Appreciation
The effects of fasting are not limited to physiology. In fact, a person who simply fasts through Ramadan, solely giving up food and drink, is considered to be at great loss. A fasting person should have a natural disposition to the poor and hungry while truly appreciating the blessings they enjoy everyday. Islam softens the hearts and encourages humility, building supportive communities and the distrubution of wealth through laws and responsibilities, individual and shared, embodied by the life of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon Him).
Sadaqat
Regular sadaqat (voluntary charity) is a model characteristic of a Muslim and helps purify one’s wealth. Growing up, my understanding of sadaqat as a kid was my dad giving me a pound to put into a bucket during the Friday prayer collections and my parents sending money to support family in Bangladesh. Today, I would encourage people not to forget the poverty here at home in London and to do more to support our communities. Whether you’re using a volunteering day to help out at a homeless shelter or even just smiling at someone on your commute, something we can all do, it all counts as sadaqat.
Here’s a few quotes from hadiths to encourage you:
Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you.
Charity does not in any way decrease the wealth and the servant who forgives, Allah adds to his respect and the one who shows humility, Allah elevates him in the estimation (of the people).
Maximising Rewards During Laylatul Qadr
If you haven’t noticed already, there are certain times and places of particular significance in Islam. Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is the night in which the Qur’an was revealed and the night itself is better than a thousand months:
Indeed, We revealed [the Qur’an] during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.
The exact arrival of Laylatul Qadr however is unknown however it is understood to occur on one of the odd numbered nights, during the last ten nights of Ramadan. Given the exponential rewards of good deeds during this night, many Muslims will increase the intensity of prayer and charity to achieve an even more successful Ramadan than previous. To ensure charity is given on the blessed night, I use the My Ten Nights website where you can schedule donations to causes around the world, weighing increasingly on odd nights.
Fundraising
Ramadan is a huge opportunity for fundraising as this is often a month of generosity and giving. There are many workshops, talks and events that are held during the month which often provide a platform for fundraisers of all sizes.