Today starts the Holy month of Ramadan for Muslims around the world and many people may think it is simply a time for fasting - however, it is much more than that. It is a time for reflection, charity, prayer, spiritual growth, and patience.
President Obama offered his Ramadan greetings last night and said this:
For so many Muslims around the world, Ramadan is also a time of deep reflection and sacrifice. As in other faiths, fasting is used to increase spirituality, discipline, and consciousness of God’s mercy. It is also a reminder of the importance of reaching out to those less fortunate. The heartbreaking accounts of lost lives and the images of families and children in Somalia and the Horn of Africa struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and compel us to act.
Whether Muslim or not, use this month (and every month) to, as President Obama stated last night, do unto others as we would have done unto us. So go ahead and do what you can - give to charity, volunteer at a local shelter, donate to a food bank, whatever you can do for those less fortunate than yourself.
And for the Muslims practicing and fasting during this Holy month of Ramadan, remember no man or woman is perfect but that is what this month is for - to grow and to strive to stay away from sin as much as possible.
Tell me what we're gonna do for our brothers in Durban? For our sisters in Darfur? Show me what we're gonna do? Are we just gonna sit there? Nice and cozy on our armchair? Will we not even make a prayer? Will we not even make a prayer? (Make A Prayer, Sami Yusuf)
Side Note: If you would like to donate to the Save Darfur organization or learn more about it, click here. To learn more about the crisis in the Horn of Africa, visit the UNICEF's site, here. You can also donate directly to help the crisis by clicking here. Remember every little bit helps - from pennies to millions. It all adds up in the end.
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