I wanted to go back to one of the points I made in my first Ramadan post, namely that how we carry ourselves during Ramadan is in itself a form of dawah. Telling people about Islam isn’t just street preaching and teaching at the masjid; it is also the image of Islam we project to the world. That doesn’t mean we do Ramadan for other people – we do Ramadan to please God (at least, in theory) – but if we are miserable, niccing out and irritable, people are going to think that Ramadan is no fun. You never know who in your entourage is Muslim-curious; I just found out a dear friend of mine is thinking of converting, when I hadn’t been “asked about Islam” by this person in the past. But regardless of whether the people around you have any interest in becoming Muslim themselves, your behavior as a Muslim has an impact on what they think of Islam and how it is practiced. You owe it to yourself and the community to present your choice of religion in the best possible light.  This is more effective dawah than being a judgy fake nasihah (advice) giver who thinks s/he is “enjoining the good.”

For Ramadan, I try do this in a number of ways.  The best way is to be matter-of-fact. Yes, Ramadan is a test on your system, but it isn’t something that normal people under normal circumstances can’t handle, so there is no reason to fear the fast. From the incredulous who can’t believe we can’t even have water, to the non-Muslim Ramadan police (the ones at work who ask “I thought you couldn’t eat during the day until August 20th at sundown”), you will always have people watching what you eat and what you do this month. I try not to “celebrate” having my period this month, and if for whatever reason I have to break my fast, I explain why certain people aren’t forced to fast. But speaking of “normal circumstances,” the fasts are quite long this year and some people have had trouble tweaking their schedules, some otherwise healthy people can’t fast at all, and it is what it is, who are we to judge etc. etc. I’ve actually had a lot of questions about that privately – people asking why some of their Muslim friends are eating. I find it helpful to spell out that fasting is an act of worship between you and God, and that Islam isn’t a monolith: some Muslims fast, and some Muslims don’t fast, and often for reasons only known to them. Also, food is the great unifier, and when Eid comes, you better bring that baklava and cornes de gazelle to work. [Read more...]