With its month-long array of beautiful rituals and meditations, Ramadan offers an enriching pause from the demands of daily life, allowing people to cultivate compassion and prioritise truthfulness in both small and significant ways.
As a Muslim observing the challenging yet cherished daytime discipline of refraining from food and water, the experience within a multicultural landscape is particularly fascinating. In a society often fixated on material pursuits and instant gratification, fasting provides a sense of contentment that cannot be found in worldly possessions.
As I walk past restaurants and the aromatic coffee shops of Melbourne, the inner struggle to resist temptation serves as a vivid reminder of what hunger and thirst must feel like to millions of people. While poverty is not as visible here as it is in other parts of the globe, this experience confronts the invisible greed that often compels us to do things we would disapprove of, were others to act in the same way.
In stark contrast to the chaotic juggling of multiple responsibilities I encountered during my previous fasting experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ramadan in Australia provides a more relaxed rhythm to daily life. It synchronises work, rest and leisure with the movement of the sun. Fasting begins at sunrise and concludes at sunset, yet the overarching sense of being in a state of meditation lingers throughout the entire month. This immersion in a soul-cleansing process helps instil the lovely values of truthfulness, kindness and charity that endure long after Ramadan has ended.
In Melbourne, the coolness of dawn feels refreshing as families prepare for a day of fasting and reflection. For more than half of my life I would wake before dawn to the soft call of the adhan echoing from neighbourhood mosques. Here that has been replaced by the digital beeps of an alarm, a reminder of the changing nature of my surroundings. The absence of mosque speakers amplifying the call to prayer in this diverse Australian community is, for many Muslim migrants, the first aspect of life in this new country that fosters harmony and coexistence.
Our neighbourhood mosque’s prayer leader shared a heartwarming story of a Scottish lady who had lived next door to him for decades, kindly offering citrus fruits from her garden to the children heading to the mosque for prayers. His first sermon addressed the value of being a good neighbour and, the following day, he spoke on the importance of truthfulness in relationships to a packed mosque of people from a variety of ages, genders and cultural backgrounds.
Ramadan is not merely about abstaining from food and water; it is also a time to refrain from even the smallest acts of selfishness, impatience or dishonesty in all areas of life. As stated in the second chapter of the Qur’an, al-Baqarah:
Fasting has been prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may learn self-restraint.
The Qur’an positions fasting as an act of worship, designed to foster taqwa – a deeply personal sense of self-awareness, motivating individuals to continually strive to do good and avoid harm.
Ramadan helps to dispel the illusion of “maturity” based solely on self-grooming or moral conduct, reminding us to pause and reflect on our words and actions. It cultivates self-discipline and a profound sense of empathy.
In Islam, as in many other religions and ethical systems, faithfulness is not only about the performance of rituals – it is also about one’s behaviour and treatment of others, particularly during the challenging task of fasting. One’s true commitment and regard for others is tested in these moments.
Ramadan also serves as a deadline for Muslims to “cleanse” their finances and assess their charitable giving. This practice aligns beautifully with the Australian tradition of charity and volunteerism. In a world that often appears divided, this shared commitment to giving brings people of all faiths together, united in universal values of compassion, honesty and service.
Zakat, the charity obligation for Muslims, is one of the five pillars of Islam. As expressed in this hadith: “Zakat is a right that the poor have upon the rich.” The Qur’an provides a clear framework for gauging one’s wealth, instructing the faithful to set aside a minimum share for charity each year and ensuring it is given with sincerity.
In this sense, truthfulness is not just about being honest with others – it is also about being honest with oneself. Performing these charitable acts with integrity during Ramadan is not merely a transient task but an opportunity to adopt a lifestyle rooted in honesty, selflessness and transformation. The act of sincere repentance, or tawbah, during Ramadan offers a chance to rid oneself of negative traits and focus on inner growth.
