We’ve all hit that wall at one point in our lives; locked in a daily-grind, you’ve misplaced that joie de vivre and you need a bit of a recharge. For many Muslims around the world, that recharge comes every year in Ramadan.
Ramadan is a month in the Islamic calendar and during this month Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, forgoing all food and drink – and that’s the easy part. Ramadan is also a time to clean up those little personality flaws that we’ve let go throughout the year; those little white lies, that harmless water cooler gossip - it’s time to rein it all in. Ramadan is a springboard to dive into a season of worship, self-reflection and hopefully, self-improvement and one of the best practices to engage in during the holy month of Ramadan is charity.
One of the five pillars of Islam requires Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth each year. Non-obligatory charity is also encouraged. This type of charity is more loosely defined and can include things we may not usually relate to charity, such as knowledge or even a smile. Charity is where faith and action create a beautiful connection.
Regardless of income, when we give of ourselves and our money we can sometimes worry about giving too much. If we see our earnings/wealth/blessings as a pie, then any sharing of that pie will lessen our own portion; however if we see charity as a circle that expands to embrace all that we give, and even gives back to us manifold, then we are able to give generously. The idea of giving more to encourage growth is embedded in Islam as the Prophet Mohammed said, “Attract sustenance by giving charity.”
As the Canadian Muslim community grows to over one million, so too does the ability to donate to a myriad of charity organizations both within and beyond our faith communities. I’ll highlight two which have made an impact.
The Toronto-based International Development and Relief Foundation, founded in 1984, was named one of Canada's top 25 charities for their efforts to "provide humanitarian aid and sustainable development programs based on the Islamic principles of human dignity, self reliance and social justice." In 2015 to mark Eid al-Fitr, a celebration concluding Ramadan, the organization announced that their quarter-million dollar Eid gift would go to Habitat for Humanity to rebuild and repair Fort McMurray homes for those with minimal or no insurance coverage.
Give 30 is a fairly new organization that was created in 2012 to focus on hunger in Canada. Thousands of dollars have been donated to local food banks around the country as part of the charity’s mission to promote giving during the month of Ramadan.
Perhaps one of the most lasting lessons of Ramadan is that everything is hard before it becomes easy. With practice and discipline we can change ourselves for the better. The fruit of our individual change flowers when we can help someone else on their journey, too.
Lena Hassan is the Education Coordinator at the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).
