Ramadan in August

Ramadan will occur towards the end of August this year. Ramadan has not fallen in the middle of the summer since the 70’s. You may be wondering how this is possible. Well firstly Islam follows a different calendar which goes with the cycles of the moon. The lunar year is shorter than the solar year which we follow, therefore falling on a different time every year, drifting from season to season. Ramadan goes through all four season in a cycle of 32.5 years. Due to this seasonal sift of the holiday, Ramadan can take place during months of quaking cold or during months of liquefying heat, when the days are long and seem to go on forever. This summer, temperatures will reach up to 120 degrees in some parts of the desert. I try to imagine what it must be like to even restrain oneself from a glass of water but it happens and people do it. In order to understand this I had to take a deeper look into Ramadan.

Fasting is a month long commitment which seeks to cleanse mind, body, soul and community. It began in 662 AD after the Prophet Mohammad migrated from Mecca to Medina. “Ramadan is the month during which the revelations of the Qur’an began. The Prophet Muhammad was meditating in the Cave of Hira, near Mecca, when he “received” the first verse of the Qur’an. “Read in the name of Your Lord who created. He created men from a clinging form. Read, your Lord is the Most Bountiful One who taught by the pen, who taught man what he did not know.” So Ramadan marks the beginning of Islam. The word Qur’an literally means reading or recitation. And during Ramadan the whole Qur’an is read from cover to cover. This happens during extra evening prayers, which are held in congregation. The Imam, who leads the prayer, begins with the first chapter of the Qur’an on the first day of Ramadan, reciting the sacred text loudly. He moves on from chapter to chapter, passage to passage, each night, finishing the complete Qur’an on the last day of Ramadan. Not surprisingly, these prayers tend to be quite long, lasting for to two or three hours. In addition, more pious individuals may read the Qur’an silently at home.”

For followers of the faith, fasting is the sincerest form of worship by both the individual and the collective society. Fasting is regarded as one of the main pillars of Islam along with daily prayers, payment of zakat (obligatory giving to the poor, 2.5% of one’s annual income), and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). While fasting is obligatory for most Muslims there are exceptions to those on medication, people with prolonged afflictions, elderly, young children and breast feeding mothers. Also, if a women is menstruating or if you are traveling you are allowed to eat but are required to make up the extra week at the end.
In the Quran, the purpose of fasting is to practice self restraint. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are asked to restrain from food, drink, sex and all disorderly, abusive and aggressive behavior. Under this category also follows no smoking or kissing. You are to continue on with your daily affairs despite the lack of such luxuries. With the lack of these elements in your daily life one is to become more focused on daily prayer, serving humanity and serving God. Ramadan is not just the month of fasting but also the month of giving. Fasting is to help people feel the pains of hunger and thirst to better understand those less fortunate and appreciate what they have. It moves people to do more for the poor and needy. The financial giving of zakat is also a way to purify ones wealth. “In addition to zakat, most Muslims also give sadqa, or charity. Ramadan is the month when most charity is given and charitable deeds are done. In Britain, Muslim charities such as Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid collect millions of pounds in zakat and sadqa during Ramadan from the Muslim community. Some of this money is distributed to the deprived segments of British Muslim communities, but most goes to development projects in the Third World. Ramadan is also the month when many young Muslims sign up to do voluntary work overseas.”

Ramadan also acts as a social lubricator. Following sunset, families and friends gather together and break the fast (think breakfast, breaking the fast). The month of fasting ends at the sight of the first new moon. Islam places a lot of emphasis on the relationship between humans and the cosmos. The idea is to feel the ripple of time and be as close with nature as possible. The end of the fast is called Eid ul-Fitr. It is a celebration of gifts, cookies and new clothes. You cater to your family and neighbors. Ramadan and fasting is about more than just restraint from bodily desire but it is about becoming closer to God and focusing on serving him and your community with concrete deeds. It is about being the best you can be and being thankful for all that you have and realizing what it feels like for many who do not have what you do.

So while this Ramadan will be particularly challenging due to climatic circumstances it will give people a chance to really show their dedication to God and humanity. I will be supporting all going through this great challenge during the coming August. I respect dearly the commitment they will be making and will pray for good health. I think that we can all learn something from such dedication and good will. Please if you know friends that will be going through this back home be a branch of support for them and it is a great opportunity to open up dialogue and learn about this important Islamic month, a truly selfless and honest month.