Holy holiday hat trick, Batman! The Lunar New Year was yesterday. Today marks the beginning of both Lent and Ramadan! Given the number of people who celebrate the Lunar New Year and the number of Muslims and Christians who could keep Ramadan and Lent, upwards of 6 billion people have a religious, or semi-religious, observation going on right now! That’s nearly three-quarters of the planet!
Does Lent carry special significance for you? Muslim Connect readers come from a variety of backgrounds and likely have a variety of involvement with Lent. If your forehead is ashed as you read this, good on you. May God meet you in a special way. Maybe you’re giving up something for Lent? I’m planning to stay off Facebook. That will be of some value. If I can take some portion of my “redeemed” Facebook time and use it to pray for Muslims during Ramadan, that would be of more value!
I wonder what Christians get from Lent. I also wonder what Muslims get from Ramadan. Maybe there is some overlap. Here’s my quick take on how Muslims benefit, or hope to, from dedicated practice of the fast.
- Obedience
God said to fast, so we’re going to do it. When I do it successfully, I honor God and I show myself that I’m an obedient follower. - Community
We do this thing together. We’re committed to each other, or at least we engage in this common-across-the-religion practice together. - Family
As you probably know, Ramadan is a season of increased family activity. It may be rigorous during the day, but it’s warm and wonderful when the sun goes down. - Forgiveness
“The word ‘Ramadan’ is derived from ramad, which refers to the intense burning heat of the sun. Thus, ‘Ramadan’ is the month in which the sins of the believer are burned by their righteous deeds.” It is a time of repentance and seeking forgiveness. - Show off Islam
This one is a hunch: I suspect there is sometimes a sense of pride in actually practicing a challenging part of the faith. Here’s how the convo plays in my head, “You’re giving up Facebook for Lent? Wow. For thirty days, while the sun is up, I will not eat, drink, smoke or get frisky with my spouse. Pretty much same same!”PS: Click here to download a one page weekly guide to praying for Muslims during Ramadan.