This year (2026 AD & 1447 Hijri) in Malta, Ramadan and Randan did not merely overlap - they began almost at the same time. Such a close alignment is uncommon. Because the Islamic (Hijri) calendar follows the lunar cycle and shifts roughly eleven days earlier each solar year, while the Christian liturgical calendar follows the Gregorian system, their convergence is periodic and rarely so precise. When two sacred seasons commence side by side, the moment carries significance beyond chronology. It becomes a shared spiritual horizon within our national life.
In Islam, Ramadan is a holy month of obligatory fasting, rooted in the Holy Quranic command: "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwa (God-consciousness)" (Quran 2:183). From dawn to sunset, Muslims totally abstain from food, drink, and marital relations.
Nonetheless, in Islam fasting is not limited to physical restraint. It requires abstention from any wrongdoing or harmful speech, including, among others, false statements, harmful conduct, and moral negligence. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught that whoever does not abandon wrongful words and actions gains little from leaving food and drink. Thus, Ramadan is a discipline of the tongue, the limbs, and the heart.
Ramadan's evenings are marked by Tarawih prayers, during which extended portions of the Holy Quran are recited in congregation. These prayers transform the night into a space of devotion and reflection. Central to the holy month of Ramadan is sincere repentance (tawbah), a conscious return to Almighty God through humility and moral reform.
Charity intensifies, reconciliation is encouraged, and believers are urged to show kindness to everyone and to actively support those in need.
Fasting becomes not only abstention from nourishment but also restraint from injustice, arrogance, and indifference.
Christianity, through the forty days of Randan (Lent), reflects parallel spiritual priorities. In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ teaches: "When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do... but only to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:16-18).
Randan prepares believers for Easter through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The prophet Isaiah's words resonate strongly: "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness... to share your bread with the hungry?" (Isaiah 58:6-7).
In both Christianity and Islam, fasting without compassion is incomplete.
For Malta - deeply shaped by Christian heritage and enriched by a visible Muslim community - this near-simultaneous beginning of Ramadan and Randan is noteworthy. It highlights not only shared fasting practices but also deeper common values: reverence for Almighty God, sincere repentance, moral accountability, solidarity with the vulnerable, and the cultivation of mercy.
Both Randan and Ramadan interrupt appetite. They expose dependency. They reveal how easily desire governs human actions. In doing so, they articulate shared convictions: that the human person is not self-sufficient; that desire requires discipline; that justice toward the poor is inseparable from worship; and that sincere repentance, with a firm commitment to change and correct behaviour and relations, is always possible.
What applies to fasting applies to broader ethical commitments embraced by both faiths (Christianity and Islam).
In a modern society often marked by haste and consumption, these concurrent spiritual seasons of restraint offer a quiet yet powerful witness: that spiritual growth requires discipline, that character is formed through self-mastery, and that authentic worship can overflow into service for all of society.
A Concluding Prayer
O Almighty God, Lord of mercy and guidance,
accept our fasting, our prayers, and our repentance.
Purify our speech from harm and our deeds from injustice.
Make our days of restraint and our nights of devotion a means of drawing nearer to You.
Instil in us kindness toward all, strength to support those in need, and sincerity in every act of worship.
As You unite our sacred times, unite our hearts in truth and compassion, and make this shared season of devotion a source of peace and an abundance of Your graces for our society.
Amen.
Dr Samir AbouHussein is a Medical Consultant and Fr. Eric Cachia is the provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco