The holy month of Ramadan is likely to begin tonight with the sighting of the crescent moon after sunset. As a Muslim, I’ve been busy preparing for the month and sharing online about my experiences. My hope is that by sharing openly, I can help to bring us closer together as community members whether or not we practice the same faith. It’s been really exciting, too, to see non-Muslims on social media learning about Ramadan and sharing their experiences online by making videos.
Preparing for Ramadan
This Ramadan, I’m excited to share my experiences as a Muslim woman living in Western North Carolina. I create a lot of social media content highlighting the wonderful food and drink, things to do, etc. here in WNC. Since I’ll be fasting, my posts will have a lighter flow of those kinds of videos and I’ll do more vlog-style sharing about my life.
@rundainwnc I’m also excited to share more middle eastern cooking videos if there’s excitement for that! #westernnorthcarolina #828isgreat #wnc #ramadan #islam ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan Grocery Shopping
Ramadan is not about cooking and making huge feasts. However, if you’re fasting all day (no, not even water!) it is pretty important to have healthy and filling meals after. There’s no big Middle Eastern Grocery in Asheville, NC – we usually go to Greenville, SC or another big North Carolina city to stock up on groceries.
@rundainwnc Welcome to bite-sized learning about Ramadan and my life as a Muslim in WNC. Sharing and learning about each other promotes peace 🩷 #ramadan #wnc #westernnorthcarolina #828isgreat #asheville ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan = Fasting…but what else?
Fasting from food and drink…yes! But also fasting from bad habits like gossiping. Making intentional time for increasing good habits. Reading from the Qur’an. Taraweeh prayers. Charity.
@rundainwnc What part of this video is new information to you? This is video 2 in my Ramadan series. Once my blog is up and running, I’ll make sure you can watch them all without having to sort through my Western North Carolina content. ❤️ #ramadan #islam #westernnorthcarolina #wnc #community ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Why do Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan?
The simple answer? It’s required of Muslims in the Qur’an to fast during Ramadan, it’s a practice of self-discipline and becoming closer to God. Fasting also reminds us of the privilege we have in having access to clean water and ready food, keeping us humble and thoughtful.
Fasting is not meant to put our bodies in danger or be more of a burden than can be handled. There are many exemptions to fasting such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, being on your period, illnesses, traveling long distances, etc.
Usually, if somebody has an exemption because of something that is for a fixed period of time they will make up their days of fasting on other days of the year. Otherwise, there is also “fidya” or a charity payment made to replace days of fasting missed for long-term reasons.
@rundainwnc I’m preparing for the month of Ramadan as a Muslim in Western North Carolina! I’m happy to share more about my religion to promote awareness and peace #muslim #ramadan #westernnorthcarolina #fasting #religion ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan 2026 Goals
This is the month in which the rewards from God are multiplied by many fold. It’s a great time to set spiritual goals and have a reset button on your daily life. My goals include being a better role model for teaching my kids about Islam, working on the Arabic needed to complete my prayers, reading more Qur’an, and expanding my memorization of the Qur’an.
@rundainwnc How do you relate to Ramadan in 2026? Are you a non-Muslim curious to learn more? A new Muslim fasting for the first time? A lifelong Muslim preparing for new goals to strengthen your faith? Let me know! #muslim #ramadan #ramadan2026 #religion #peace ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Decorating for Ramadan
Some Muslims choose to decorate their house for Ramadan. For those of us who live in non-Muslim majority countries, it feels good to help build the excitement for our kids about the month. But it’s also important to not overdo it and lose sight of what the month is really about.
I asked a North Carolina lazer engraving shop, Blue Ridge Lazer of Wilkesboro, to create some custom Ramadan decorations for me. They came out beautifully and I’m excited to use them year after year!
@rundainwnc Thank you @BlueRidge Lazer for these wonderful decor items that I will use for years to come! #unboxing #ramadan #westernnorthcarolina #northcarolina #laserengraving ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan Greetings and Fasting in the Workplace
If you work with Muslims and you’re wondering what to say at the start of Ramadan – here are some options! You could say, “Happy Ramadan” or in Arabic “Ramadan Mubarak” or “Ramadan Kareem”.
Don’t overthink eating in the office, Muslims in the US are not expecting our non-Muslim coworkers to not eat or hide their food during lunch. However, there’s a difference between eating your lunch as usual and walking over to your Muslim colleagues to tease about fasting. We’re not jealous of you, we’re choosing to fast!
@rundainwnc For me, eating in front of me has no effect and I carry about my day as usual. When I taught, I still sat with my coworkers at lunch. For others, if they are bothered they will usually find their own accommodation during lunch time. Hope this eases your mind if you’re worried about eating in front of Muslim coworkers 🩷 And this of course is the perspective of someone in a country that is not Muslim majority. #ramadan #ramadan2026 #religion #fasting #peace ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Wishing everyone a blessed Ramadan and can’t wait to continue sharing with you!
Much love, Runda
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