The Other Eleven Months
By Nadir Khan, PhD
Alta Loma, CA
Ramadan is a unique month with exceptional attributes. It is difficult to find something akin to it, in any other calendar, whether religious or secular.
The Muslims, as a community, have not let anyone modify or change it, despite the hardships involved The late Habib Bouraquiba, the Francophile president of Tunisia, had suggested years ago to stop fasting and donate the money collected to charities. A Pakistani retired army officer, who suddenly had become an Islamic scholar, wanted to freeze the Hijra calendar in such a way that Ramadan would only come during winter months to lessen the hardships on the believers. These suggestions died their own death without any attempt to kill them.
The Qur’an says that fasting was ordained on other people before us. And remnants of that requirements are seen in Judaism and Christianity. Twenty-four hour fasts and eating so much as not to exceed a particular amount are common in both these faiths. Ours is probably the only community which has held fast to the original doctrine. It is worth noting that most of the Muslim lands are located in warmer climate zones which make fasting truly demanding.
All religions basically attempt to modify human behavior and to take us to a higher level of awareness. Because self-awareness is a prerequisite to God conscientiousness. And fasting is one of several ways by which we become aware. Animal studies have shown that hunger makes an animal more aware of his or her surroundings. The same is true of us humans.
We as a community have been able to insulate Ramadan from the rest of our calendar. Undoubtedly, Ramadan is out of the ordinary..Everything changes during this blessed month. Our devotional prayers, our eating patterns, our sleeping schedules. our generosity, and in few cases our tempers, all undergo a dramatic modification.
What is truly remarkable is how quickly we revert to our old pattern of behavior and pretend as if Ramadan never happened. But why? Because Ramadan is different. This is not a normal pattern of behavior where people go without food and water from dawn to dusk. Can the Ramadan behavior be sustained for a longer period of time? Hardly. Even the Prophet did not do that and some of his companions tried fasting all year round and he dissuaded them. So what can be done to keep the spirit of Ramadan alive and well and still maintain a routine lifestyle and yet nourish our spiritual well being?
We can do simple things which are not that difficult and rewarding at the same time. And one of the fringe benefits is to make the arrival of next Ramadan easier.
To begin with, start fasting for the six days in Shawwal after Eid. Since we are used to fasting for a month, the six days are not that difficult. Some scholars have suggested that we do not have to fast for six continuous days, as long as we finish the six days of fasting during the month of Shawwal.
We can attempt to fast every Monday and Thursday as the Prophet did. Parenthetically speaking, we seem to adopt the easier part of the Sunnah much more readily than the more demanding ones. It is easier to grow a beard, or use a miswak, or put our right foot first when we enter the mosque. Even if we cannot fast twice a week, once a week would be better than waiting for the next Ramadan. The important part is not to get out of the habit of fasting.
We can fast on other sacred days of our calendar like Ashura, Lailatul Qadr, Nisf Shaban and other important days
Another suggestion is to organize a support group of family members and friends who would fast with you during those eleven months .What makes easier for most of us is that it becomes a communal endeavor. If we can create such small groups (I do not want to use the word “cell” because of its nefarious connotation) and support each other by breaking the fast together, it would be fantastic. Some rudimentary efforts are being made in my own neighborhood.
The purpose of all these suggestions is to keep us in a “FASTING MODE” all year round and derive spiritual benefits at the same time.
The purpose of fasting through out the year is not to lose our focus on our spiritual growth and development. No one has said trying to be a better person is an easy task. As this essay was being written an interesting report appeared in the well-known scientific journal Science. It is a short report that claims that in an animal model, it has been shown that fasting reduces the side effects of chemotherapy - effects that are literally draining both physically and psychologically.
“Fast and flourish” is a short, crisp and extremely profound saying attributed to the Prophet(PBUH). It says it all. The flourishing of the inner self by any means is such a rewarding experience.
The benefits of fasting outweigh all the hardships which come along with it. Our daily lives are mostly mundane, routine, and sometimes chaotic Fasting brings some sense of control and discipline to our otherwise mundane, routine, and chaotic lives. It reassures us that we are not as helpless and deprived as we feel sometimes. We can try to make the other eleven months as rewarding and beneficial as Ramadan.
It makes us better people, it increases our sensitivities, sharpens our reflections and ponderings, makes us aware of who we are and energizes us to face the future with more confidence. It reaffirms our sense of discipline which we feel so uncertain about most of the time.
