Ramadan

Monday evening, June 6, marked the start of Ramadan for millions of Muslims around the world. This is a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. It begins on the visual sighting of the new moon and lasts for 29 to 30 days.

As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, it is celebrated worldwide and commemorates the revelations of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad. To Muslims, this is a declaration of fasting, faith, daily prayer and charity and the holiest time of the year.

Photo: Minaret in the Old City. Adhan is the calling the faithful to prayer from the top of a minaret by a muezzin five times a day. Recently a muezzin came to the Jerusalem center and demonstrated his "call to prayer" with his teenage son. He said he went to school for 5 years to learn the "call". It involves an extremely difficult technique and voice control. He said he practices about 3 hours each day before the prayer is broadcast from loud speakers. Before a Muslim can begin to worship Allah, he must prepare himself physically and mentally. Physically he must make himself clean for prayer. For this reason it is mandatory for a Muslim to perform a cleansing with water before the commencement of prayer. The Holy Qur’an is quite explicit about this requirement, and states: O ye who believe, when you stand up for Prayer, wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and pass your wet hands over the heads and wash your feet to the ankles. (Ch.5:V.7)

Here are some images of what you might see if you were to walk through a Muslim neighborhood during Ramadan in the Old City of Jerusalem.

During the next month, Muslims refrain from eating food, drinking liquids and smoking during the day. Food and drink is served only before dawn and after sunset.

It's seen as a way to physically and spiritually purify, refraining from anything considered habitual. One of the workers at the Jerusalem Center is giving up sugar and another chocolate.

However, Muslim scholars say it's not enough to just avoid food and drinks during the day. Ramadan is also an exercise in self-restraint. Muslims are encouraged to avoid gossip and contention of any kind. The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate. Ramadan is a time to detach from worldly pleasures and focus on one's inner self. What a wonderful tradition and self discipline that each of us can also observe or learn.

Just before the fast, Muslims have a predawn meal of power foods to get them through the day such as beans spiced with cumin and olive oil, flatbread with thyme, cheese, yogurt, dumplings stuffed with potato and leeks and dates.

Observant Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for the entire month of Ramadan. A single sip of water or a puff of a cigarette is enough to invalidate the fast.

The Israeli military allows Palestinian women over 30 years old and men over 50 years old to enter Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites for Muslims. Tens of thousands pray at Al Aqsa on the first Friday of Ramadan. Al-Aqsa mosque remains open at night during Ramadan and worshipers are encouraged to perform standing in prayer during the night.

Muslims often donate to charities during the month and feed the hungry. Many spend more time at mosques during Ramadan and use their downtime to recite the Quran.

Muslims traditionally break their fast like the Prophet Muhammad did some 1,400 years ago with a sip of water and some dates at sunset. That first sip of water is the most anticipated moment of the day.

Photo: This darling woman mops the entire 8th floor of the Jerusalem Center EVERY day but during Ramadan she goes home early as do the other Muslims who work here. I asked her what people do during their time off for Ramadan and she said, "Sleep."

After sunset prayers, a large feast known as iftar is shared with family and friends. Iftar is a social event and people stay up late to eat and socialize. Every night of Ramadan, mosques and organizations set up tents and tables for the public to have free iftar meals. Across the Arab world, apricot juices and yogurt-based drinks are popular drinks that are served.

Not everyone is required to fast. There are exceptions, however, for children, the elderly, women who are pregnant or are nursing, people traveling, the ill and athletes during tournaments.

The end of Ramadan is celebrated by a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr. Children often receive new clothes, gifts and cash. Muslims attend early morning Eid prayers the day after Ramadan. Families usually spend the day at parks and their normal meals and eating returns. Muslims attend early morning Eid prayers the day after Ramadan. Families usually spend the day at parks and eating — now during the day.

I hope that during this next month we will all take time to observe, learn, and appreciate the commitment and devotion of those who participate in Ramadan. Each day we continue to learn something new and each day brings us a little more appreciation for the customs and traditions of our brothers and sisters throughout the world.