a pre-dawn meal\/snack called suhoor, and it is for good reason, too, especially in the long days of summer. But, I usually do not do so: I don\u2019t feel well afterwards, and it makes the entire rest of the day even more difficult. I remember once during Residency, I ate gyros for suhoor, and I regretted it SO much. I had horrific heartburn the entire first half of the day, and I could not take anything to make it better. Never again, I said to myself. Mostly, my suhoor is a large heaping of water to help keep me as hydrated as possible for the coming day of fasting.<\/p>\n

Yet, no matter how much water I will drink before the time to stop eating and drinking, it is inevitable that I will get thirsty as the day wears on. So, I change some of my routine: I stop working out in the morning throughout Ramadan. I could \u2013 theoretically \u2013 get up at 3 AM and hit the elliptical\u2026but that is madness. I need sleep more than I need exercise, especially during Ramadan, when I stay up a little later to pray special prayers. So, no exercise for me. Last year, when I was training for the Chicago Marathon, I also skipped my Ramadan runs. And, I was still able to finish the race with a time of 5:37, thanks be to God.<\/p>\n

Also, I frequently have \u201cRamadan stashes\u201d in my lab coat pocket for after sunset: it might be a small pack of M&Ms, or \u2013 like yesterday \u2013 a piece of Ghirardelli\u2019s chocolate, or a small chocolate bar. The Prophet (pbuh) used to break his fast with dates, and I definitely do that as well. Yet, I take it to the next level: I make a date\/milk delight: I soak dates in an ice cold cup of milk for several hours before sunset. Many times, I will also add some walnuts. It is AWESOME. Things such as these makes sunset something to which I look forward, and it makes breaking my fast all the sweeter, both literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n

One good thing about fasting during the summer is that there is a lot of time for spiritual reflection and recitation\/reading of the Qur\u2019an. And that is the whole point of the fast of Ramadan: to take away food and drink for just enough so that you can think \u201cupward,\u201d and reflect over the enormous blessing of having food and drink every single day and not even thinking about it. Thus, I should be motivated to help the poor and hungry who \u2013 many times \u2013 do not have even one square meal a day. And suprisingly, many said people are right here in the United States.<\/p>\n

And, Lord, are there blessings in Ramadan. Everything seems to go much more smoothly during Ramadan. In fact, many of the most important things in my life have happened during Ramadan. My medical school interview was during Ramadan: I was accepted three months later. I had a very important high school track meet during Ramadan also. My coach told me that, in order for our team to win first place, I had to throw the shot put 42 feet at least: my distance was 42 feet and six inches. Just yesterday, coming home from vacation, the airport security experience was the easiest ever. Yes, I have to not have my coffee in the morning, but there are so many good things that come with the month of fasting.<\/p>\n

All in all, Ramadan is a very good thing, but it is not without hardship and dread on my part. All I can do is fast to the best of my ability, try to clean up some of the bad habits I have learned throughout the year, polish my spirituality and improve my ritual practice, and pray that the Precious Beloved Lord accepts my efforts. Knowing how Beautiful He is, I am confident He will do just that.<\/p>\n

Read more: http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/cityofbrass\/2011\/08\/ramadan-realities.html#ixzz1UY3P8qHX<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful This was my guest post on the Beliefnet blog, City of Brass. As Ramadan approached, I had no small amount of dread. Fasting, of all the ritual practices of Islam, is the most difficult for me to do. 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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. 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