Ramadan Kareem!

Ramadan started yesterday August 11 and it is truly the most beautiful time of year. For those that are not aware of Ramadan, it's the most important time of year for Muslims. It is a month of fasting, prayer and zakat (almsgiving) and the best time for reflection and doing good.

Fasting is the fourth pillar in Islam and for good reason. By fasting, we learn to appreciate the value of food and drink by not having them from sunrise to sunset and we in turn become grateful for them. There are so many people and animals that go hungry on a daily basis due to poverty and homelessness and during Ramadan we become more aware of their feelings. If you are able to feed the hungry and help the poor and needy by donating, food, clothing or just simply helping someone out who may need you, it's truly an honor.

It is also importatnt to treat everyone with love and respect and forgive others, because remember nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. If somebody has wronged you in the past, find a way in your heart to forgive them and if you have wronged someone else, you should ask for their forgiveness. The Prophet (ṣall Allahu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, "A person only increases honour by forgiving."

Ensuring that our words, actions, and appearance are humble and respectable, along with everything else I discussed are attributes we should strive for on a daily basis, but if you haven't always done so in the past, it's never too late to start, during Ramadan especially.

Ramadan Kareem wa kul 'am wa intom bi alf alf khayr!