Three Ways to be Intentional During Ramadan
It’s here! The day the moon and the tide declared it’s time to start.
Ramadan 2024. Til (forecasted by moon sightings) April 10th.
Thirty days of all Muslims fasting from sunup to sundown. No food. No water. No sex. No smoking. No swearing. AND…More praying. More reading. More giving. More openness to spiritual things.
Why not join Muslims in their spiritual quest, in our own way?
I’ve got three ideas for us to be more INTENTIONAL during Ramadan on behalf of—and with—Muslims.
The short version: 1. Pray. 2. Fast. 3. Party.
First, if THEY can pray for a whole month, every day, five times a day—
we could certainly pray once a day, for a whole month!
What if ALL of us prayed for the Muslim world EVERY DAY for THIRTY DAYS?
Those golden bowls with incense that are the prayers of God’s people (Revelations 5:8) will waft up to the throne of God and create smoke that fills the temple in the heavenly places (Isaiah 6:4-7).
Practically, this looks like ordering the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World booklet (you can order the Adult Version in both print or a downloadable .pdf—but personally, I use the Kids Version!).
Keep it on your kitchen counter, and every night after dinner, read one page, talk about it a little, and pray. 15 minutes. Done! (If you’re a family with younger kids, you could also do the Activity in the Kids Version).
AND/OR…you could choose a themed 30-day series from Frontiers USA and get a story in your inbox everyday so you can pray creatively and personally for Muslims during Ramadan. My favorite is Searching for a Father where you’ll follow a fictional (but oh, so real) family as they experience Ramadan. It’s written by a former field worker and it’s so vivid and interesting.
Or Treasures of the Muslim World is different too. Each day, you’ll wake up to a story that uncovers ancient traditions and cultural objects that are central to Muslims’ everyday lives—from artisanal foods and essential housewares to games and architecture. So fun!
Here’s a second way to be more intentional during Ramadan:
If they can fast for a whole month—we could surely fast for a day!
What if we all fasted for ONE DAY just like Muslims?
We’ll taste the discomfort, the surrender, the giving up of ourselves for a greater purpose—and identify with our Muslim friends. You know, walk in their shoes for a day.
Practically, this looks like waking up early before dawn, making a BIG breakfast, chugging a lot of water, and doing your prayers before the sun comes up.
You’ll go without food and water the entire day (and set aside three more focused times to pray).
You’ll spend the hour before sunset, salivating in the kitchen making a big meal for everyone in your household as you eagerly watch the sun go down, and then eat together joyfully, with one more prayer time before bed. Or, if you don’t feel like cooking and you want to try one of my ideas in the Ten Ways to Make Ten Friends Guide, go to a Muslim restaurant with your family or friends and celebrate a real break-the-fast meal served to you.
I’m going to do it.
And I’m going to tell my Muslim friends that I’m doing it.
Which leads me to the third way to be intentional about Ramadan.
If my Muslim friends are partying every night, eating delicious food, and staying up till midnight laughing and enjoying each other—why not join them?
What if we all tried to get invited to ONE IFTAR* MEAL in a Muslim friends home during Ramadan?
(Iftar is the special break-the-fast meal the comes with sundown, celebrated all over the Muslim world, every night for a month in millions of homes).
Practically, this looks like asking your Muslims friends if you can come over for dinner.
I think number two (fasting for a day) and getting invited to an Iftar meal, go together. Because it’s kind of lame to go to a party where everyone is SO glad to finally eat, giddy with happiness to be together and relieve their suffering—when you haven’t felt the pain along with them that day.
How do you get invited to someone’s home for dinner? You can say something like, “I’m going to try fasting the way that you do, for a whole day during Ramadan.” (Be ready for big smiles and pleasant surprise).
“That’s so good! But why?” They will likely ask, with some raised eyebrows and sincere wondering.
“Well, I’m fully submitted to God, like you. I want to pray more, like you. And I also just want to see what it’s like in a small way, to be part of your traditions and culture.”
Then you can directly ask if you can come to an Iftar meal in their home, saying something like, “Do you think I could come to an Iftar meal in your home on the day that I fast? I can choose any day, so you just let me know when a good day is to come! I’m happy to bring food too.”
I can assure you, since hospitality is such a high value in Muslim cultures, they will feel so honored that you asked and want to come to their home.
I wonder how our friendships will deepen, how many spiritual conversations we could start, and how much wider our love for our friends will grow, if we did this.
Two years ago, my Afghan international students / refugees invited me over for an Iftar meal. As we waited for the sun to disappear, we chatted about the day, how they missed their families, how they had spend hours cooking for me, knowing they had someone to celebrate with that night.
They prayed in front of me, murmuring their beautiful prayer with deep respect and reverence to God. After dinner, they let me pray for them too, and we opened the Injil (Bible) in Persion. Today’s Persian Version is a great, contextual version to give Afghans who are Shia to read the creation story in Genesis.
Last year in 2023, I invited my Afghan friends over for an Iftar picnic by our pond in our neighborhood. I laid out a beautiful spread of Iftar dates, nuts, fruit, juice and sweets on a big red blanket on a grassy area under a few twinkly lights. They brought yummy Persian food too, and I served a crockpot recipe for a traditional Afghan stew I found on the internet (after a trip to the ethnic grocery store for hallal (clean) meat).
I told them I fasted with them all day, praying for them, and they couldn’t believe it! We laughed and talked and they loved it so much. So did I. This year, they invited me over again, so I’ll tell you about it later!
There you have it. Three ways to be more intentional during Ramadan. 1. Pray every day for thirty days 2. Fast for one day and 3. Get invited to a meal in a Muslim’s home.
May God show himself personally to Muslims all around the world as they fervently seek his presence with such perseverance and commitment. May God reveal Jesus as the way to God, and give them his Spirit as a deposit for a future eternal inheritance.
Let me know if you’re going to do any of these three ideas to be more intentional during Ramadan, and may you have courage!
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