CAIR-LA’s media relations intern writes for the OC Register about how the beauty of fasting reveals itself through the pangs of hunger.
(Jul 12, 2013 – Anaheim, CA)
By Falak Jandga / GUEST COLUMNIST
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims across the globe fast every day for an entire month, refraining from food and drink, including water, from sunrise until sunset.
I kept my first fast when I was in kindergarten. My stomach was growling like a bear, my mouth was as dry as the desert and my appreciation of the food and drink that I would enjoy once the sun would set was sky high.
It was not the norm for a 5-year-old to fast. Muslims are obligated to begin fasting once they reach the age of puberty. Keeping my first fast was a way of putting a smile filled with pride on my parents’ faces because they knew that their daughter was striving to be the best Muslim she can be.
The evening of my first fast, my parents were hosting a dinner at our house. I was playing outside with the rest of the kids as I heard them talking about their parents bringing them McDonald’s Happy Meals. I began to feel left out and started thinking about those fresh McDonald’s fries and the ice cold fruit punch. I gave in. I asked my dad to bring me a McDonald’s Happy Meal, too.
In that moment, I felt an ounce of the struggle that those living in poverty must face every single day. As a 5-year-old, I was blessed to learn to value the food that was sitting on the dinner table waiting for me to devour it. I was blessed to be able to have a cold glass of water whenever I was “dying of thirst.”
Happily, I ended up keeping my very first fast that day. My dad returned with our Happy Meals, and I decided not to eat it. I held out for the next couple of hours. My parents were proud, and I was proud, too.
In the many years of fasting that I have now experienced, I have seen the beauty of what fasting can do for someone.
As I get closer to this spiritual time, I look forward to learning something new, appreciating the things that seem little in life, being with my family and friends, giving back as much as I can and spending long nights in the mosque thanking God for blessing me with everything that I have, everything that I don’t have and especially for blessing me with yet another month of Ramadan.
– Falak Jandga lives in North Tustin and is a sophomore at Cal State Fullerton studying journalism and religious studies.