I fasted for friendship during Ramadan and Lent. Right here’s what I learned.

(RNS) — I visited Lahore simply as the month of Ramzan (or Ramadan) and the season of Lent were about to birth.  

For me, a count on loomed. How form I balance my spiritual obligation as a Sikh with my desire to own harmony, especially with my Muslim associates with whom I used to be staying?   

As a Sikh, I imagine I am prohibited from fasting for spiritual reasons. For instance, Siri Guru Granth Sahib says:  

pujaa vart tilak isnaanaa pun daan bahu dain  

Kahun na bheejae swami bolhae methae bain  

(“Worshiping, fasting, ceremonial marks on forehead, detoxing baths, generous donations to charities and self-mortification: God is no longer gay with any of those, without reference to how sweetly one could well command.”)  

For the first few days, I noticed my Muslim associates eating the morning sehri (or suhur) meal before atomize of day, fasting unless iftar at sunset and performing the five day after day namaz (prayers). Then,I made up my mind I’d undertake a handy e book a rough for one day — no longer for spiritual reasons, however for friendship.  

At my query, round 4 a.m., my Muslim associates woke me up, and we had a gentle-weight meal of sehri with our servant sitting with us at the table — one thing that infrequently ever occurs in India. A loud siren sounded, signaling the initiating of the fasting duration. I stated my morning Sikh prayers, then went attend to sleep.  

Waking up round 9 a.m. or so used to be easy, however the next hour used to be sophisticated. My throat harm and begged for water. Being diabetic, I made up my mind I’d abstain from meals however no longer water during the daytime. No morning “chai” — infrequently ever own I skipped a cup of morning tea. Presently, the early morning abdominal churning passed.  

In the afternoon, my buddy Abdul and I headed to the historical Lahore Polo Club for the finals of the Punjab Polo Cup. The pre-recreation tent show used to be exhilarating, however by the time the recreation began at 3:30 p.m., I had a throbbing headache from hunger. I chanced on walking round helped the headache, though it didn’t pause my abdominal from growling.

RELATED: This Ramadan I’m picking emptiness over exhaustion

At 5 p.m., attend in the dwelling, I mandatory to attend fascinating and determined to cook Hyderabadi layered mutton biryani. It saved me busy till it used to be time to interrupt the snappy a little while before 6 p.m.  

I sat at the table with Abdul, our driver Ali and Bilal. Before us there were dates, strawberry shakes, hot pakoras and sliced apples. Every of us bowed our heads, however my prayer used to be diverse from the soundless prayer of my Muslim companions. I recited the Sabad of Bhagat Kabir enshrined in Siri Guru Granth Sahib:  

Aval Allah noor upaya kudrat kae sab bandae  

Ik noor tae sab jag upjaya kaun bhalae kau mandae  

(“Allah first made the gentle and by its inventive energy, made all contributors. The universe has arisen from the an analogous gentle, so how will we dispute who is proper or injurious?”)  

This used to be a deeply spiritual 2nd for me. I utterly understood the which system of Ramzan — a time to cleanse your body and soul so your proper self can regenerate itself.  

The next morning, I shared with Arif, one among the home workers, a sweeper, about the snappy I had undertaken with Muslim associates. As a Pakistani Christian, he told me, he used to be fasting 24 hours for Lent. “Would you,” he asked, “admire to snappy with me for a day?”   

With out pondering how a diabetic admire me would abstain from meals for 24 hours, I straight stated sure. I then provided to near attend to his dwelling to atomize the 24-hour snappy and meet his family. He readily agreed.  

I chanced on the all-day Christian snappy more straightforward. Eating a hearty meal after sunset with my Muslim associates, I traveled a variety of the next day and headed out to Arif to interrupt the snappy that evening with his family. I used to be welcomed into Arif’s dwelling with a shower of rose petals. We settled in the attend room — which I then realized used to be a makeshift neighborhood chapel. Arif and his spouse, Sana, were pastors in a non-denominational church.  

During the hour-long provider, about 20 contributors sang Christian hymns in Urdu and Panjabi, and a young man performed a shrimp drum instrument. On the tip of the provider, I used to be honored with a garland of roses and a heartwarming shock: A bowl of water used to be brought forth for the pastor and his spouse to scrub my ft. When I asked why, they outlined that this used to be accomplished in honor of Jesus, who had washed the ft of his disciples. Then, we sat on the floor to interrupt the snappy.  

Both experiences of fasting taught me significant classes:   

First, being hungry all day is nothing when put next with retaining your thoughts natty — that requires deep graceful braveness. In my dangle faith, Sikhs are known as upon at every 2nd to cut the panj chor (five thieves) of kaam (lust), Krodh (rage), Lobh (greed), Moh (attachment) and Ahankar (ego). For Muslims, Ramzan exemplifies a same thought of reducing these five thieves in our day after day lives. Fasting in Lent is set reflection, repentance and reconciliation.  

Finally, journeying with our associates — in this case, fasting with them — is a system to show harmony and friendship with our associates of diverse faiths. 

RELATED: What Lent can reveal us about making an strive to get peace by force 

(Tarunjit Singh Butalia government director of Religions for Peace USA and member of the government committee of Faith in Public Existence. The views expressed in this commentary form no longer essentially replicate those of Faith Information Service.)