Here are 11 things I’ve realized about Ramadan after observing it for many years:

Is Ramadan more than just a month of depriving yourself of food and drink?

Ramadan looks to most people as a month that is exhausting and unbelievably torturous. I see why some Muslims complain all day and can’t wait until the sun finally sets. But over the past couple of years, I have come to realize something about Ramadan that is beyond food and water.


1. Ramadan is not about starvation.

We start our fast when the sun rises. We live our normal lives, we work and go to school — we just refrain from food, drink, sex, and provocative behavior such as cursing, backbiting, and rudeness. Stopping yourself from falling into those practices affords the peace of mind that allows you to think clearly and rationally without being clouded by overwhelming emotions. Ramadan is an opportunity for all humans to forgive, let go, and focus on what is most important. We feel how it is to have no access to food and drink when we want. This is very important to understand how special food and drink are. We who live in the western world, we actually live in small paradises but we don't recognize it, we have it all, gigantic markets full of food. You are used to go inside and get what ever you desire. But still we humans have never enough of everything. Fasting brings you back to your roots.

2. We fast from more than food and drink.

The month of Ramadan teaches you to stay away from all intense physical desires.You are fasting from anger, sadness, and frustration. We are all just humans and we cannot control what makes us upset, but we can control the way we react to your situations and that is what the month of Ramadan trains you to do. Our hearts are fasting from grieving. Our minds take control, rather than our emotions.

3. You shouldn’t feel bad for us.

If you tell somebody about Ramadan and that your going to fast for about 15 hours a day for one month. People are shocked and always feel sorry for us. Don’t feel sorry. Fasting is not easy, i know that. It can make me sleepy and tired, but i know why I’m doing it and what I will get from it. The return on this investment is absolutely thrilling. The feeling of having refrained from activities that usually just feed my ego is very empowering.

When I fast I try to do more then the disconnection of body and food. This is my time for spiritual growth and building a stronger connection between me and my Creator. Fasting will prevent the mind mind from becoming a slave to the physical body and its desires - that’s powerful. The feelings you receive when you fast are much more nursing then food will ever be, that's how i feel about it.

4. Muslims don’t really fast for 30 days straight.

We only fast from dawn until sunset. Going on without food and water for 30 consecutive days will drain you of energy. But the nighttime, which is such a perfect moment, is when you rejuvenate and gain back the stamina to think and look within yourself. This is what I believe this “break” is meant for.

5. There is a spiritual element to Ramadan fasting.

During Ramadan fast you’re intentions to fast should be very strong and absolute clear. Fasting for Ramadan is not waiting and thinking about food and time the whole day long. If you do that, you will just make it much more harder for your self. By concentrating only on food and water, you are not disconnecting your physical desires from your mind — allowing it to only think of the superficial.

Your goal should be, to become each year the best version of you're self. Fasting is a discipline that forces you to forget about food and to remember who you are, why you are here.

6. Ramadan doesn’t end after 30 days.

You should take the chance and use Ramadan to look deeply.
Ramadan is a chance for us to look deeply within ourselves and allow this kind of self-reflection to be carried out into the rest of our lives. It comes once a year as a reminder and as a resource from God, but the opportunities during Ramadan are meant to train you to attain the attributes of self-restraint and self-control that will last a lifetime.

Fasting is also one of the five pillars of Islam. A pillar is something that binds you to God, no matter how distant you may feel from the Most High. A pillar never breaks. It never goes away. It will stay with you forever.

7. Ramadan is about moderation.

I see most muslim people break their fast with tons of food. They believe after 16 hour of fast their body needs to be filled to be strong again. But that's totally wrong and bad for your body. That's not how it works and that's not what we are teached by our beloved prophet Muhammad saw.
The reality is, our bodies don’t even need this much food to survive. You will be just fine with some dates, bread and yogurt. If we can train our self to fast for along period of time can't we not also limiting our food intake the way to train our bodies to consume only what is necessary?

Feeding our egos with so much of the material world will never give us the opportunity to seek out only what we need, but keeps us thinking we should have whatever we want.

8. Fasting is good for your health.

Fasting May help you overcome addictions:


Addictions can come in all shapes and forms and Ramadan provides an excellent opportunity to ditch them. Because Ramadan teaches you self-restraint for most of the day, you will come to realize that forgoing your addiction all together may not be has hard as you think!

Promotes fat breakdown and weight loss:

Calorie consumption is overall decreased in Ramadan. Of course if you’re binge-eating on Arabic sweets that’s not going to happen. However, if you maintain your usual eating habits, you are very likely to eat less amounts of food and lose weight. This is especially true in Ramadan, when your source of Energy during your fast is mainly fat. Trying to stay lightly active during the day can promote even more fat break-down.

9. Ramadan is the holiest month of the year.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. The Quran was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by Jibreel (Gabriel) to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Furthermore, Muhammad told his followers that the gates of Heaven would be open for the entire month and the gates of Hell (Jahannam) would be closed.^[1] The first day of the next month, Shawwal, is spent in celebration and is observed as the "Festival of Breaking Fast" or Eid al-Fitr . Wikipedia

10. Not everyone has to fast.

Fasting is not for everybody, so If you are ill, pregnant, or still a child who does not yet understand much about the world, you are not required to fast. Islam teaches that the principle is more important than the action. Fasting is a choice, like all other aspects of being a Muslim, and the decision to commit during Ramadan comes with the desire to conquer yourself.

11. Ramadan Beauty Tips! Take care of your self!

During the holy month of Ramadan, our skin tends to get dehydrated quicker than usual. Fasting during the summer can cause dryness and lack of moisture to the skin. Here five easy tips and tricks to keep your skin healthy and happy through out the entire month of Ramadan!

1 - Drink water

2 - Skincare
Is so important To moisturize yor skin during Ramadan  The skin loses moisture due to lack of hydration while fasting. Try to exfoliate and moisturize regularly. Don’t forget to take care of the eyes too as dark circles may easily appear during the month due to changes in your sleeping patterns. Allow yourself to have around eight hours of sleep per day, apply a thick eye cream and place some cucumbers on the eyes to reduce the dark circles.

3 - No heavy make-up

 4 - Fix sprays

5 - Snack away