From the moment we are born to
the last rites of our life and every moment in-between we
follow rituals, though some may deny it. Whether we go to
the gym, eat our food, go to sleep, wear clothes, drive
some place, in our intimate moments, going to the mall or
picking that phone up, every turn and every significant
moment of the day is a ritual.
Rituals signify the mile stones of our daily life. Every
turn and every significant moment of the day is a ritual.
It is an unwritten way of measuring our progression; a
memory pattern to bring discipline to our actions.
Discipline is necessary to do things on time, managing
personal relationships, driving to a destination or
keeping within budget to achieve the goals; the result is
worth the discipline to most people. When joyous, whether
we are a theist or not, we have to express that sentiment,
otherwise a sense of incompleteness prevails.
The Spiritual masters have
captured the human gravity for rituals and have molded it
with the art and science of self-discipline in their
respective religion. The noble purpose of each one of them
was to bring a balance in our lives and a balance with
things that surround us; life and environment.
The Spirit of Ramadan
Every faith is composed of a set
of unique rituals to bring discipline and peace to human
life. Fasting is one of the five key rituals that Muslims
around the world observe.
Ramadan is the ninth month of
the Islamic lunar calendar and is generally observed with
a ritual precision; it is an annual training or a
refresher. It requires one to abstain from food, drink,
intimate relations, ill will, ill talk, ill actions or any
temptations from dawn to dusk. One has rise above his or
her baser desires. Islam gifts this month to its followers
to inculcate such a discipline to bring moderation in
their daily lives. Twenty five hundred years ago, Buddha,
the enlightened one taught that human suffering is caused
by unrestrained desire to own and had recommended a middle
path.
Although Ramadan is popularly
known in the West for its culinary delicacies and fancy
Iftaars (ceremonial breaking of fast at sun down), the
spirit and intent of Ramadan lies in a human
transformation in a month long inner spiritual journey of
finding oneself in tune with spirituality.
God has no need for the hunger
or thirst of someone who hurts others, violates their
dignity or usurps their rights, said Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH). The fasting of the stomach must be matched by the
fasting of the limbs. The eyes, ears, tongue, hands and
feet all have their respective fasts to undergo. The
tongue's temptations, for example - lies, backbiting,
slander, vulgarity and senseless argumentation - must be
challenged and curbed to maintain the integrity of the
fast.
Consciousness of behavior and vigilance over action are
the most profound dimensions of fasting: the fasting of
the heart focuses on the attachment to the divine. That is
when Ramadan really becomes a source of peace and solace,
just as Christmas goes beyond the rituals to bring forth
kindness, charity and caring.
True fasting is self-purification; and from this, a rich
inner life that bring about values such as justice,
generosity, patience, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and
empathy - values that are indispensable for the success of
the community.
Knowing about hunger is different from knowing hunger.
Empathy is not an intellectual equation; it is a human
experience. Our hardness of heart often springs from our
distance from the human condition of others. The poor,
sick, disenfranchised, oppressed - we rarely walk a mile
in their shoes, not even a few steps. "Rest assured,"
cautioned one teacher, "if you do not taste what it feels
like to be hungry, you will not care for those who are."
For fasting to be truly universal, its benefits must
extend beyond the fraternal ties of Muslims and must
extend to forging a common humanity with others. Fasting
is meant to impart a sense of what it means to be truly
human, and its universality is reflected by its observance
in Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh,
Zoroastrian and other faiths.
Ramadan will come and go with such stealth that we cannot
but be reminded of our mortality. What is it that we value
and why? Habits, customs, even obsessive behavior like
smoking can be curtailed with relative ease in the face of
a higher calling.
The Rituals of Ramadan
It is celebration time when
Muslims around the world anxiously wait for the first moon
of the ninth Lunar month to appear on the sky. The
families gather in their backyard, or get on the nearest
hillock or climb on the top of their house and wait for
the pencil thin moon on the horizon to appear. It is the
same spirit and excitement to watch the fire works on 4th
of July and when the moon is sighted, it is like the first
day of Christmas, Diwali, Rosh Hashanah, Paryushan or the
Jashn, the festivities begin and with that the joyous
month of self discipline begins.
Rituals vary in different Muslim
cultures, where I am from, it is Chandni Raat, moonlit
night festivities, and it is an expression of joy of
people coming together. It is almost like the National
night out or the last night shopping prior to Christmas.
For 30 days, with small
variations in practices, families rise up early around
4:00 AM. In my tradition, the whole family gathers in the
kitchen and participates in cooking the meals and about 5
minutes before the cut-off time, everyone finishes his/her
food intake and takes the last sip of the water. Right
after that is the Morning Prayer congregation at home or
Mosque, then we are free to do what needs to be done.
Through out the day we abstain
from food, water and any thing that is detrimental to
self-discipline. We pray in the afternoon, late afternoon
and then the whole family gathers in Mosque or homes and
waits for the sunset to break the fast. It is usually a
communal activity rather than an individual act.
When you break the fast it is a
healthy practice to eat the appetizer sized items in
fruits, vegetable and refreshments. Dates are the most
popular item as it was the practice of Prophet Muhammad’s
(pbuh).
The breaking of fast, also Known
as “Iftaar” has become a community event, where Muslims
invite their non-Muslim friends to join in their
celebration of that day. President Clinton started the
tradition of holding an Iftaar party carried forward by
President Bush. It has become a major social event for the
politicians just as it is with Diwali, Rosh Hashanah and
other festivals.
At the end of 29th or
30th day, depending on the moon sighting, NASA
or other tradition, the fasting would come to an end with
the celebration. It is a major celebration where literally
all Muslims gather in an open space and pray the
thanksgiving prayer for having a blessed Ramadan. It is a
day one formally forgives and gets forgiven and starts
another year with good will. Every one hugs three times; I
am your friend, you are my friend and we are friends.
Though the annual ritual of
fasting takes 30 days its true destination is endless. May
we always hunger to discover our heart? May we always
aspire to find our balance, connect with each other, open
our hearts and minds to fellow beings; the joy that comes
with it is ours to keep.
The politics of Ramadan
Since the beginning of Islam,
there have been debates as to what constitutes moon
sighting. Some interpret that there has got to be a minion
to declare that they have seen it themselves with their
own eyes, where as others do not accept it unless they
have seen it themselves. In the United States there is an
organization that monitors moon sighting called the Hilal
committee. At one time it was acceptable if the moon was
sighted elsewhere, but now, each group has to have their
own moon sighting.
Politics run our community
lives, be it a temple, synagogue or church, Muslims are no
different. A few scientifically-inclined-Muslims have
adopted NASA’s calculation, believed to be precise. Today,
four different traditions prevail concurrently; i)
Strictly Calendar, ii) NASA and iii) Sighting with bare
eyes and iv) sighting by others in the community.
The NASA oriented and the
Calendar group misses out the fun, joy and exhilaration of
waiting and watching the moon climbing anything above
ground, including standing on some strong shoulders. It is
like the belief in Santa Claus, Angels and other myths,
each tradition fulfills one’s emotional needs and none is
superior.
In the tradition of Prophet, let
every one celebrate the way their group feels, it is
against the spirit of Ramadan to denigrate, diminish and
devalue other practices. The essence of Ramadan is to
become humble, simple and free from ill-will, anger,
meanness and hate. Let’s fill our hearts with goodwill and
honor Ramadan by saying “Eid
Mubarak” or Happy Eid to every one who celebrates on a
different day in the same town. The essence of Ramadan is
joy and let’s not prick any one’s bubble; God has not
signed a pact with any one behind others back, let’s
rejoice the differences. If you want to celebrate, go to
every celebration.
In spirit of Ramadan, I pray
Ramadan gets into our hearts and minds and make us embrace
all factions of Muslims without undermining their
tradition and further pray that we treat every human on
the earth with dignity, respect and care.
That is indeed the wisdom
expressed in Qur'an,
Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you
male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that
ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of
Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware."
Note: The Author writes similar articles on festivals of
different faiths as time permits. He has written quite
extensively on Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Jewish,
Sikh, Wicca, Zoroastrian and other faiths. The idea is for
us to learn about our friends and how the celebrate or
commemorate their joys and sorrows, so we can share it
with them.
Disclaimer: This essay has
evolved in content, essence and size over the last five
years and continues to add value to it. It is a
compilation of several ideas; similarities of thoughts are
merely co-incidental. God willing it will be become a
comprehensive document on the Spirit and Rituals of
Ramadan for Muslims as well as Non-Muslims.
Mike Ghouse
is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer. He co-chairs the
center for interfaith inquiry of the
Memnosyne Foundation,
president of the
Foundation for Pluralism
and is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television
network discussing interfaith, political and civic issues.
He is the founding president of
World Muslim Congress with
a simple theme: Good for Muslims and good for the world.
His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on
the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website
www.MikeGhouse.net. Mike
is a Dallasite for nearly three decades and Carrollton is
his home town. He can be reached at
MikeGhouse@aol.com
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