Eight
Tips on sharing Ramadhan with your neighbours
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: "He is
not a believer who eats his fill while his neighbor remains hungry by
his side." (Baihaqi)
"By Allah, he has no faith (the Prophet
[SAW] repeated it three times) whose neighbors are not safe from his
wickedness." (Bukhari)
Ramadan is a great opportunity to share
Islam and more specifically, its values of spirituality, generosity and
kindness with others, especially your neighbors. It's a great time to do
Dawa. And Dawa is very much needed in the current atmosphere of anger,
tension and sadness.
Here are some ideas on how you can
share the joy with your neighbors this Ramadan.
01.
Begin with Dua
Make Dua that Allah give you and your
family the sincerity, strength, motivation and wisdom to do this. Dawa
is hard work, and it needs preparation, commitment and organization.
02.
Put up a Ramadan banner on your door
This can be something handmade or
something more formal.
But don't stop there. Print out a fact
sheet on Ramadan and stick that on the door to educate readers passing
by about the blessed month and what it means to Muslims.
03.
Send neighbors Iftar snacks
Include a note with the food that the
month of Ramadan is here and you are sharing your joy with them.
You can offer snacks that are not just
"Muslims" but also "non-Muslims" (i.e. American, African, Middle
Eastern, Indo-Pakistani, etc.). You can include index cards with the
snacks listing all of the ingredients. This will help neighbors avoid
food that causes allergies.
04.
Give kids Ramadan Mubarak balloons and candy
Let your neighbors' kids also feel the
happiness of Ramadan by including chocolate and candy among your snacks.
Balloons also add a nice touch, and if you can get some printed which
have "Ramadan Mubarak" written on them, they may remember the blessed
month even after it has passed.
05.
Publish Ramadan information in your neighborhood newsletter
If you are part of a tenants'
association, a group within your housing complex or your neighborhood
block parents' association and they publish a newsletter, inform them
about Ramadan and prepare a short write-up about the month. This is a
great way of informing many more neighbors about Ramadan.
06.
Have a neighborhood Iftar gathering
You don't have to invite everyone.
Perhaps just the closest neighbors can attend this event. Send handmade
invitations for an "Iftar gathering" at most a week in advance (avoid
the word "party" as it may be misunderstood to mean a gathering
including alcohol, loud music, etc.).
Ask about allergies or other food
issues before establishing the menu. Include vegetarian, American and
"ethnic" food.
Be sure to invite Muslim family and
friends who are comfortable interacting with non-Muslims to this event,
and brief them about how they should properly share Ramadan with the
neighbors. Also, have some written material on Ramadan available for
your guests.
At the gathering:
Be cordial, generous and friendly, but
maintain Islamic rules of behavior and modesty. This should not be a
"party" in the common understanding, but more of a religious celebration
that is spiritual and respectful to all.
Don't impose information. Just let
non-Muslim guests ask questions, if they want to. As well, be ready for
questions about
Islam and violence/terrorism, the oppression of women, etc. Give
neighbors the benefit of the doubt and clarify their misunderstanding in
a calm, gentle manner.
07.
Get your kids on it
Tell your kids to inform other
neighbors' kids what Ramadan is all about and have the children invite
their classmates to your Iftar gatherings.
08.
Talk about what Ramadan means to you
What's it like to fast? How do you
work/go to school and still fast? These are some questions you may be
asked. Don't just point your guests to the pamphlets. Tell them and use
some personal examples they can relate to.
Adopted from soundvision.com with
slight modifications. |