Traits & Habits to Cultivate during Ramadan: Empathy

Ramadan isn’t just a month for fasting, it’s a month of transformation and evolving. The holy month, while it gets us closer to God, opens a window of opportunity to pause and reflect, inviting us to embark on an inner journey of self-discovery, compassion, and building a deeper connection with ourselves and our faith. As we fast, reflect, and pray, let’s make this month a time to nurture new habits and become a better version of ourselves. In a series of articles, we’ll explore how we can harness the spirit of Ramadan to develop new habits, one habit at a time. Today, we talk about Empathy.

 

Fasting every day for a month, from dawn till sunset, hunger and thirst are experienced firsthand, and automatically, we become more aware of others' needs, especially those who sleep hungry not by choice but rather because they lack the resources. They are not abstaining for religious reasons or nutritional practices, they simply can’t find food or water. When we feel their pain or need, we become more focused on charity work, and we shift the focus from ourselves to others – in the community, for example.

 

During Ramadan, we become more aware of how privileged we are; we reflect and come to see more clearly all the blessings we have in life. We understand that others have it differently in life, and for that, we learn that when we are blessed, we have to be a blessing for others.

 

Empathy is not only limited to Ramadan, where we do acts of kindness and some charity work. Empathy is learning to become more tolerant of those who were not dealt a good hand in life. When we become empathetic, we learn how to become more emotionally connected to others, to understand their pains and struggles, and for so, we find ways to make life easier on them. In empathy, we learn how to become more understanding of others' emotions, struggles, and stories; we don’t rush into judgment or bias, and we become more of what we wish we could have found when also we needed some empathy and compassion. 

 

This year, make it a habit to shift the focus from yourself to others. Find it in yourself to be compassionate and choose empathy when you can. Be to others what you wish others could have been to you.