Imam Khalid Latif

Ramadan Reflection Day 4: Sustaining the Experience

Imam Khalid Latif is blogging his reflections during the month of Ramadan, featured daily on HuffPost Religion. For a complete record of his previous posts, click over to the Islamic Center at New York University or visit his author page, and to follow along with the rest of his reflections, sign up for an author e-mail alert above, visit his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter.

By God's Grace, I have been fasting during Ramadan for almost 20 years now. Fasting brings with it a heightened level of introspection and it seems that each year I learn so much about who I actually am and what I am capable of doing and staying away from. It also seems like once the month is over, I forget a lot of what I learned.

A few people now have said to me that its hard to sustain the experience of Ramadan beyond the month which, to be honest, made me somewhat sad. The overall mindset and the actions that it yields within the one who is fasting is hard to maintain itself. The month has just started and it's already been amazing. In these first few days, mosques are filled up and people who have never sat together are now standing side by side each night. New friendships are being formed and old ones are being rejuvenated. A mindfulness has set in about time and how we use it. Many have set goals and started to actually work toward achieving them. Many are also giving of their time, wealth and selves to those around them. And the most beautiful part of it all is that people are doing so because they want to, not because they necessarily feel that they have to. Fasting is an obligation for Muslims, but that obligation doesn't have to be undermined simply because I am excited to perform it. And the potential is definitely there to feel that excitement beyond the month as well, I just have to figure out how.....to continue reading please click here