After the month of Ramadan comes to an end, there are a myriad of emotions that a Muslim can go through. It is the most important month of their entire year, and their spiritual fate rests on their performance in fasting and praying. If you aren’t entirely clear on what Ramadan is, read this blog first and then come back so you can have a full understanding of what is happening during this holy month in Islam.

As Christians, understanding what our Muslim friends are going through or possibly feeling can help us love them better.

How does a Muslim feel after succeeding to fast all of Ramadan?

Islam is a religion based on humans trying to earn Allah’s favor and earn their salvation. 

There are five required things every Muslim must do to gain the possibility of having Allah’s favor and enter paradise. Ramadan is one of these things, a required month of fasting. If they successfully complete it, they are told it wipes their slate clean of sin from the previous year. 

Those who were able to fast every day and observe all requirements of prayers and reading the Quran often feel a sense of self-righteousness. They have honored Allah perfectly and believe they wiped their slate clean of sin.

These Muslims try to keep this feeling as long as they can. It is a sense of pride, inner cleanliness, and perfection, but they cannot keep their performance up year-round to match it, and inevitably drop out of this spiritual high.

The month after Ramadan, Shawwaal, includes 6 additional fasting days. If a Muslim fasts on these days and perfectly completes Ramadan, it is considered equivalent to fasting for a whole year and therefore provides more assurance for the Muslim that Allah is pleased with them. Even if they do everything perfectly, there is no guarantee of getting into heaven.

What if a Muslim cannot successfully fast for the entire month of Ramadan?

Devout Muslims who are trying to fast perfectly but fail, often feel empty and helpless, and are fearful of what may happen to them as a punishment from Allah. They worry that he will not forgive them for not living up to the standard.

Muslim leaders encourage those people to make up the days they did not fast right after the Eid. If a Muslim misses some of the fasting days due to illness or other reasons, they are given the chance to redeem themselves by fasting after Ramadan, but they have to complete it before the next Ramadan comes.

If a Muslim is more of a follower by name and not truly invested in their religion, they are relieved that Ramadan is over. They can go back to their normal life and live without the pressure of putting on an act.

How do Muslims make up for missed fasting days after Ramadan?

Right after Ramadan ends, there is a feast called Eid al-Fitr where Muslim communities around the world throw lavish parties and celebrate with their family and friends. You can learn more about that here.

Muslims cannot fast during these three days of feasting, but must fast one day for each day they missed following. So if a Muslim is sick for four days during the month of Ramadan, they have to fast for four days once Ramadan ends.

If a Muslim fails to make up for their missed fasting before the next Ramadan, they are required to pay a fee for the previous year’s missed days along with fasting an extra day. This “redemption fee” is called a “fidyah.”

Fasting repercussions for women after Ramadan

Note that women are required to stop fasting in Ramadan when they get their period. Many women these days have started taking treatment to stop their cycles during the month of Ramadan so they can fast the entire month. The Islamic media is full of questions from women to religious Imams asking for permission to do so. 

Also, a woman who just delivered a baby must stop fasting. She is considered unclean and cannot pray or fast for 40 to 60 days. But this does not mean she is released from making up her fasting days. This becomes such a burden on women, who sometimes miss the full month of Ramadan for one or two years if they are pregnant, have delivered, or are nursing. And the days start piling up for them to fast and to pay the fee. 

What does this have to do with sharing Jesus with Muslims?

The entire concept of Ramadan, fasting, and the redemption fee is based on humans being able to earn Allah’s favor and their spot in paradise. Muslims have to carry the weight of their sins throughout the year and hope they perform well enough to have them wiped clean during Ramadan.

Muslims are taught that Allah will weigh their good deeds against their bad deeds after they die. There is a chance that even if their good deeds outweigh the bad, Allah could still not favor them and not allow them into paradise– this is why Muslims are so fearful and passionate about following rules perfectly. You can learn more about what Muslims believe happens after death here.

The good news is Christ offers us a gift of salvation and mercy because He loves us! Since we are born into sin, we cannot pay the price of our sins.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23

Ramadan is a great time to tell Muslims about this gift that Jesus offers us. Most are spiritually focused during this time, but not always so devout year-round. Here are some questions you can use to get a conversation started:

• How does it feel believing that you can wipe out your sins from the past year? Is it a lot of pressure?
• Do you ever feel you have done enough fasting and praying to receive complete forgiveness from Allah? 
• Have you ever heard that Jesus paid the price for our sins because we cannot do it ourselves?

Prayer for sharing Jesus with a Muslim

Dear Lord, please give me wisdom to answer my friend’s questions. Bring the right verses to mind to share with them. Open up their heart to receive the Truth about who you are. Amen.