Moussa Elbayoumy, community outreach coordinator, Islamic Center of Lawrence, 1917 Naismith Drive:

For Muslims worldwide, the Holy Month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, is the spiritual highlight of the entire year. It is a time for the revival and renewal of faith, reflection on the past year, looking forward to the coming year, and coming together as a community in prayer and celebration.

Muslims believe that it was during Ramadan, more than 1,400 years ago, that God began revealing the Muslim holy book, the Quran, to the prophet Mohammed.

Fasting of Ramadan is both an obligation and a great form of worship; as one of the “Five Pillars” of Islam (along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca). During the month of Ramadan, fasting takes place between dawn and sunset.

Fasting, a form of worship found in most religions, signifies the full moral commitment to one’s faith, an effort to achieve piety, and feeling and sharing the suffering of the needy and hungry, culminating in fulfilling the obligation to provide food and sustenance to the less fortunate before the end of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, Muslims concentrate on their faith, worry less about worldly concerns and withdraw from physical pleasures (totally abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations during the fasting daytime). The fasting is intended to teach discipline, control of desires, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God’s commandments.

To an outsider, Ramadan might seem to be a time of rigor, hardship and discomfort, but to a Muslim it is a month of joy that Muslims look forward to with anticipation from year to year to observe the fasting of Ramadan, celebrate God’s gift of providing them the opportunity to repent from past sins, fulfill their duties to God and others, and to rejoice in the joy and achievement that comes with that fulfillment.

— Send email to Moussa Elbayoumy at community@islamicsocietylawrence.org.

Nader Hakim, Muslim Students Association at Kansas University:

During Ramadan, from dawn until sunset each day, Muslims abstain from acting on any of the basic human drives to eat, drink, and engage in sexual intimacy. This act of worship most immediately bears to mind the hardship of the vast number of impoverished people around the world who, not of their own choosing, eat very little. This month is about remembering the gift of sustenance from our Creator, and praying in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in humanity who don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Ramadan is sacred because it is the month in which Muslims believe God first revealed His Word to the Prophet Muhammad. God States: “Oh believers, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become God-conscious.” In addition to a sense of solidarity with the needy around us, this month affirms our connection to the other major faith traditions-“for those before you”-in which fasting is a fundamental act of worship. The greatest significance of fasting this month is to become more conscious of God. Anyone who has fasted for 16 hours can attest to the heightened awareness we experience throughout the day; it’s hard to slip into autopilot when your body–growling and tired with its utter emptiness of worldly sustenance–frequently reminds you of your decision to worship.

In a divinely inspired statement of the Prophet, God says, “Fasting is for Me.” Fasting is a form of worship in which abstaining constitutes the act. Other forms of worship like praying or acts of kindness are often public and thus susceptible to ostentation. By taking on the challenge of denying our human drives for some hours, we affirm our reliance on and worship of God, and God alone.

— Send email to Nader Hakim at nhakim20@gmail.com