Ramadan across the Muslim world is a time of commemorating the revelation of the Qu'ran. For a whole month, Muslims abstain from food, water, and other indulgences from sun up to sun down. It is said to be a time for cultivating a deeper relationship with Allah and refocusing on becoming a better Muslim man or woman. I have now been overseas for 3 Ramadan seasons, and each year I have felt the weight of this season more and more.

“Once per year, for a period of thirty days, Muslims disrupt their daily rhythms by fasting from sunrise to sunset during a month called Ramadan. This fast consists of abstaining from food, drink, tobacco, and sexual relations for thirty days each year. Families will wake and gather before the sunrise to feast for the day. Then, each night, families, neighborhoods, and communities gather together to celebrate the breaking of the fast (iftar) at sunset. In the places I have lived, the atmosphere during the iftar is festive, welcoming, and hospitable for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.” – 40 Questions About Islam by Matthew Bennett

Ramadan is 30 days set aside every year for Muslims to fast from sun up to sun down. For some places in the world, this could mean over 18 hours of fasting each day. Fasting is one of the five pillars in Islam. It’s a time set aside to focus on prayer and the reading of the Qur’an in an effort to seek God.

Ramadan is 30 days set aside every year for Muslims to fast from sun up to sun down. For some places in the world, this could mean over 18 hours of fasting each day. Fasting is one of the five pillars in Islam. It’s a time set aside to focus on prayer and the reading of the Qur’an in an effort to seek God.

This Christmas, let’s celebrate a God who traded Heaven to gain us. May that joy fill our hearts, so that it overflows into the 3.1 billion people who won’t be celebrating Christmas this year.

Ramadan is 30 days set aside every year for Muslims to fast from sun up to sun down. For some places in the world, this could mean over 18 hours of fasting each day. Fasting is one of the five pillars in Islam. It’s a time set aside to focus on prayer and the reading of the Qur’an in an effort to seek God.

What could happen if Christians all over the world began to see Muslims the way God sees them?  What if we all joined in asking Ramadan to be a time Muslims sought God and found His Son Jesus for the first time?

For the majority of the Western world, May 26 – June 25 will come and go this year without a second thought. But for over 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, these next 30 days mark the most significant time of the year.

There’s no denying that when Thanksgiving hits, it’s only a mad dash to Christmas. Anticipation builds, parties are planned, cookies are exchanged and stores are flooded with hurried shoppers.  It’s all wrapped up in the season of Christmas.

For a lot of people, June 17th through July 17th is just another thirty days of the year. However, for many Muslims around the world, these thirty days constitute the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic Muslim calendar, a time devoted to increased prayer and fasting.

After an hour plane ride, a two-hour bus ride, a five- hour bus ride, and five-minute boat ride across the river, we arrived in the village. The goal of the trip was to establish contacts and develop relationships. Within the interactions with the locals, our aim was to acquire information about the history and culture of the village.

Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting. From sunrise to sunset, Muslims across the world join in refraining or fasting from anything that gives pleasure, which means no food, drink, smoking, or marital relations during the daylight hours.