Guest blogger Moustafa Moustafa, a junior in the Honors College at the University of Michigan studying Islamic Spain, talks about service to others during Ramadan.  Moustafa is currently a fellow at  the Interfaith Youth Core. Originally from Egypt  he has lived in the United States since the age of eight. After college, Moustafa plans to go to medical school.  

Islam commands Muslims to live the very best life they are capable of leading—to constantly strive to attain beautiful manners and character, to uphold the prayer, to enjoin in what is good and forbid what is evil, to struggle—perform jihad ul nafs—against the self and elementary desires. Yet for many, to live a life of such constant struggle—a life of perfection is very difficult, if not impossible. Ramadan offers a window, a finite space in time during which the Muslim can strive a little extra towards a life of righteousness. A life which is not only filled with prostration, but time spent in service to others. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The best among you is the most beneficial to mankind.” Fasting trains both the body and the self to be patient, to persevere humbly and quietly through hunger and want, allowing one to focus more on doing good in this world. What I find is that Ramadan leaves me changed. Just as the hand that is subject to constant friction becomes rough and calloused, so I find my self, after Ramadan, toughened against temptations and strengthened with patience. It is a holy time, chosen from the other months of a year like certain men were chosen from among others to become prophets or like certain land was chosen from the rest of the earth to be deemed holy.

Ramadan offers me a time to live my Islam as much as possible. It is reported that the companions of the Prophet sometimes used to take years to memorize chapters in the Quran that can be memorized in a matter of weeks. This was so because they not only memorized, but implemented in their lives every verse they learned before moving on to the next. I often find that there is so much confusion regarding religion and worship. There is often the idea that being religious means only praying a lot or that fasting embodies only the abstention from food and drink and temptation. Yes, that is certainly part of the Muslim definition of worship, but there is so much more. There is a verse in the Quran that speaks of righteousness:

Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who believe in God, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets; and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the traveling person, the beggars, and to free the slaves; and they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat); and they keep their word whenever they make a promise; and they steadfastly persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful; these are the righteous. (Quran, 2:177)

Ramadan is about fasting, prayer, and worship, yes, but a heightened religiosity also means Muslims are more active in service to others during this month, spending time and money on the poor, the sick and the orphaned. The Quran describes these people as righteous, saying, “And they give food, in spite of their love for it, to the Miskin (the poor), the orphan, and the captive (saying): “We feed you seeking God’s Face only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you.” (76:8, 9)

My memories of Ramadan are filled with recollections of brotherhood and sisterhood and laughter over fancy feasts, made all the more memorable by delicious aromas of Desi spices and happy sights of mounds of rice and lamb and desserts of every color. I recall the mosques being packed with rows of people standing in prayer throughout the night, enjoying the fatigue and pain incurred because it is for the sake of God alone. But above all I remember the generosity of Muslims during this holy month. Every night, trays upon trays of food are donated to the needy. Indeed, people compete over who can feed the most people during this month, driven by a belief that he is best who is most beneficial to mankind. There is a story in our tradition in which a man asks the prophet Moses to pray to God to give this man all of his wealth at once. Prophet Moses is at first hesitant, wondering why one would want his lifetime’s wealth all at once. However, after insistence by the man he agrees and makes the prayer. He returns many years later and asks the whereabouts of this man to which people reply that he lives in a mansion on the outskirts of town. When he had gotten his wealth, he used the money to feed and house orphans, and continued to do so with any additional wealth with which he was blessed. Confused, Moses (peace be upon him) communicated with God and asked him how this man continues to have wealth, to which God gave a most profound answer. He asked, “Do you think I will allow my servant to be more generous than I?”