How are you guys spending your days while fasting? All I can think about is food.

Anonymous wrote:Honest question: I get that Eid at the end of Ramadan is a happy celebration, but is Ramadan really a “ happy” occasion?

Yes actually . Maybe it’s the community feel or no social isolation as normally that helps. You feel a sense of accomplishment and more focused . Maybe it’s just me but I feel more clear headed and hyper focused and less anxious and more productive during the day after the first two days of fasting which are tough/sluggish .

I guess my body quickly adjusts and maybe fasting just provides less brain fog from sugar and such not sure. I just notice I procrastinate less during the day because I know I’m on a schedule and have to eat at sunset and somehow fit in prayer times and adequate sleep.

Food also actually tastes way better when you actually do break your fast. Like you can taste the sugar in a strawberry and such .

To be fair, its not about just ramadan or islam, whatever your religion is and however you pray, taking some time to reestablish a good spiritual connection with whatever GOD is, and focusing on goodness and staying away from negatives of life, can be mentally, physically and socially beneficial.

In essence, its about yourself, god isn't getting anything out of people binge eating all day or staying hungry and thirsty ... unless He/She/It is just playing a prank😂. No way of knowing it.

Every day you complete a fast is a happy occasion and an accomplishment. Eid is a happier occasion because by 30th day, everyone just wants it to end.😂

It can be a great way for addicts to reset their lives, no matter if its an addiction of gossip or substance abuse or wastefulness or anger or binge eating, Ramadan can be beneficial if done right.

Anonymous wrote:Honest question: I get that Eid at the end of Ramadan is a happy celebration, but is Ramadan really a “ happy” occasion?

Why not? It shows continued existence of a connection between you and your inherited religion. It shows you can control your body and mind to develop good habits and rid bad habits. It shows you how strong your body is and how to fix weaknesses. It develops empathy for people who face poverty, hunger, disability and disease. You fast, you pray, you stop yourself from bad things, try to do good things, do charity or charitable actions etc. Its good for the poor who are at receiving end.

Even though a whole month of getting early and staying without water for 12-18 hrs is very inconvenient, specially for physically demanding lines of work or in extreme climates but philosophy behind the idea makes sense.

Instead of going to mosque to judge others, one is probably better off staying home.

Ramadan is as much about spiritual discipline as it is about physical discipline so if one isn't trying to do better, they are just dieting, not fasting.

Anonymous wrote:I am tired of the housewife vs working mom divide too. So many bored housewives without jobs that get mad that the working moms aren’t busting out dish after dish to take to the mosque and say it’s unfair they are making most of the meals. We don’t have time like the housewives do so there’s that tension as well. Many of the dynamics remind me of Dcurbanmom in a strange way.

There is always some divide for people who focus on it, race, class, ethnicity, work, sect, education, profession, marital status etc etc. so you just need to fix your own mindset.

We don't do iftar at the mosque as we eat our simple everyday healthy food, nothing fancy.

However, in our mosque there is no compulsion, you can bring home made food, order catering, bring dates or water bottles, contribute to community iftar collection or just walk in on days you can't. Obviously it would be wrong to take wrongful advantage by burdening SAHMs with all the cooking or well off families with all the expenses. Many of the brothers are great cooks and do more cooking than their wives, many wealthy families pay for catering to cover a weekend's iftar. You do ehat you can or want to.

No community is perfect, you need to be the example you want to set. If people know you don't gossip or become advocate of the person not present then people respect that and almost never gossip around you. Few good or bad people can set the tone for whole group.

Oh and I should add, it’s perfectly fine to say Happy Ramadan or Ramadan Mubarak or Ramadan Kareem.

Anonymous wrote:Honest question: I get that Eid at the end of Ramadan is a happy celebration, but is Ramadan really a “ happy” occasion?

I don’t know if I would use happy. We look forward to Ramadan and we are happy when it arrives but the tone is more solemn and spiritual. It’s supposed to be a time of reflection and calm. As a family, we stop watching movies or other entertainment. We slow down on kids activities/sports. It’s a very peaceful time and the only time of year we eat together as a family. My son told me he cherishes the family time. Eid is the celebration at the end. We are supposed to be joyful and we are not allowed to fast during that time.

Anonymous wrote:Honest question: I get that Eid at the end of Ramadan is a happy celebration, but is Ramadan really a “ happy” occasion?

No! I am not Muslim but I live and work in a Muslim country where everyone is fasting and they hate it. It is nothing but complaining and groaning all the time. People are supposed to be more spiritual and care about others this month but they are too tired and worn down and hungry to care really. They go through the motions and try and do what they have to but at my workplace...there is zero happiness! They are up pretty much all night with prayers, meals, cooking, and visiting with family and friends, and then they have to come to work and within a few days the sleep deprivation took a toll and they are all irritable and in a daze when they show up at work. They just want Eid to come so they can go back to a normal schedule and have a holiday.

Honest question: I get that Eid at the end of Ramadan is a happy celebration, but is Ramadan really a “ happy” occasion?

That’s why I don’t go to the Mosque. There are way way too many people there and I get anxious. I’d much rather pray in the solitude of my home. I get annoyed by people who don’t follow the rules and I just don’t need that this month.

I am tired of the housewife vs working mom divide too. So many bored housewives without jobs that get mad that the working moms aren’t busting out dish after dish to take to the mosque and say it’s unfair they are making most of the meals. We don’t have time like the housewives do so there’s that tension as well. Many of the dynamics remind me of Dcurbanmom in a strange way.