EPISODE 4: Ramadan 2026: How to Be Intentional with Your Muslim Friends (Pray, Fast, Party)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION:
Ramadan starts February 19, 2026—and this is one of the most strategic times of the year to engage with your Muslim friends.
For 30 days, Muslims fast from sunup to sundown. No food. No water. No smoking. No swearing. And MORE praying, MORE reading, MORE giving, MORE openness to spiritual things.
So why not join them in their spiritual quest, in our own way?
In this episode, I'm starting with "Ramadan for Dummies"—a simple explanation of what Ramadan is and how your Muslim friends actually experience it. Then I'm sharing three practical ways YOU can be intentional during this sacred month: pray, fast, and party.
Whether you have one Muslim friend or you're surrounded by them in your neighborhood, this episode will give you specific, actionable ideas for how to deepen your friendships and open doors for spiritual conversations during Ramadan.
This isn't theoretical. These are things I've done myself—from fasting with my Afghan refugee friends to hosting an Iftar picnic by the pond in my neighborhood. And I'm inviting you to do them too.
IN THIS EPISODE:
RAMADAN FOR DUMMIES: What It Is and How Muslims Experience It
✔️ Ramadan 2026 dates: February 19 - March 19 (30 days determined by moon sightings)
✔️ What fasting looks like: No food, water, sex, smoking, or swearing from sunup to sundown
✔️ What increases: Prayer (5 times daily), reading the Quran, giving to the poor, spiritual openness
✔️ Why this matters: Muslims are more spiritually sensitive during Ramadan than any other time
✔️ How your friends experience it: Community, celebration, spiritual devotion, and exhaustion
THREE WAYS TO BE INTENTIONAL DURING RAMADAN:
- PRAY: If they can pray every day for a whole month, we can pray once a day for 30 days
What to do:
- Order the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World booklet (adult or kids version)
- Keep it on your kitchen counter—read one page after dinner every night for 15 minutes
- Alternative: Sign up for Frontiers USA email series for daily stories and prayer prompts
- Options: "Searching for a Father" (fictional family experiencing Ramadan), "Hidden Treasures" (cultural objects central to Muslim life), "All Things" (themed prayer series)
Why this matters:
- Your prayers fill the golden bowls that are the prayers of God's people (Revelation 5:8)
- Smoke from those prayers fills the temple in heavenly places (Isaiah 6:4-7)
- If ALL of us prayed for Muslims EVERY DAY for 30 days, imagine the impact
- FAST: If they can fast for a whole month, we can fast for ONE day
What to do:
- Pick one day during Ramadan to fast exactly like Muslims do
- Wake before dawn, eat a BIG breakfast, drink lots of water, do your prayers
- Go without food and water the entire day (set aside 3 focused times to pray)
- Spend the hour before sunset making a big meal for your household
- Break your fast at sundown with joy and celebration, then pray before bed
Why this matters:
- You taste the discomfort, surrender, and giving up of yourself for a greater purpose
- You identify with your Muslim friends—walk in their shoes for a day
- It gives you something powerful to TELL them: "I fasted with you"
The response:
- They'll smile, be pleasantly surprised, and ask "Why?!"
- Your answer: "I'm fully submitted to God, like you. I want to pray more, like you. And I want to experience your traditions and culture in a small way."
- PARTY: If they're celebrating every night, why not join them?
What to do:
- Ask your Muslim friends if you can come to an Iftar meal (the break-the-fast celebration at sundown)
- Best approach: Tell them you're fasting for a day like they do, then ask if you can come celebrate with them that evening
- Offer to bring food too (hallal)
- Since hospitality is a high value in Muslim cultures, they'll be honored you asked
Why this matters:
- It's kind of lame to go to a party where everyone is SO relieved to eat when you haven't felt the pain with them
- Combining fasting + Iftar meal = deep friendship and spiritual conversations
- You earn the right to pray with them and open the Bible together
Personal stories shared:
- Two years ago: Afghan international students/refugees invited me to their home for Iftar
- They prayed in front of me with deep reverence to God
- After dinner, I prayed for them and we opened the Injil (Today's Persian Version Bible)
- Last year: I hosted an Iftar picnic by the pond in my neighborhood
- Laid out dates, nuts, fruit, juice, sweets on a red blanket under twinkly lights
- They brought Persian food, I made a traditional Afghan stew from an internet recipe
- Told them I fasted all day praying for them—they couldn't believe it!
- This year: They invited me back again
KEY TAKEAWAY:
May God show himself personally to Muslims all around the world as they fervently seek his presence. May God reveal Jesus as the way to God and give them his Spirit as a deposit for a future eternal inheritance.
You have 30 days. Three simple ways to be intentional. Let's do this together.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
✅ Inviting Muslims to Follow Jesus Course:
A quick, practical 5-lesson course with 30+ videos to help you build bridges and have spiritual conversations with Muslims—without getting into arguments, feeling frozen, or needing to become an Islam expert ($147, or watch free 10-minute video and get $50 off)
👉🏼 www.jeanniemarieacademy.com/invitemuslims
✅ 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World: Order the booklet (adult or kids version—personally, I use the kids version!)
✅ Frontiers USA Prayer Series (Free Daily Emails): "Searching for a Father" - Follow a fictional (but realistic) family experiencing Ramadan
👉🏼 www.frontiersusa.org/searching-for-a-father
✅ "Hidden Treasures" - Discover ancient traditions and cultural objects central to Muslim life
👉🏼 www.frontiersusa.org/hidden-treasures
✅ "All Things" - Themed prayer series
👉🏼 www.frontiersusa.org/allthings
✅ Ten Ways to Find Ten Friends Guide (Free): Practical ways to find and befriend people from unreached people groups in your community
👉🏼 www.jeanniemarieacademy.com/tenfriends
Today's Persian Version Bible:
A contextual Bible version to give Afghan Shia Muslims to read the creation story in Genesis
Available on Amazon
CONNECT WITH JEANNIE MARIE:
Website: www.jeanniemarieacademy.com
Instagram: @jeanniemmarie
Blog Post: Read the full blog version of this episode at www.jeannie-marie.com/blog/41
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:
Are you going to do any of these three things during Ramadan? Pray for 30 days? Fast for one day? Get invited to an Iftar meal?
DM me on Instagram @jeanniemmarie and let me know! I want to hear your stories and cheer you on.
And if you try one of these ideas and something amazing happens—definitely tell me. Your story might encourage someone else to take the step.
WHAT'S NEXT:
Next week: Episode 5 - How to Eat An Elephant: Doing Big Dreams One Bite At A Time
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