This Reflective journal is based on a interview with a practicing Muslim living in the South East of England and some of his concern in the Muslim world.

1. RAMADAN
Jason
Worsley
DESCRIBE
This
reflection
is
based
on
my
experience
of
interviewing
a
practicing
Muslim
living
in
slough,
I
felt
I
learnt
a
lot
by
some
of
the
foundational
knowledge
I
was
given
on
Islam,
especially
the
five
pillars
of
Islam
on
how
it
leads
to
heaven
and
how
important
it
is
to
practice
the
five
pillars
of
Islam.
I
feel
that
this
interview
was
very
timely
especially
because
it
is
coming
to
the
ninth
month
in
the
Muslim
calendar,
which
is
a
month
of
fasting
for
all
Muslims
across
the
world
and
is
a
key
pillar
out
of
the
five
pillars
a
Muslim
must
practice
in
his
life.
Muslims
are
encouraged
to
make
changes
in
their
life
during
Ramadan
and
doing
well
to
others
in
the
form
of
Zakat
(giving)
and
other
charitable
things.
The
other
thing
I
observed
in
the
interview
was
how
the
five
pillars
of
Islam
has
been
created
to
help
Muslims
live
better
on
day
to
day
basis
and
helps
them
to
stay
in
fellowship
with
each
other
on
a
daily
basis.
The
five
pillar
of
Islam
are:
pray
5
times
day,
Faith
in
God
(Shahada),
Fasting
during
Ramadan,
Pilgrimage
to
Mecca,
Helping
the
poor.
The
foundation
principle
of
Islam
are
in
these
five
pillars
that
keep
a
Muslim
in
the
right
standing
with
Allah
who
promises
them
Heaven
for
doing
what
is
right
while
there
are
on
earth.
The
interview
went
in
detail
on
Ramadan
because
of
the
time
of
this
interview
was
the
start
of
Ramadan
and
I
was
made
aware
of
some
concerns
Muslims
are
facing.
ANALYSE
As
I
analyse
this
interview,
it
is
not
hard
to
ignore
the
fact
that
the
sacrifice
that
needs
to
be
made
by
a
practicing
Muslim
is
hard
work.
The
laws
or
five
pillars
of
Islam
that
gets
someone
into
heaven
are
strict
and
needs
discipline
by
an
individual.
Usman
mentions
a
concern
among
Muslims
in
regards
to
the
discipline
required
for
a
Muslim
to
live
according
to
the
will
of
Allah
by
giving
an
example
of
Ramadan
and
how
people
would
use
it
as
a
get
out
of
jail
free
card
and
suggested
that
Islamic
Scholars
are
always
working
on
ways
to
develop
a
Muslim
journey.
Ramadan
is
one
of
the
five
pillars
of
Islam
and
is
required
by
every
Muslim
it
is
normally
for
30
days
and
is
based
on
lunar
eclipse
and
is
one
of
the
most
important
time
in
a
Muslim
life
where
families
are
re-­‐united
in
social
gatherings
and
fellowship.

2. The
concern
he
carries
is
based
on
how
every
Muslim
should
be
an
identical
image
of
each
other
but
the
sacrifice
he
has
made
to
get
where
he
is
in
dedication
to
keeping
all
five
pillars
of
Islam
is
a
journey
one
has
to
make
and
comes
as
a
sacrifice.
His
second
concern
was
how
people
use
the
month
of
Ramadan
as
a
way
to
clear
their
records
and
after
Ramadan
goes
back
to
doing
whatever
wrong
they
did
before.
Usman
believes
that
this
special
month
of
Ramadan
should
be
used
as
a
way
to
move
forward
in
life
and
not
backwards.
He
mentions
that
scholars
are
always
working
on
new
ways
on
improving
things
through
scholarly
research;
this
shows
that
this
concern
could
be
a
major
issue
amongst
the
Muslim
world.
Even
churches
we
can
relate
to
the
same
issue
we
face
in
the
form
of
only
Sunday
worshippers
and
you
will
not
see
that
member
for
another
week
or
what
we
call
cold
Christians
half
in
the
world
and
half
in
the
church
they
like
to
be
neutral.
Usman
feels
that
there
is
always
a
way
to
deal
with
stuff
for
the
better
and
I
realised
he
is
very
liberal
about
his
views
on
Jews
as
he
completely
did
not
get
involved
with
that
question.
If
there
are
people
who
live
or
work
in
a
place,
which
is
unacceptable
to
Allah,
what
does
that
person
do
as
he/she
finds
hope
in
Ramadan
for
forgiveness
and
to
clean
the
slate
clean
and
start
fresh.
Fasting
for
30
days
takes
a
hit
on
people
health
and
has
a
psychological
effect
but
spiritual
enhancement
is
desired
by
all
Muslims
and
scholars
are
working
on
ways
on
how
someone
could
adapt
to
fasting
which
is
done
once
a
year
and
work
on
ways
for
better
living
according
to
the
five
pillars
of
Islam.
REFLECTION
Ramadan
is
derived
from
the
Arabic
word
ramida
denoting
scorching
heat
and
dryness,
especially
the
ground,
thus
the
word
Ramadan
is
called
to
indicate
the
heating
sensation
of
the
stomach
as
a
result
of
thirst.
While
the
heat
represents
the
matter
that
shape,
form
and
mould
virtually
every
matter
from
physical
to
spiritual
and
renews
a
person
deposition
and
behaviour,
O
you
who
believe!
Fasting
is
prescribed
for
you,
as
it
was
prescribed
for
those
before
you,
that
you
may
ward
off
evil.
Al-­‐Baqarah
2:
183
The
word
“sawm/siyam”
means
to
abstain
or
refrain
from
something.
Technically,
it
means
to
refrain
from
food,
drink,
sexual
intercourse,
and
all
that
which
breaks
the
fast
frim
dawn
to
sunset,
intending
to
do
in
obedience
to
Allah.
According
to
the
Quran
to
attain
God-­‐conscience
and
the
great
reward
of
Allah
in
Ramadan,
a
Muslim
needs
to
make
himself
or
herself
well
aware
with
the
rulings
of
Fasting
and
taught
the
moral
lessons
of
Ramadan.

3. Ramadan
is
not
just
an
individual
experience,
but
it
is
also
a
community
experience
as
the
whole
Muslim
Ummah
fast
together
as
one
across
the
world
by
identifying
with
each
other.
The
strength
of
the
Muslim
community
lies
in
its
commitment
in
goodness,
morality
and
piety
and
this
leaves
an
imprint
of
these
values
in
a
Muslim.
According
to
onislam.net
Ramadan
and
the
Quran
are
linked
together
from
the
beginning
as
the
message
that
was
revealed
to
Muhammad
in
the
same
month
and
this
is
why
is
required
that
a
Muslim
reads
the
whole
Quran
during
the
month
of
Ramadan
and
prepare
their
heart
to
learn
from
Allah.
Ramadan
helps
the
Muslim
world
understand
the
suffering
of
the
poor
and
needy
across
the
world
and
use
it
as
a
time
to
change
the
world.
This
is
why
it
is
also
called
the
month
of
charity
and
sympathy
and
Muslim
will
also
pay
their
Zakah
in
this
month,
which
is
similar
to
tithing.
After
fasting
for
30
days
a
Muslim
would
achieve
Taqwa
(piety).
Taqwa
is
the
overall
result
a
Muslim
achieves
after
fasting
the
month
of
Ramadan
and
is
the
highest
virtue
in
Islam
it
signifies
a
Muslim
is
God
Consciences,
piety,
fear
and
love
of
Allah
with
full
commitment
and
is
person
who
rejects
evil
and
embraces
good.
The
hadith
also
suggest
that
fasting
acts
as
a
shield
for
the
believer
from
sinful
acts,
for
when
you
eat
you
receive
energy
which
could
be
used
by
Satan
to
tempt
you
in
committing
sin
in
another
hadith
the
prophet
says.
Satan
runs
in
the
circulatory
system
of
the
son
of
Adam
in
the
same
way
blood
circulates
in
our
system;
so
tighten
his
passages
with
hunger
Bukhari
This
is
why
fasting
in
the
Muslim
world
becomes
a
shield
as
it
becomes
a
guard
against
archenemies
in
the
passage
of
evil
and
helps
the
believer
in
patience
and
perservance
of
the
attacker.
ACTION
The
plan
of
action
for
the
Muslim
world
would
be
more
academic
studies
and
research
into
Islam
and
by
working
with
local
communities
and
mosque
to
educate
Muslims
on
the
subject
of
Islam
from
a
scholarly
point
of
view,
its
virtues
and
how
one
can
receive
forgiveness
of
his
or
her
sins
and
help
shape
the
world
by
charitable
giving
and
good
deeds.
Academic
materials
such
as
how
one
plans
on
fasting
this
time
by
setting
up
a
calendar
within
the
materials
which
helps
Muslims
plan
Ramadan
and
helps
them
see
it
ion
a
different
form
a
way
where
one
understand
what
he
or
she
is
doing
and
to
achieve
certain
goals.
Materials
could
be
designed
in
a
way
where
a
plan
of
action
for
an
individual
on
what
they
are
going
to
give
and
to
whom
and
the
plan
of
action
should
lead
to
next
Ramadan,
which

4. will
keep
a
Muslim
bound
by
the
five
pillars
of
Islam
and
will
help
them
work
towards
a
goal
in
his
or
her
Muslim
journey.
If
it
is
documented
in
a
way
that
leads
them
down
a
path
from
Ramadan
to
Ramadan,
Year
on
Year
this
keeps
goals
alive
in
people
life
and
makes
us
work
harder
to
achieve
goals
if
this
mind-­‐set
is
adopted
in
a
document
it
will
help
solve
a
problem
Muslims
across
the
world
might
be
facing
in
bringing
awareness
of
Ramadan
and
what
a
person
achieves
out
of
it
and
how
to
live
correctly
according
to
the
Quran
and
the
teaching
of
the
Prophet.
There
is
a
Church
in
Nigeria
that
once
wanted
to
know
the
opinion
of
how
to
make
the
church
better
and
decided
to
give
everyone
a
questionnaire
but
the
vicar
decided
to
put
a
plan
of
action
to
every
concern
they
could
write
down
this
did
not
just
help
people
voice
their
concern
but
made
them
understand
the
church
better
how
it
runs
and
how
it
works
and
the
members
felt
empowered
by
knowing
certain
information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Quran
Bukhari
www.onislam.net