If you’re a Muslim, you’ve probably heard the term “Ramadan Muslim” be thrown around, especially right now, as we move through the holy month of Ramadan. This term is often used to describe a Muslim who practices more diligently during Ramadan due to its spiritual significance. For muslims, Ramadan is a month dedicated to being the best versions of ourselves both spiritually and worldly, and a lot of us use it as an opportunity to strengthen our faith and build better habits (regularly praying, reading more Qur’an, etc.).
More often than it should be, I’ve heard the term “Ramadan Muslim” used negatively to criticize those who become more practicing during this month than they usually are throughout the rest of the year. For a long time, I viewed myself and my relationship with Islam through that same negative lens. Frankly, I’m not as practicing of a Muslim as I’d like to be—or as I should be. When Ramadan came around, I’d often feel a sense of imposter syndrome while trying to reconnect with my faith, because in the back of my mind, I always felt like a “Ramadan Muslim” who would inevitably fail to maintain those acts of worship once the month ended. Because of that, there were Ramadans when I did only the bare minimum—fasting—because I didn’t feel worthy of engaging in other acts of worship like Taraweeh, Qiyam, or—frankly—even the five daily prayers.
However, somewhere along the way, I slowly began to change how I viewed being a “Ramadan Muslim.” It started with the simple realization that every Muslim’s Ramadan looks different. Just because my Ramadan was shaped by small steps, like praying more often or engaging in more dhikr (acts of worship that involve repeating religious phrases or words), didn’t mean it was any less loved in the eyes of God than someone else’s Ramadan filled with extra acts of worship.
Secondly, I had to remind myself that Ramadan is a month of blessings from God, and those blessings are intended for each and every Muslim. It doesn’t matter if you weren’t the most practicing Muslim before Ramadan came around—every Muslim is deserving of experiencing this month and God’s mercy. And that’s not just some feel-good-narrative I’m putting out there. This idea is quite literally stated by Allah (SWT) Himself.
To quote one of my favorite Hadiths of all time, it is said that if you were to take even one step toward God, he’d come running to you. He didn’t specify that you had to be a Hafiz (someone that’s memorized the entire Quran by heart), nor did God gatekeep Himself by setting some gold standard in order to access Him. Instead, He made it so incredibly simple to draw yourself closer to Him during this month. Who am I to hold myself back from taking that one-step toward Him or restrict myself because of some man-made label?
If you asked me back then, maybe my answer and feelings would’ve been different. But I can wholeheartedly say that it’s infinitely better to be a Ramadan Muslim than not try at all.