While almost 1.6 billion people observe Ramadan worldwide, often within families or communities, it is a deeply personal time. Following the holy month in a non-Muslim majority country has challenges, such as the potential pressure to break your fast, and you can feel lonely.
You may wish to embrace this solitude – after all, Ramadan is a time for deep self-reflection and strengthening your relationship with Allah. But the holy month can also give you a new opportunity to form and deepen bonds with other Muslims in your community, and share more of your faith with others.
5 Tips to Help You Observe Ramadan Away from Home
Plan ahead
The best thing you can do for a successful Ramadan away from home is to plan out the month carefully.
Give yourself a simple but thorough schedule, to be reassured so you have the reassurance that you’ll never be stuck without a suitable place for prayer or caught with empty cupboards at iftar time. Keeping busy will also help you keep your mind off food during the day, especially when many others around you might be eating!
Think of ways to keep yourself occupied and strengthen your iman – would you like to read more of the Qur’an or deepen your understanding of it? Maybe there are other Islamic books you’d like to read. You might wish to devote time to self-improvement or breaking bad habits.
Plan your shopping in advance too. You may not be able to get all the same foods you’d rely on before moving abroad, so it can help to plan out meals in advance to ensure your suhoor has you well set up for the day ahead.
If you are observing Ramadan alone, or have close family elsewhere , look for ways to involve your loved ones in your day remotely. For example, if you struggle to wake up for suhoor, you could ask family members to give you a call to help you wake up and greet the day – make sure the time difference works for everyone.
Build your community
Perhaps you don’t know many other Muslims nearby, or you’d like to cement friendships that aren’t yet fully formed. Ramadan is the perfect time to do this.
A great way to make or strengthen connections is to bring food to fellow Muslims for iftar or invite them to break their fast with you. Another option is to take lovingly prepared food to your mosque to share at iftar – why not break the ice while you break your fast?
Ramadan is also the ideal time to strengthen your connection with your local mosque. Attending Taraweeh prayers can bring you closer to Allah, new friends, and your masjid . Classes and lectures may also be given throughout the month that can help you meet any personal self-improvement goals you’ve made.
Give dawah
While Ramadan offers a chance to grow closer to fellow Muslims, you may also be surprised how open and interested many non-Muslim friends are in learning more about the holy month and your faith.
Sharing the purpose and meaning of your fast and Ramadan can be an act of dawah. It may also help you forge deeper bonds with those around you as you help them understand such an essential part of your life.
You could invite non-Muslim friends and neighbors to join you in iftar, fellow Muslims, sharing dates, water, and stories and allowing them to experience an important part of your culture, not just hear about it.
Volunteer your time
Volunteering is a wonderful way to make your holy month worthwhile and ensure you don’t feel alone . This could be one way of giving Sadaqah. Are there nearby charities that could use a hand? Perhaps there’s a chance to make a real difference in your local community. Or you could help in the mosque, keeping it tidy or preparing for iftar.
Your mosque and local community center are good starting points for finding the perfect volunteering opportunity. And you could see if there are ways to help Islamic Relief Canada by checking their volunteering pages.
Bring a sense of home to your Ramadan
Even if you have family in Canada, you may still feel homesick during Ramadan. And if you are observing the month alone, it may not just be loved ones that you miss during this time.
Special family or local traditions are part of what makes Ramadan so special. And incorporating a piece of home into your practices can help you observe the holy month successfully, wherever you are.
You could prepare a favorite meal from home for suhoor, write out a passage from a beloved book or play a special song every day. Meeting friends for iftar and asking everyone to bring something with personal Ramadan meaning for them to share can bring new life to your traditions and help you create new ones in your adopted home country.
Ramadan in Canada
Ramadan 2023 is expected to start on Wednesday, March 22, though it depends on the actual sighting of the moon.
Canada’s big cities have the largest Muslim populations. If you live in Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal, you’ll have a large Islamic community around you. The bigger cities usually have a good selection of stores selling Halal food as well as gifts and decorations for Eid.
Sending money from Canada during Ramadan
Ramadan can be a tough time to be away from family and loved ones or live in a foreign country. You may want to send money back home to help towards the blessed month or Eid celebrations – or you might have family who want to help fund your own experience.
With Western Union, you can reliably send money from Canada to India, Pakistan, or wherever it’s needed. It’s so quick to transfer funds via the dedicated mobile app and web –that makes sending or receiving money abroad so simple.
