Loading summary
Transcript81 lines
- [00:00]
A
Over a billion people around the globe, from big cities to remote villages, all participate in this one spiritual practice, all at the same time. For an entire month, once a year, they refuse food and water from sunrise to sunset. It's not for a diet trend or a health challenge. It is for transforming their souls. This is Ramadan, one of the most profound religious practices in human history. And today, we're going to uncover what it really means, why it matters, and how it's shaped Islamic spirituality for centuries. So sit back, relax, and welco to religion. What's up, people? And welcome back to Religion Camp. My name is Mark Gagnon, and thank you for joining me in my tent, where every single Sunday, we explore the most interesting, fascinating, controversial stories from every religion from around the world, from all time, forever. Yes, this is my attempt to understand what everybody on this big, beautiful planet believes. Now, of course, the show's not possible without you tuning in, so I appreciate you guys taking time to join us in the campsite. Right. Your support, your subs, your comments, all that stuff, you know, is helping me pursue my dreams, fulfill my purpose in life, and it keeps the fire burning. More importantly, and by more importantly, I mean the most important, is my good friend Christos over there in the corner. Christos, it's been a minute since I've seen it, man. What's new? I'm doing great. All right, Christos, we don't have time to go into every little detail of your. Of your life. All right, we get it. We get it. Oh, where were you this week? Oh, I was in Aspen. I was in Aspen with the Rockefellers or whatever you're doing. Not far off. You're so. You're bought and paid for, dude. You know what? And I've had enough of it. I mean, this is the second we can replace you, okay? The second. I'm telling you, dude, because you've just been all you and your high. Your highfalutin lifestyle has just pissed me off. I will go to the highest bidder. All right, fine. Fire? No. Chris, it was wonderful to see you. Thank you for joining me. Likewise. Now, today we are talking about a very interesting spiritual practice that I personally love. It's called Ramadan. Now, a few things before we begin. Also, my friend David's here. He's just. What? No, you're just working.
- [02:08]
B
I'm following along with you.
- [02:10]
A
Oh, you are? Okay, you're dialed in.
- [02:12]
B
I'm dialed in.
- [02:13]
A
You're going to take Shahada by the end of this? We'll see. Guys, we are discussing Ramadan and a few things. One, I was not raised Muslim. I have a nice beard, but that's about the extent of it. With that said, I don't know everything and all the intricacies of the Quran or the Hadiths or the life of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. I don't intend to get anything wrong. That's not my goal. Throughout this research, I learned a lot. And there's a lot of things I really admire about Ramadan as a practice, but I just want to put that out there. If there's anything I miss or a mistake, please feel free to correct me in the comments. If you are raised Muslim, if you are a practicing Muslim, if you are an imam watching this, please let me know if there's anything I missed. And if you are not of any of those faiths, tell me, is there anything that you learned? All right, this is a. This is a. A little sandbox, shall I say, for me to learn. I feel like that sounds racist. That's not what I mean. All right, this is. This is a place. I don't mean like a desert, all right? I mean, like, this is just my attempt to. To learn what everyone believes. So, yeah, just be gracious. Okay? I'm really trying. In Good Faith, which is another good name for the show. If it wasn't religion camp, it'd be called In Good Faith, but it's not bad, right?
- [03:21]
B
That's a banger.
- [03:22]
A
Oh, maybe the name of our Patreon. The name of a special. Perhaps one day. All right, let's jump into Ramadan. Okay. Now, if you've ever heard of Ramadan, then you probably are thinking of fasting, right? You're like, oh, you don't eat, you don't drink. And, yes, that's a big part of it. Okay. There's actually a great clip of Mo Salah. One of my favorite footballers ever, the Egyptian himself, also the Scousa, as we know. Just like during practice, while they're all playing, he goes. They all go get water. And he goes, no, I'm not going to get water. And he stands away from them because he doesn't want to be tempted.
- [03:56]
B
My. My soccer coach growing up was Tunisian.
- [03:59]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [03:59]
B
And when we had night practices, the second the sunset, he sprinted to his car to get his food and water.
- [04:04]
A
Oh, he's fasting the whole day.
- [04:05]
B
He's fasting the whole day.
- [04:06]
A
Respected. That's. He's hardcore. I love that. All right, so what is Ramadan, really? It's not just about fasting, right? It's not even really about denying yourself food. That's just an expression of it, right? It's about rewiring your entire relationship with desire and discipline and ultimately with Allah. Now, this month long observance sits at the very heart of the Islamic faith. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, which, if you don't know, you should check them out. And they are the foundational practices that define what it actually means to be Muslim. But Ramadan is arguably the most demanding of all five, depending on how you break it, right. For 30 days straight, from the moment the light breaks the horizon until the sun sets, Muslims abstain from food and, and drink. And yeah, that includes water. You can't even have water during the daytime. Sexual relations are also prohibited during daylight hours. And this kind of requirement for, you know, physical strength, mental discipline, self restraint, it's. I honestly am impressed by. Right. Most people in America, the idea of trying to abstain from any type of, you know, immediate dopamine desire is like, that's, no, I'm not going to do that. Like, it's, it's so embedded into the American philosophy just to consume nonstop that the idea of not doing that for 30 days, it's like a diet in America. It'd be like a fad. You'd be like, dude, you did 30 hard. That's amazing. Muslims have been doing this for hundreds of years and they just call it Ramadan. Now, it has been central to the Islamic calendar since the 7th century, when it was first observed by the Prophet Muhammad. Peace be upon him. Let me just say also I'm going to give a big peace be upon him to the Prophet for right now, and then I'll probably just say Prophet Muhammad going forward because sometimes just becomes, you know, jumbled up. So Prophet Muhammad, he was doing this from the 7th century and his earliest followers. And it has been implemented to commemorate when the angel Gabriel first presented the Quran. Now, instructions for how to observe Ramadan are laid out in the holy scriptures, including details around, you know, fasting, charity, worship, all that. Now, the month operates on a lunar calendar, so that means Ramadan shifts backwards through the seasons, arriving about two weeks earlier each year. Now, this creates a really interesting challenge in and of itself. Like, for example, when Ramadan falls in a winter month, for example, Muslims in northern countries like Sweden, they only have to fast for a few hours since darkness arrives really early and the days are really short. But when it shifts to the summer, those same regions experience almost endless daylight, making the fast extremely long and extremely difficult. And different communities solve these problems differently. Like, for example, some choose to follow Mecca's daylight hours regardless of local conditions. Others use scholarly rulings to create alternative solutions. But it's always technically the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Now, the month of Ramadan begins and ends with the cycle of the new moon. Designated observers watch the sky, and once they confirm the crescent, Ramadan officially starts or ends. So why the fasting? Why is that such a part of this? And what exactly is the point of deliberately letting yourself be hungry? Well, it's pretty simple. Your body needs, you know, food. And if you think about how much your day revolves around your physical needs, you're constantly thinking about, you know, making coffee. I need caffeine, I need a shower, I need to get lunch. Whether you're tired or not, right? You're thinking about what you're going to eat for dinner. It's just constantly, how can I consume? How can I make myself more comfortable? And so much of everything that we do is focused on our bodily needs. Now, these needs keep your thoughts in a cycle and your attention locked onto the material world, right? Our sensations, the cravings, the immediate gratification. And while taking care of your body, you know, it's an important thing and it's a necessity, but it can also be distracting. And it can even start to own you, is sort of the philosophy. When you're constantly tending to your physical desires, it can be nearly impossible to create space for anything beyond physical reality. And this is why so many religious groups and individuals practice some form of fasting. Fasting ultimately breaks that regular cycle, that pattern of constantly trying to fulfill our bodily desires. And I mean, you know, in the Bible, as Christians, we have many different instances where fasting is recommended as a way to purify the spirit. When you are intentionally denying your body what it's asking you for, something internally can shift, and you make the decision for your focus to lift away from the physical sensation and direct it towards, you know, something higher. And typically in Islam, this is your relationship with Allah. Now, the idea is that when you fast, every time you think about food, you think about, you know, instead of thinking about, oh, I'm so hungry right now, you're consciously turning it into prayer. And at first, this is, you know, pretty deliberate, but after a while, your body and spirit become more aligned and the prayer becomes more like second nature. And in Islamic theology, scholars have taught that this denial ultimately purifies the soul. When you're not enslaved to, you know, the hunger pains and know your next meal and what you're going to have for dinner, you become more receptive to spiritual insight and these divine blessings. You create an inner silence. And in that silence, you maybe hear or notice something that you didn't before. The renowned scholar Ibn Al Qayyim captured it pretty perfectly. He explained that fasting disciplines the soul. It restrains desire and it weakens the impulses that pull a person towards, you know, sin. And it might sound harsh, but think about what he's really saying. Hunger is one of the most primal drives that human beings have. And if you give in to every craving, every urge for a snack, you want sugar, you want, you know, I mean, heaven forbid, alcohol, which is haram, but just constantly trying to satisfy, where would it leave you? And religious thinkers argue that indulging in every appetite doesn't just harm your health, but it also corrupts your spirit. And consider this, fasting doesn't always have to be food related, right? You can fast from anything in your life that you find causes this cyclical sort of pattern making or a distraction or a disruption. So for, you know, Muslims, during Ramadan, they will also typically fast from sexual relations with their spouse again during those daylight hours. And again, Muslims are encouraged to fast from any kind of negative behavior in general. And that would be, you know, anything that dishonors Allah or goes against the teachings of the Quran. Like, you know, they try to refrain from, you know, anger or lust or gossip or violence or anything like that that would be dishonorable to the Creator. What's up, guys? We're going to take a break really quick because I got to tell you something. The holidays wrecked me. Yeah, Travel. I mean, it was eating whatever I wanted. I wasn't working out, and I just hit January and I felt like I was 100 years old. What I didn't realize that I now know is that your body. My body starts losing collagen way earlier than you think, like mid-20s. And that's why recovery sucks. I mean, your joints will feel stiff and your hair will get thin and your skin will look tired, all that. And that's why I started taking Bubs Natural Collagen peptides. Yes, everyone's tossing around that P word, and I'm telling you, bubs is the best one. I toss it in my coffee in the morning and you don't even taste it. It dissolves instantly. It doesn't like clump up or anything like that. And honestly, I feel better. I recover faster, my joints feel better, and I just feel less like I got hit by a car. It's like the first New Year's resolution that I actually kept up with. And what I also like is that Bubs is a legit brand. There's no sugar, there's no fillers. It's third party tested. It is Whole 30 approved. It's NSF certified for sports, all the good stuff. And on top of that, they donate 10% of the profits to charity honoring Glenn Bub Doherty, who is a Navy SEAL who was killed in Benghazi. So it's not just wellness and going to make you feel better. It's also built on something real that'll make the world better. They also do electrolytes, MCT oil, creamer, all the clean stuff. So great news for you is that right now you're going to get 20% off your entire order. Yes. That's what you get for being a camp listener. 20% off the entire order. When you go to Bubs Naturals, that's B U B S Naturals, N A T U R A L s dot com and use the code camp at checkout. And after you buy, they're going to ask you how you heard about them. Tell them that Camp Gagnon sent you. Yeah, the diesel peptided up, bro, over at Camp Gagnon. All right, let them know. And it actually helps the show grow, and it helps keep the fire burning here at the campsite. All right, now, let's get back to it. Now, fasting during Ramadan is a deliberate choice. It's choosing God over the self and ultimately what we need. And it's choosing depth with, you know, that spiritual relationship over regular comfort. Plus, it forces you to answer fundamental questions, right? It's like, who's really in control here? Is it me, my conscious brain, or is it my bodily desires that are constantly wanting me to consume? And once you answer that question for yourself, Ramadan requires you to even take a step further, and it leads you to confront your ego. And in Islamic theology, specifically in, you know, mysticism like Sufism, there's a concept called jihad al nafs. And you might have heard the word jihad thrown around before. And it's, you know, popularly translated to mean like a holy war or, you know, terror attacks, which is not a fair representation, but I understand why it exists. It's actually a. The direct translation means, you know, struggle or striving. And it's usually understood in the context of struggling in a spiritual sense, you know, towards pursuing Allah. And there is a, you know, a greater jihad and a lesser jihad. And in this context, jihad al nafs translate to the struggle against the self. This is the jihad that every spiritual seeker must fight. The struggle against your ego and against your desires and your ego. It's that voice in your head that just wants more. It wants more power, it wants more recognition, more fame, more validation, more food, more pleasure. Just, just give me. And it sees you as separate from everyone else and constantly demands that your needs and what you desire come before anyone else. And left unchecked, that ego can grow and eventually just destroy everything else in its path. I mean, compassion, humility, these things go ultimately against the ego's desire for self preservation and self aggrandizement. And it's basically just that pure carnal desire, that self seeking behavior that all of us are generally aware of. And this practice of fasting during Ramadan actually attacks the ego head on. It denies your body food and sex and impulsive behavior, gossip, all the things that, you know, many people just normally feel. And you can prove to yourself who's actually in control. You're basically saying, I am in control and I have agency and I am sort of exercising my free will, not my body or my hormones or the desires that I might feel on a day to day basis. And as you weaken the grip of ego, your soul gains more strength and more clarity. So there's this guy Al Ghazali, who was a prominent Muslim scholar and a theologian from the 11th century. And he emphasized that fasting has even stronger spiritual implications than we realize. He believed that this whole like battle with the ego thing is actually spiritual warfare. Now this is kind of deep cut in specifically his school of thought, but he explained that fasting strengthens us to overcome desire. And desires are the avenues in which the devil or, you know, shaytan, the iblis, what ultimately that evil force influences inside the hearts of, you know, mankind. By having a handle on these desires, believers can find refuge from the devil and they can actually attain an inner peace. And he also highlighted that fasting is in many ways a hidden act of worship known only to the individual and to Allah, which guards one's intentions against being corrupted. You're not going to, you know, famously, you know, fast and prove to everyone how pious you are. It is a personal sort of battle against your own ego. He also famously quoted a teaching from the prophet Muhammad saying, Satan flows about inside a person as blood does in the body, though must make his passage difficult with hunger. I mean, the imagery here is like pretty obvious. Hunger literally acts as a barrier for destructive forces that are moving through you. It creates resistance against indulgence and the great Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi explored this in his treatise Hilyat Al Abdal. He wrote that hunger is in every state, in every respect, a means whereby the seeker and the verifier can attain to a more exalted degree. Hunger has a spiritual state and a station. It is characterized by humility, submission, servility, the lack of self importance, indigence, discretion, tranquil emotions, and an absence of base thoughts. This is the state that the seeker has. Now, let's break that down. There's a lot of words in there that you probably never heard of before. I know that I could barely pronounce them. So this is basically what he's saying. Ibn Arabi is saying that hunger, whether the literal hunger or the metaphorical hunger for power or other things, builds character in ways that nothing else can. It makes you humble, it makes you patient. It makes you ultimately more spiritually centered. You stop thinking you're the center of the entire universe. And these aren't just nice personality traits. They're essential tools for anyone that is seeking a connection with the divine. And there's another powerful metaphor from Ibn Arabi that's used in his encyclopedic work, the Futahat al Maqiyyah. And he wrote, when the gates of the fire are locked, it turns back on itself, and its heat is multiplied on it, and it consumes itself. The person fasting is like that with his nature. When he fasts, the gates of the fire of his nature are shut. So if you'd ever fast before, that's ultimately what's happening inside your spirits. Okay, the gates of fire are shut down. You feel the hunger intensely building inside you, but you refuse it and you refuse to satisfy it. And without this outlet, this hunger eventually eats itself. You begin transcending the physical sensation of hunger, and you are now moving the mere feeling of hunger into a higher state where the body needs to, you know, hold less power over your consciousness. Now, this is pretty deep cut philosophy, but again, this is how many Muslim scholars have understood fasting over the centuries. And it is ultimately this transformation that Ramadan seeks to facilitate for all the believers who participate. But it's important to note that Ramadan isn't just this individual practice. It is that. But it's not only that. It has a profound meaning in the social sphere as well. For example, experiencing hunger is meant to encourage the believer to think of the poor. When your stomach aches and your mouth is dry, you're meant to pray for people living in poverty who don't know if they'll find another meal or what they're going to eat next. And once again, this is transformative, right, because this allows a person to not just imagine the hardship or, you know, suffering of another person, but rather it gives them the literal taste of empathy for so many people around the world. Some observers of Ramadan claim that building empathy for the poor is the main purpose, but others argue that this is a little bit too oversimplified. And most would say that the core goal is spiritual purifying one's soul and drawing closer to God. But of course, all of these things are going to be happening in unison. And for the individual, they might have, you know, a deeper connection with, you know, different results than others. Now, this empathy is meant to lead the people to action. During Ramadan, charitable giving increases dramatically. Communities organize meals to break the fast together. They often cook extra to bring to their local safe houses and shelters for the people that, you know, are needy or impoverished. The spiritual discipline of this month facilitates this outward expression, and it really strengthens the social bond and really reinforces collective responsibility. And we've mentioned how Muslims are encouraged to fast from unholy or negative behaviors during this month, not only as well as food, but all these other things like profanity and gossip and lying and unkind speech, things like that. They actively try to embody their best selves throughout this 30 day period. Now, Al Ghazali stressed this in the book the Alchemy of Happiness, and he basically says, so from this you learn that the fast of whomever limits his fasting to not eating and not drinking is a soulless form for the spirit. And true nature of fasting is that one makes oneself like the angels for whom there is absolutely no carnal appetite. The beasts are dominated by their appetite, and for this reason, they are far from the angels. Any person dominated by appetite is also at the level of the beasts. When his appetite is decreased, he has begun to take on a resemblance to the angels. For this reason, he approaches them and approaches their attributes not in station. And the angels are near God most high. Consequently, he is also near God when he makes arrangements to attempt to suffer and gives full aid to what the appetite desires. The appetite grows stronger, not weaker, and the spirit of the fasting is not obtained. So this message is pretty clear. If you just stop eating, but you continue to be selfish or lie or continue violent acts, you've just completely missed the point. This is a period of time for spiritual cleansing and to focus on aligning your center with God. Most high. Now, Al Ghazali laid out specific guidelines to help this. He wrote, if fasting is to restrain all of one's bodily limbs from impropriety, but it's not limited to the stomach and the genitals. The perfection of this fasting lies in six things. And essentially, to summarize this, genuine fasting means controlling your eyes, your tongue, your ears, your hands, your feet, and your heart and your mind. It's basically about taking ownership of your overall conduct. It's a comprehensive commitment to this excellence inside the body as well as outside. And during Ramadan, Muslims also dramatically increase the amount of reading they do specifically in the Quran. Beyond the five daily prayers that are required year round, many add voluntary prayers late into the night. The entire month becomes basically this intensive spiritual retreat, except you're doing it while maintaining all of your normal responsibilities of life. You're continuing to work. If you're an athlete, you're continuing to play sports. Your family obligations remain, but everything happens with this heightened spiritual framework. Now, if you're not Muslim, you're probably thinking, like, all right, I get the fasting part, but how do you break this fast? Does that have any type of significance? And certainly it does. There are things that you can do throughout the day, whether intentionally or accidentally, that could render your fast invalid. And that requires you to make up an extra day of fasting after Ramadan technically ends up. It's like, you know, if you miss a class or you sleep in, you gotta, like, make up the homework later kind of vibe. This same scholar, Al Ghazali, referenced the Prophet Muhammad's teaching around these standards, saying five things. Break a fast, A lie, slander, tale bearing a false oath, and a lustful glance. But according to Muslim theology, there are a few other things that also cause someone to break a fast. Now, again, this is sort of debated depending on what specific school of Islam you follow or what kind of imam or scholars you know go by. Because, again, these differences can sometimes be nuanced. So the first and most obvious way that you break your fast is if you consume food or water. But again, the rules are kind of complicated. What if you're like, oh, I forgot it was Ramadan. Well, if you do this absentmindedly and you don't realize the mistake, then the fast is still legitimate in the eyes of Allah. I've heard it said that basically your forgetfulness was, you know, granted by Allah. And so he. He fed you. He was the one that gave you drinks. Now, if you accidentally eat or drink something and then you come to your senses, and you realize, like, dang, I ate something, then, yeah, now your fast is broken. Now, different people have different thoughts on this, but this is generally what I've understood from the research. Another thing that can break your fast is, you know, any type of sexually improper act, shall we say, any type of sexual behavior during the daylight, you're not supposed to discharge. As. As they say, this is the whole time during Ramadan in the daylight. So in the alchemy of happiness, it stipulates that if you get too close to your wife, even without intending to have any type of intimate, you know, relations, then you might actually risk this discharge and accidentally let one rip. So that whole day would now be invalidated. And there's another big one that's listed, too. It says, do not willingly vomit or that will break your fast. Which is an interesting, you know, specific note. If you vomit involuntarily, like you're sick, then that's fine. Unless you accidentally swallow some vomit. Then again, your fast is invalidated. Again, these are super specific, legalistic rules. I don't know if the average Muslim would adhere to this specifically. So if you are Muslim, what do you think of that? Let me know. But also, there are some reasons that someone would be omitted from fasting during Ramadan. So Islamic law recognizes that life is complicated, right? Not everyone can fast the entirety of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset. Sick people who need regular food or medication, they are exempt. Pregnant women usually are exempt. Travelers get a pass. You know, specifically, like back in the day, if you're walking through the desert and you're, you know, traveling the entire day, if you don't eat, you might die. So these types of activities require nutrition. And the underlying expectation, though, is pretty reasonable. If fasting would genuinely harm your health or make essential activities impossible, then you are excused. Imagine you are a brain surgeon and you need some type of sustenance in order to do a brain surgery. Then all of a sudden, it'd be like, all right, you can probably break your fast for this reason. But if you're reasonably healthy and you're able, participation is expected. What's up, people? We're gonna take a break really quick because I gotta tell you a little story. All right? This is a story about a man who turned 29 years old, and slowly everything started to fall apart. Not in, like, a dramatic way. Life just got more difficult, all right? You know, the same workouts, all of a sudden, not getting the same gains, you know, in the musculature area, same diet all of a sudden, just, you know, still being a little bit soft around the middle. And around 2pm every day, just feeling terrible brain fog, you know, and not to mention, you know, hair falling out, thinning. And that man is my friend David Sanchez. And so naturally, what did he do? He started to panic. Google, okay? He was like, low testosterone. What do I do? What do I do? And it was terrify. Doctors act like, oh, the solution's casual. Like, yeah, just inject yourself with testosterone forever. Use needles, dirty old needles from the streets of Kensington, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, whatever. All right. But then you actually look at like trt, you know, it's thousands of dollars a year. Could have fertility issues. It could shut down your body's natural production. I mean, yeah, you look better, but it might actually leave you worse in the long run. And that's why there's something natural, something I found called Mars Men. Yes. And I've been taking it consistently. And some men have actually reported, I mean, better energy all day, better focus, stronger lifts, not just a spike, but a steady, consistent drive. And yeah, it's not trt. There's no needles, no synthetics, no dependency. It's designed to support healthy testosterone using real ingredients like zinc, boron, you know, Tonga ali. Things your body actually recognizes and needs to fuel testosterone use. Yeah, I genuinely like it. I just wake up in the morning, toss a couple pills back and I start feeling better and so can you. With Mars Men, I feel great. And you should start feeling great, too. And the way you do that is you go to mengotomars.com and for a limited time, the listeners of this program are going to get 50% off for life plus free shipping and three free gifts@ Mengotomars.com that's right, use the promo code Camp, and you're going to be getting all that and more. And better yet, 90 day money back guarantee. If you don't like it, just be like, hey, this isn't for me. Send it back if you feel no difference, which odds are you won't because 91% of men say that they feel more energetic when they're taking it. But maybe you're in the 9%, you send it back money back. I'm telling you, there's no reason not to try it. And after you purchase, they will ask you how you heard about them. Please say you heard about it from the good old folks here at camp. It really helps the show and it keeps the fire burning. Let's get back to it now. This is all very interesting to me coming from, you know, a Catholic, because Christianity has a similar sort of philosophy, right? For 40 days leading up to Easter, we call it Lent. And I think historically, fasting was way more a part of it. But now it's gotten kind of watered down where it's like, okay, Fridays, you can't eat meat. That's like the whole. Like, that's the whole thing. Four days out of a month, you can't eat meat. You can still eat fish. You can go to Long John Silver's crush a filet o fish. You can get as much salmon as you want, but no, like, steak, which I don't know. It's like, I'm gonna do. I wanna do Ramadan. You know what I mean? Like, I wanna make it hardcore. I wanna do it the right way and actually purify my soul.
- [28:27]
B
It's miserable. It's such a hard thing to do.
- [28:29]
A
How does good God doesn't require existence to be amazing and pleasurable at all times. It requires discipline and suffering.
- [28:36]
B
Let's start with, like a Yom Kippur.
- [28:38]
A
Okay, we'll get. Okay, maybe we can one day we can look into it. We can find out. Now, people who are sick or traveling, they have the option of making up those lost days after Ramadan ends. However, people who are elderly, pregnant, or, you know, they have a chronic illness and they aren't in a position to make up those days after. Well, there are some different things that they can still do to engage in the spirituality of Ramadan. I mean, first off, they can still focus on Allah. They can recite the Quran. They can fast from all these other other sinful behaviors and these thoughts. But there's also some expectation to pay a fidya for every day that you cannot fast during Ramadan. Now, the fidya is an amount of money that you donate every day during Ramadan that goes to the less fortunate. It's a charity, you could say, and it's technically supposed to be able to feed one or two meals to one person per day. You can donate however much you want, but there is a recommended amount depending on where you are, and it ultimately supports that goal. In 2025, it was about US$12 a day. Some sources say that fidya can also be donated in the form of food rather than in money. And ultimately, again, this is the spirit of the law. You know, the letter can be, you know, different depending on where you are in the world, but the spirit is ultimately that if you can't fast from food that day, it's okay. Ramadan is a time of worship and intentionally committing yourself to, you know, God and ultimately building community that's meant for all the believers and not just the physically healthy. Now imagine Ramadan is winding down. There's only 10 days left. These final 10 days are meant to be especially holy. Some Muslims might even, you know, take some time off of work as, you know, as much as they can, depending on what they do. Stay off social media and, you know, as they tighten their waist belt, as is said of the Prophet, and they basically just double down on, you know, these last several days to make worship more intentional and to become more spiritually aligned. And it's all leading up to one very special night called the Laylat al Qadir. This is the night of Kadir. This is known in Muslim history as the night that the angels, by the grace of Allah, presented the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. It's known as arguably the most holy or important night in the Islamic calendar. It's usually celebrated on an odd numbered night like the 27th or something like that, and it leads up to the Jumu Atul Widdah. This is the final Friday of Ramadan. Now it'll be the night of the new moon, aka the end of the 29th or 30th, marking the end of this fasting period. There's only one thing left to do before Ramadan events are officially concluded. Zakat al fatir. This is the final form of charity that all Muslims should do at the very end of Ramadan before the Eid prayer. Its purpose is twofold. One, it's meant to purify the individual from any sins they may have committed during Ramadan. And two, it's meant to assist the poor during Eid al Fatir. This is basically that so that they don't miss out on the celebration as well. And we'll talk about Eid in a second. But according to the amount that was determined by the Prophet in the Quran, the donation should essentially be equivalent to the amount of food that you can scoop up with both hands cupped together. Today, people estimate that to be like around five bucks. And Zakat al fatir is unique because unlike other acts of charity, during Ramadan, it is required of everybody, including children. So the heads of households will often pay a lump sum donation on behalf of every person that they're responsible for within their family. Finally, Ramadan concludes with a massive celebration. It's one of the most joyous celebrations, and it's called Eid al Fatir. Families will gather together, children receive gifts, and communities share these abundant meals. But they're not just celebrating the end of this fasting. They're celebrating what the month represents, this spiritual growth, the self discipline, and this strengthened connection with Allah. So what does this mean for us today? Obviously, Muslims, many of them already know this, right? They will practice Ramadan every year. But if you're not Muslim, what does it mean for us? Well, there's a profound wisdom here that I think any person of any faith, tradition, even secular or agnostic or atheist, there's something here for everyone. In a world that is constantly telling us to indulge every desire, consume as much as you can, seek comfort and pleasure anytime you feel, you know, a little bit uncomfortable. Ramadan gives a different path. It says, true freedom isn't found in satisfying every craving that you have. It's found in mastering them. It's found in denying yourself of these desires. And to the faithful Muslim, it looks like a surrender, right? A gratitude, a submission to Allah. Now, if you're not Muslim, but you know Muslims, and maybe you work with them or you live near a Muslim community, understanding Ramadan helps you relate to them with more depth and respect. Right now you know why this time is so sacred to them and how, you know, their behavior might be different during this period. And you understand that there is a profound meaning behind this discomfort. And if you want, here's a few things you could even say. You could say Ramadan Mubarak. That's a good one. That's basically just like, happy Ramadan. You could also say Ramadan Kareem, which is basically like, you know, may Ramadan be good to you. And finally, at the end of the month, during the time of Eid al Fatir, which, you know, is that big celebration that we talked about, you can say Eid Mubarak, which is basically happy Eid. So there you go. That's basically what Ramadan's all about. And that's why it matters to Muslims. And that is why I think, you know, people should be aware of this holiday. Because, you know, it's something that in a lot of ways, everyone could benefit from. So there you have it. I mean, you don't got to convince me, dude. I am a big fan of Ramadan. I'm a fan of fasting. You know, this. I've tried to get you to fast. How many times? At this point, I'm fasting.
- [34:27]
B
I'm good at fasting, but after 24 hours, I've become such an asshole.
- [34:32]
A
Yeah, you become violent and angry, which you should also fast from. Have you considered that?
- [34:38]
B
Let's start right now.
- [34:39]
A
Let's start right now. 74 hour fast.
- [34:42]
B
No, I mean, listen, I'm all for it. I'm seeing a lot of comparisons of the benefits of like, fasting and excluding your desires and trying to become closer with your spirit to like Buddhism.
- [34:53]
A
That's what I'm saying. I think again, this is the way.
- [34:55]
B
Religions are all, all interconnected.
- [34:58]
A
There is things that every major religion does that I think the things to me that every religion prioritizes. Even if you're not religious, you should look at that and be like, oh, that's what I should do. Every religion is like, hey, be humble. Every religion is like, take care of the poor, take care of the elderly, the disenfranchised, the meek. Basically. Every religion is like, hey, resist desire. Resist the temptation that your body is trying to effuse through you. And ultimately fasting is the thing that comes up all the time. Catholics and, you know, Christians had fasting a lot more within their tradition and it has since kind of gone away.
- [35:36]
B
But when did it go away?
- [35:37]
A
I don't know. Probably Vatican too, if I had to guess. But I don't actually know because our.
- [35:40]
B
Food'S busting, that's why.
- [35:42]
A
Yeah, dude, honestly, because that American cuisine to that McDonald's. Yeah, the 3:00am oh, no. 3:00am McDonald's you could do. It's the 2:00pm McDonald's. That's, that's going to get you tripped.
- [35:50]
B
Up thinking about the whole time.
- [35:51]
A
What's that?
- [35:52]
B
Is hamzat shmayev?
- [35:53]
A
Oh, yeah, Swedish.
- [35:56]
B
Oh, dude, Ramadan falls on Midsummer. It's over.
- [36:00]
A
Yeah, it's tough. That's a tough look. But maybe he's on a weight cut and he'd be like, oh, this is perfect. This works out.
- [36:06]
B
It works out perfectly.
- [36:07]
A
I mean, if I, yeah, if I was Muslim, I would kind of like move your house around a little bit. Yeah. But then I feel like Allah would know. He'd be like, nah, we're not gonna let you get.
- [36:15]
B
Just line it up with the. Was it Mecca?
- [36:17]
A
Yeah. And then you. That's probably the easiest one.
- [36:18]
B
That's definitely the only way.
- [36:20]
A
Oh, not the easiest one, but it's like the most simple one, depending on where you live. Right. Like you're in Antarctica or you're in Alaska and it's just sunny all the time. Yeah, it's like, yeah, okay, I'll just never eat again.
- [36:29]
B
Then you hit a lick during the winter.
- [36:32]
A
Okay, that's, that's, that's how you're going to nourish Yourself. You do four months, no food. Eight months, all the food. Yeah, it's a tough look.
- [36:41]
B
You just skip a snack during the winter.
- [36:43]
A
I think. I don't know, I. I think I'm going to try to do a couple days of ramen on this year. Maybe I'll do the whole thing.
- [36:48]
B
I mean, the water thing is again.
- [36:51]
A
If you can deny yourself water, you can go to the gym.
- [36:55]
B
I'm like, murder someone.
- [36:56]
A
You can go to the gym. You can be. Yeah, you can. You can do. You can work more. You can be like, you know what? I am going to get this thing done, this chore that I've been putting off. And then every time you feel the pain, it's a reminder to pray.
- [37:07]
B
You know what's the last thing I want to do when I'm starving?
- [37:10]
A
What? Be grateful.
- [37:11]
B
Stuff I've been putting off when I'm full.
- [37:14]
A
Look, I'm just saying you should give it a shot one day.
- [37:18]
B
No, let's do it.
- [37:18]
A
When is Ramadan?
- [37:19]
B
When does it start?
- [37:19]
A
This year, I think February 17th, maybe. Fact check me on that. Dinner party. Come on, dude. You need to submit to Allah. Take Shahada.
- [37:30]
B
Let's do it. I did Yom Kippur with my sister one day or one year. She's Jewish, and even that was like, it's tough, dude.
- [37:39]
A
When does it start? February 17th to the 19th. You got it. Dead on. Nice. February 17th to March 19th. Yep. Nice. Yeah, I'm gonna do a couple days. Maybe I'll do the whole thing. We'll see how it goes. No way.
- [37:50]
B
You do the whole thing.
- [37:50]
A
Well, let's just see. But I'm not doing it out of pride. I'm not doing it out of ego. I'm doing it out of connection and spiritual centering.
- [37:56]
B
Let's do it.
- [37:57]
A
Which again, I think, regardless of your religion, this is just a helpful practice that again, will make you deny the internal desire. Self mastery. It's easy to beat other people. It's very difficult.
- [38:08]
B
Muslims are the best. They're some of the nicest people I've ever met.
- [38:12]
A
It's great.
- [38:12]
B
This makes a lot of sense, right?
- [38:13]
A
It's like extreme devotion. Focus. And the whole time you're praying five times a day, plus praying every time you feel hunger, pain. Just imagine. Let's say you're secular. Let's say you're not religious, you don't believe in God. Sure. Every. Just fast. And every time you feel pain, just go. I'm grateful. You don't think that would massively improve your mental health? And make you feel better about the world. You go, you know, what am I grateful for right now? You give you more empathy with poor people that don't have food.
- [38:37]
B
Sweet cream.
- [38:39]
A
What? Two, three days, no food? Forget two, three years. Dagestan. Pretty good. I'm just saying, I'm a big fan. I got no. No qualms with old Ramadan. Except the whole time I was doing, I did think about the Family Guy clip that Christos played.
- [38:54]
B
Can we. Will we get copyright stricken if we play it?
- [38:56]
A
The Radhoman, they're going to bust in here like a swat. Who's they? Christos. The platform that we are on that I don't want to say the name of. Radhuman.
- [39:07]
B
If you're watching this video, look up Family Guy Ramadan and just watch the funniest.
- [39:12]
A
As soon as this episode ends.
- [39:13]
B
As soon as this episode ends.
- [39:15]
A
Yeah. Unless it's Ramadan, in which case it might be improper. I don't think it's an improper joke. I think it's pretty funny. I think it's hilarious.
- [39:21]
B
Do you not. You can use technology.
- [39:23]
A
Yeah, okay, but. But sometimes you should. No, you should stay off social media. It should stay off of, you know, lust. You're going to see a lot of things on Instagram. They're probably improper. It's going to make you an algorithm.
- [39:35]
B
You talk about Instagram like brother.
- [39:36]
A
So many.
- [39:36]
B
Only fans, girls. I don't see any on my Instagram.
- [39:39]
A
Really? Yeah, they're showing you the dudes. Crazy. Anyway. Also Haram. Regardless, guys, this has been another episode of Religion Camp. I would love to know what you think. If there's anything I missed here, please feel free to correct me. Again, I am not Muslim. I was not raised Muslim. And if you were, I would love to know what you think. Drop a comment. I read all of them. YouTube and Spotify and be nice. I really try my best to, you know, try to represent the faith as well as I can. Again, I don't think you can understand a people without understanding the God that they worship. And this is my attempt to understand humanity on a deeper level, because I truly love the people of planet Earth. And that's it. Only planet Earth. I'm an Earth supremacist. But, guys, thank you so much. Appreciate you so much. You guys are the best. And I have great news. If you like this channel, we drop these every week. If you like history, that's more your vibe. We got history Camp. If you like interviews with, you know, top scholars, theologians, military guys, check out Camp Gagnon. Or we also do deep dives on just other random miscellaneous stuff over there. But again, if this is your vibe, please welcome. Stay a while. I'll see you guys next Sunday. God bless you. Happy Ramadan. Ramadan, Kareem. To all the. All my Muslim friends out there. All the Muzzy boys and. Well, you can say that. Yeah. Okay, cool. Come on, dude. Hey, that's fine. And I'll see you guys next time. God bless and see you in the future. Peace.