RAMADAN - what is it.

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Monday

As you all know, my current abode is in Azrou, Morocco and Morocco is a Muslim country. And the time of Ramadan is soon upon us. Don't worry like most of you I had no idea what this Ramadan thing was all about and due to the fact most of you reading this are not Muslims we have no need or even the curiosity to know. Ah - it's just one of those stupid religious things that those crazy scarf wearing peoples are doing.
I'll admit these were my thoughts too and I did not really concern myself with finding out about it as it did not really concern me. But of course now it's different for me. Don't panic I am not about to accept Islam and start wearing a head scarf, but since I am living amongst this religion I thought it was time I at least take a look at what is happening.
Last year when I was here in Morocco I chose to travel to Europe for the month of Ramadan. The little I had heard about it made a trip to Spain and Italy sound like a much better option. And it was, I had a fantastic time and returned just after Ramadan finished, none the wiser.

However this year I have decided to stay in Morocco for Ramadan to observe and participate in a small way. It would be impossible for me to participate fully as this is not a religion I follow, have studied or even understand and certainly not one I fully agree with. But I am living within a Muslim community so I am going along with the old saying of 'when in Rome...'

I am going to send out a daily blog and share with you my experience of Ramadan. Of course this will in no way be a religious experience for me, so I will only be writing about my personal observations and opinions. I hope to maybe gain something from the following month if only maybe a little understanding of something different.

So please feel free to join me and I hope it will not be too boring for either of us.

I have attached below an extract from a book called 'ramadan-for-all-faiths' By Vago Damitio. I hope this is not breach of copywrite! Anyway this gives a little bit of an explanation of what Ramadan is to those of us who really do not have the first clue.

What is Ramadan?

The Arabic root S-L-M means peace. Peace is that which comes about from surrendering to the will of the divine. Call the divine whatever name you choose, if you surrender to it, you are more likely to find peace.

The word Islam, i-S-L-a-M, is derivative of this root and thus means the act of finding peace through self surrender to the divine. Muslim or m-u-S-L-i-M is also derivative and is the term used for a person who has found peace through surrender to the divine.

It is important to understand this especially today when the original meanings of these words have been obscured by extremists, fear mongers, and ignorant people of all stripes. No matter what your faith, if you are a person who submits yourself to the will of the divine, you will find peace.

And that is what the month of fasting, Ramadan, is all about.

Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. In 2011 it will take place approximately from August 1 to August 30. The reason why it is approximate is that it is based upon the first sighting of the crescent moon during the ninth month. The Islamic calendar is based upon the moon rather than the sun as the Gregorian calendar is based. Since it is based on sight-ability, this is a great place to begin to think about this concept of submitting to the will of the divine. We must wait for the hand of God to reveal the start of this incredibly holy month. Man cannot predict this with any certainty.

Once the crescent moon is sighted, Ramadan begins at sunset the next day. It is a month of
fasting, in which Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking from sunrise until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramaḍān is a time to fast for the sake of the divine and to acknowledge God more than usual. It is a time to ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and to learn that we are better than we know through self-restraint and good deeds.

Historically, Ramadan is seen as the time that the angel Gabriel revealed The Quran to the
Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) and also the time when the Muslims of Medina defeated the animists of Mecca.

How the Ramadan Fast Works

For Muslims, the Ramadan fast involves depriving themselves of many of life’s everyday pleasures. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the hours of daylight. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. As the sun sinks below the horizon, the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar . In the evening following the iftar it is customary to visit with friends and neighbors in the community. The next morning as the sun comes up, the fast is resumed.

The Quran says:
One may eat and drink at any time during the night "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night"

During the fast there is no eating or drinking during fasting times, no smoking or taking of illegal drugs, and no sexual activities.

Muslims believe that a woman having her menstrual period should discontinue the fast and resume it when menstruation is through.

The following five things will take any merit away from your actions during Ramadan:
1) Lying
2) Slander
3) Bearing false witness
4) Talking behind someone’s back
5) Coveting or being greedy



So, hopefully, that give you all a bit of a gist of what it's all about and I will add my perspective as I see and experience it.

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Photos

Azrou's Ennour Mosque
Azrou's mosque is noteworthy for being free-standing, yet in the centre of town. Not surprisingly, perhaps, its name is Ennour, Arabic for "light".

Comments

[Noëlle]

Good idea!
That's really interesting Cindy! I've witnessed Ramadan, but I didn't have a complete idea of it and now you're giving me more explanations! "finding peace through surrending to the devine" : that explains a lot of things I've heard. "We must wait for the hand of God to reveal the start of this incredibly holy month. Man cannot predict this with any certainty. " : This helps to understand the way they think and act. Same idea as the "inch'allah" concept... Thanks for that, I'm going to follow the next posts.Don't forget to talk about something they call "the night of power", most important day during ramadan, I think it's about 4 days before the end. Enjoy your "ftor" (breakfast)!!

[Valmae]

Hi Cindy, Wish you the best of luck!!!The twins used to go to family daycare and they were muslim and practiced Ramadan. I found it fascinating how she would cook all day for her family meals to be had later that night and not be tempted to lick the spoon!!!LOL. Of course I always felt guilty for sending the kids around with their packed lunches but she assured me that it was fine. She had a couple of kids herself with her youngest only 6mths younger than the twins and she explained to me that the kids are not required to participate until they were 10 yrs. Not sure if this was her rule or an allowance widely accepted. Whilst I am obviously not a religious person by any means, there is something to be had by the age of religion. To me religion goes hand in hand with history and I love finding out how they used to live and the traditions that are still alive today. Take care.

[IveBeenThere]

hi Valmae
nice to hear from you. yep I know what you mean about licking the spoon. good thing I don't cook and Zak's mother is the one preparing the food as I don't think I could resist the temptation either. Usually it's just habit more than temptation. And it's true about kids not having to do Ramadan until they are older than 10 - which is fair enough and I have seen the young kids here eating in the streets.