West Michigan is home to a growing Muslim population of more than 20,000 individuals. This month, they are celebrating Ramadan, their holy month.
Ramadan involves fasting from sunrise to sunset, refraining from eating or drinking during daylight hours. But its much more than that, creating a spiritual time for the Muslim community.
Imam Kip Curnutt explained, “We believe that there's certain times out of the day, certain times out of the month, and certain times out of the year where God asks you to do more than you would do in other times. And that helps us to kind of build this discipline of spiritual practice.”
Sanad Tyesh, a practicing Muslim who moved to Grand Rapids ten years ago shared, “Ramadan means big month for us, in the Muslim community. Especially here in Grand Rapids. It's the month we get all together. It's the month people help each other, make food, and make a lot of activities together.”
Ramadan is also a time for bettering yourself, forgetting the past to create a better future.
“Ramadan is the month that forgives." Tayeh added "You know people, they get mad at each other before Ramadan, they call each other and say please forgive me. You know, this is the forgiveness month.”
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, that every Muslim must live by.
Imam Curnutt mentioned, “It's a month where we fast during the day, times we don't eat any food, we don't drink any water, from the break of dawn until sunset.” He noted that this time is also an opportunity for families and communities to gather and celebrate completing the fast.
Imam Curnutt described Ramadan as “Really like our boot camp, This is the super intense spiritual practice that we do for 30 whole days, and it's really a transformative experience. Usually we come out of it feeling at a higher level of spirituality than we did before going in.”
The West Michigan Palestinian Cultural Society is hosting its first group Iftar at the At-Tawheed Islamic Center in Kentwood. Imam Curnutt noted, “We've been almost a week into Ramadan, but this will be the first time we have a big communal fast breaking together here in the Mosque.”
The Mosque serves as a vibrant gathering place. Imam Curnutt stated, “Ramadan is a month where the community in Grand Rapids really comes alive. So you see the Mosque will be full of people every single day. So every single night, when we have our Ramadan prayers, the Mosque will be completely packed.”
As Ramadan continues throughout March, it will culminate in Eid-Al-Fitr, a day marked by celebration, prayer, and family gatherings.
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