The paragraphs below are taken from the interesting essay RAMADAN: LESSONS FOR THE LEFT by Imaan Javeed on the religioussococialism.org blog. Please read the entire essay here.
At the core of fasting, like many religious and social activities, is the development of empathy. With every gnaw at their stomach, smack of their parched lips, and stifled yawn from lack of sleep as the worshiper moves throughout their day, they are reminded of the hardships to which those less fortunate have become accustomed. While images of our brothers and sisters crushed under the weight of imperialism in the Global South are first to come to mind, in the era of COVID-19 it is worthwhile also to consider people right here at home, such as the single mother working overtime at her “essential” job, who rations her meals to make ends meet.
Furthermore, like many who suffer, the fasting Muslim is also encouraged not to complain, cut back on their activities, or even give the appearance that they are fasting – a concept that also exists in the Christian etiquette of fasting (see: Matthew 6:18). Doing so emphasizes the purely internally motivated, non-performative nature of the act. This should resonate with any organizer who understands the value of genuinely motivated volunteers over those who are “all talk and no action.” In Ramadan, sincerity is paramount, and no one can judge or reward sincerity but God, as narrated by the Prophet (ﷺ): “Allah said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward for it’” (Bukhari, Muslim). The weight of the divine reward a Muslim gets for fasting is rooted not in their physical but rather their mental and spiritual state, just as fulfillment in the material world is best achieved when one’s actions align with one’s worldly goals and intentions.
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