What you need to know to share the gospel with Muslims after Ramadan

After the month of Ramadan comes to an end, there are a myriad of emotions that your Muslim friend might go through. It is the most important month of their year, and their spiritual fate rests on their performance in fasting and praying.

If you aren’t caught up on what Ramadan is, read this blog first and then come back so you can have a full understanding of what is happening during this Islamic holy month.

As Christians, understanding what our Muslim friends are going through spiritually or possibly feeling can help us connect with them on a deeper level. The door for spiritual conversations may be more open after a month of such intense spiritual focus for Muslims.

How does a Muslim feel after successfully fasting all of Ramadan?

Islam is a religion based on humans trying to earn Allah’s favor and earn their salvation. 

There are five required things every Muslim must do to gain the possibility of gaining Allah’s favor and entering paradise. Ramadan is one of these five required actions, a required month of fasting. If Muslims successfully fast, they are told that it wipes their slate clean of sin from the previous year. 

Muslims who are able to fast every day and observe all requirements of prayers and reading the Quran often feel a sense of self-righteousness. They have honored Allah perfectly and believe they wiped their slate clean of any sins they committed in the prior year.

Muslims who successfully fast and now feel accomplished try to keep this feeling as long as they can. It is a sense of pride, inner cleanliness, and perfection, but they cannot keep their performance up year-round to match it, and inevitably drop out of this spiritual high.

Muslims can even strive for something “better than perfection” in Ramadan. There are 6 additional fasting days in the month after Ramadan. If a Muslim perfectly completes Ramadan and successfully fasts on these dates, then they are told it is equal to fasting for a whole year. Now Muslims get more assurance that Allah could be pleased with them, but there is no certainty.

But it is important to note: there is no guarantee of getting into paradise for Muslims, except in the case of jihad. Even if they have decades of perfect Ramadans and extra fasting, there is no promise from Allah.

What if a Muslim cannot successfully fast for the entire month of Ramadan?

Since Muslims are humans, it is inevitable that some of them fail to fast during Ramadan.

Devout Muslims who are trying to fast perfectly but fail often feel empty and helpless. They fear punishment from Allah for failing one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Muslim leaders encourage them to make up for the days they did not fast right after Eid al-Fitr (the feast of breaking the fast). If a Muslim misses some of the fasting days due to illness or other reasons, they are given the chance to redeem themselves by fasting before the next Ramadan comes.

If a Muslim is more of a nominal follower and not truly invested in Islam, they are relieved that Ramadan is over. They can go back to their normal life without the pressure of putting on an act of caring more than they do.

How do Muslims make up for missed fasting days after Ramadan?

Right after Ramadan ends, there is a 3-day feast called Eid al-Fitr, where Muslim communities around the world throw lavish parties and celebrate with their family and friends. It is similar to Christian celebrations around Christmas.

Muslims cannot fast during these three days of feasting. But once Eid al-Fitr is over, Muslims can make up for every day they were unable to fast. So, for example, if a Muslim is sick for four days during the month of Ramadan, they need to fast for four days once Ramadan ends.

If a Muslim fails to make up for their missed fasting before the next Ramadan, they are required to pay a fee for the previous year’s missed days, along with fasting an extra day. This “redemption fee” is called a “fidyah.”

Fasting repercussions for women after Ramadan

Muslim women are required to refrain from fasting in Ramadan when they are on their monthly cycle. Many women these days have started taking treatment to stop their cycles during the month of Ramadan so they can fast the entire month.

A Muslim mother who has just delivered a baby must not fast. She is considered unclean and cannot pray or fast for 40 to 60 days. But this does not mean she is released from making up her fasting days. She will still be expected to make them up once this period of uncleanliness is over.

This becomes such a burden on women, who sometimes miss the full month of Ramadan for one or two years if they are pregnant, have delivered, or are nursing. Often, the days start piling up for them, and they have to pay the redemption fee. 

How can Christians reach Muslims after Ramadan? Questions to ask your Muslim friend after Ramadan

The entire concept of Ramadan, fasting, and the redemption fee is based on humans being able to earn Allah’s favor and hopefully get into paradise.

Muslims have to carry the weight of their sins throughout the year and hope they perform well enough to have them wiped clean during Ramadan.

Muslims are taught that Allah will weigh their good deeds against their bad deeds after they die. There is a chance that even if their good deeds outweigh the bad, Allah could still not favor them and not allow them into paradise– this is why Muslims are so fearful and often passionate about following rules perfectly. You can learn more about what Muslims believe happens after death here.

As Christ-followers, we know that this life of shame and fear is not what God wants for us! While your Muslim friend is living in the repercussions of Ramadan, no matter how well they think it went, you can ask them questions and tell them about the free gift of grace Jesus offers us. 

When you are talking about salvation and sin, it helps to learn what your Muslim friend believes and then introduce them to the biblical definitions. Here are some questions you can use to get a conversation started:

• How does it feel believing that you can work to wipe out your sins from the past year? Is it a lot of pressure?

• Do you ever feel you have done enough fasting and praying to receive complete forgiveness from Allah? 

• Have you ever heard that Jesus paid the price for our sins because we cannot do it ourselves? This is what I believe, and I’d love to share more!

• Isn’t it hard not to get a guarantee of salvation or paradise?

This is also a great time for you to share Bible verses with your Muslim friend about how God freely offers us salvation:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Prayer for sharing Jesus with a Muslim

Dear Lord, please give me wisdom to answer my friend’s questions. Bring the right verses to mind to share with them. Open up their heart to receive the truth about who You are. Amen.