My Blessed Ramadan Experience

Susan Posey 03/03/2025

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Contributed by Andra Baylus, Regional Director of the Meher Baba Spiritual Community

You will enjoy this story which has become a classic during interfaith gatherings for Ramadan:

Years ago, before I retired, I taught ESOL ( English Speakers of Other Languages) in a middle school in Fairfax County. I had 15 children in one of my English classes, most of whom were Muslim. When I looked out at my ESOL English class, it was as though many of the people whom we associate with the religion of Islam were sitting right in front of me studying at their desks: Muhammad, Qadir, Kadija, Ali, Yusuf, Musa, Mariam, etc.

Ramadan had arrived and my Muslim students who were fasting were invited to come to the library to avoid the tempting aromas of the delicious food they otherwise would be eating. I felt they would be far more comfortable coming to their own ESOL classroom where they would be relaxed, as if they were in their own homes. It dawned on me, however, that it would be terribly insensitive of me to invite them to my classroom and then proceed to eat my lunch in front of them. At that moment, I decided that the most thoughtful thing to do was to fast along with my Muslim students. So, I began fasting….

I was friends with Negat, the ESOL teacher across the hallway, and knew that as an Egyptian Muslim she would find it interesting that I was fasting for Ramadan. So, before classes began one morning, having embarked upon fasting for Ramadan for the first time in my life, I eagerly approached her and happily shared that I was joining her and was fasting for Ramadan. I excitedly shared that I had not had anything to eat or drink in 3 days. Instead of being as encouraging as I had hoped for, she quickly responded, seemingly in shock, “You haven’t had anything to eat or drink in 3 days?” I proudly answered, “No, of course not, I made a commitment to fasting for Ramadan just like you.” Negat burst out laughing and said, “Andra, we don’t do it that way! We eat breakfast before the sun comes up and eat dinner after the sun goes down!” I let out a sigh of relief saying, “Oh my goodness Negat! I was not going to eat or drink anything for 30 days! I felt if you could do it, so could I.” This was a moment in time Negat and I will always cherish.

I continued to fast, this time more intelligently than before since I was inspired to learn more about Ramadan. During my fasting experience, I noticed some interesting changes. I actually felt closer to every human being ~ especially those suffering food scarcity. I wanted all the more to help them and did whenever I saw the opportunity to donate to a worthy cause. My heart seemed more open and I became more sensitive to the world around me and even more appreciative of the Divine orchestration of life with all of its creative forms and species. I found myself not wanting to harm any creatures whether large or small. I began taking even better care of my plants making sure they had appropriate water and pruning. Regarding everyday tasks, not being distracted by the concerns of preparing or imbibing food, actually opened up more time to focus and accomplish tasks previously put aside. Most especially, Ramadan became a time to rethink my perspective in areas of my life which I had not considered as carefully during other parts of the year. I thought about the myriad of roles I play with family, friends and colleagues and how I might enhance those relationships.

The beauty of our varied religious paths is that embedded within our respective religions are ways the Divine has ensured moments when we are encouraged to rethink and refresh our lives in order to enhance the years that we have upon this earth. One of these spiritual practices is fasting, which I have personally experienced yields many benefits. Though I fasted for 15 years and stopped for 3, once again I am going to fast during this most challenging year and beseech the “Divine By All Names” to ~ “ Guide us on the right path…” as is written in the Fatiha, the most sacred prayer in Islam. So far, the good news is that, having fasted for just one day, I am more at peace with global events and reinvigorated to be a better family member, friend and colleague and to live a more purposeful life using my gifts, skills and talents to bless the world.

What a blessing Ramadan is!