Sensitivity about posting food pictures on Facebook

BEING RAMADHAN SENSITIVE

Sunday, 29 July 2012

Salaam Alaikum,
Disclaimer- This post is no reproach or criticism.
From:  http://thegirlintheawesomechador.blogspot.com/2012/07/being-ramadhan-sensitive.html?showComment=1343600077325#c5484544226925493714

We're all excited about Ramadhan, and iftaars form a great part of it. Sometimes, to show our happiness or high spirits, we post pictures of what we ate for iftaar, how me made it and how delicious it looked/tasted and share recipes. This is all good in itself, except for the fact that maybe we need to be a bit more sensitive about our other fasting brothers and sisters who might be looking at those pictures.

I recently learnt that it is morally undesirable for a non-fasting person to be eating or drinking in the presence of a fasting person. I remember last Ramadhan when I was in my hawza in Qom, whenever a non-fasting sister (not fasting for obvious female reasons) was obliged to eat in front of me, she always looked at me gingerly and apologized for eating in front of me. I always replied by saying it wasn't a big deal. Alhamdulillah having some experience with fasting, it does not bother me when somebody eats in front of me when I'm fasting. But I realized that there could be some brother/sister who is new at fasting and attractive stimuli as food and its heightened aroma could cause them some discomfort. Here is where we need to be sensitive. Usually on facebook, blogger or other social networking sites, we have friends from different countries or time-zones for whom it is still fasting time while for us it is eating time. Or maybe we have friends/relatives who live alone or are far from family and owing to a busy schedule, cannot prepare a delicious iftaar for themselves. Or- I don't know, maybe someone's just having a real tough fasting day.

Why take the risk of unintentionally hurting them?
Why take the risk of indulging in riya' by showing off our cooking skills or access to delicious food?

I know we have good intentions most of the time. But still, I just thought I'd remind myself just in case and be careful about posting food pictures on my social networking sites.

Have a lovely Ramadhan, and Iltemase du'a! :)