Imagine not eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset for thirty days, while completing normal day-to-day tasks like going to school, sports and work. Well this is what approximately two billion Muslims worldwide do as they celebrate the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This year the holiday started on March 1, since it is based on the Islamic lunar calendar, it will continue for twenty-nine or thirty days based on the cycle of the moon. Ramadan is celebrated with a month of fasting, reflection, community and the end celebration Eid.
Fasting:
The fasting for Ramadan means not eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset.
The purpose of fasting is to think of those who are less fortunate, becoming more religious, being grateful for what one has and disciplining oneself.
Linganore High School (LHS) assistant principal Raeda Zietoon, a member of the Muslim community, shared what Ramadan means to her and the reflection that even fasting can offer.
“To think about others, those less fortunate than us, even something like water,” Zeitoon said. “Like you would think oh my gosh I can’t drink water, but there are a lot of countries and a lot of people that are living with unclean water or or no drinking water at all, and so you know even little like things like that make you really stop and think and be grateful for what you have.”
While fasting during Ramadan, Muslims wake up early in the morning before sunrise to eat suhoor translated to the last part of the night, which is the meal like breakfast eaten in the morning prior to sunrise. For Zietoon, this period coincides with when she leaves for her job at Linganore High School.
“The pre-dawn is right before I have to leave in the car to get to work anyway, so I finish drinking my water and my coffee, eat something right before and then just head on to work,” Zietoon said.
To break the fast there is a meal called iftar translated to the breaking of the fast eaten after sunset. The time for Iftar changes every day because the time for sunrise and sunset changes daily, usually by a minute or so.
Sophomore Samira Ammar, a Muslim student at LHS, shared that one tradition her family participates in during this time is eating iftar and praying together.
“Eating iftar together,” said Ammar.
Many in the community do not just eat with immediate family but with extended family like with aunts, uncles and cousins. These meals become more of a communal experience.
“We try to like have meals together for sure and not even just with our immediate family but like with aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers; you know, like the extended family,” said Zietoon.
Some, like LHS freshman Ayat Chaudhary, believe that fasting is not the hardest of Ramadan.
Chaudhary said that while she gets used to hunger, the actual challenge for her is the lack of sleep while continuing to attend school or engage in daily tasks.
“Usually, for me, I struggle with staying awake a lot when it comes to waking up early for suhoor,” Chaudhary said. “I feel like that’s the hard part. Fasting itself isn’t much difficult for me because I get used to it.”
Muslims have different favorite parts of Ramadan, but for Chaudhary, iftar is her favorite part because of the time she spends with family.
“Iftar, break[ing] your fast because my mom [and me], we usually would prepare [meals] before Ramadan making simple dishes to have for the rest of the month,” Chaudhary said. “So, it’s really nice to be close to my mom more, to engage more in what she normally does.”
Reflection:
This month emphasizes the act of getting closer to God or Allah, the Arabic word for God used by Muslims. Muslims try to strengthen their relationship with Allah by reading the holy book the Quran, going to mosques, praying all five prayers, having patience, giving charity, reflecting on their actions, working to improve towards being a better person and repenting for any sins which may have occurred.
The month is supposed to build habits that continue on through daily life, when it is not the blessed month of Ramadan.
“I feel like it’s going to help me in the future to pray more and be more closer to my faith overall,” said Chaudhary
Muslim reflect on themselves to hopefully break bad habits that they might have picked up, working towards more patience, self discipline, self growth, and empathy, while trying to leave traits like angry, jealousy, and discourteous behind.
For Ammar, the meaning or purpose of the month is “To forgive each other and build up yourself as a Muslim.”
Zietoon said that Ramadan is a time to, “get spiritually closer to God and to really be more humane to everybody around you, to be more kind, to think about others [and] those less fortunate than us,” said Zietoon.
Community:
An Important element of Ramadan is the community because Muslims all over the world gather together at this time to break their fast, pray, read the Quran, and give back to the community. Creating a sense of unity, solidarity, belonging and gratitude. In Ramadan, there is a special nightly prayer called tarawih where Muslims are gathering at mosques every night over the span of the month, which contributes to a thriving community. Many mosques, the religious center for Muslim worship, hold events to gather people to come together, such as hosting iftar, suhoor or Quran events. mosques
Chaudhary attended a suhoor night, an event where she was able to go to a mosque in Baltimore known as the Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB), to eat suhoor, pray, recite the Quran, talk with people and buy clothes, jewelry, and food.
“They have been known for hosting a lot of Ramadan-related festivals and such,” Chaudhary said. “And earlier this month, I went to a suhoor night there, at the mosque. It was a really nice experience because not only was it open for just Muslims in general, but a lot of people who were interested in the religion were able to participate.”
Eid:
Eid Al-Fitr translates to the festival of breaking the fast. This is the celebration that occurs after Ramadan, marking the end of Ramadan and the fasting period. Eid is also a reminder to thank Allah for getting them through Ramadan and giving them the strength. It is celebrated in various ways, such as wearing new clothes, participating in the special Eid prayer, gathering with friends and family, giving charity, giving and receiving gifts and eating. Zietoon said her family celebrated by going to the mosque to pray the Eid prayer and then meeting up with friends. She shared that they get food and enjoy each other’s company, while the kids play around. She described it as a really nice time.
Some families create different traditions for what they want to do on Eid to make it more festive.
“We are recently doing this tradition where we’re doing a gift exchange among all the cousins,’ said Chaudhary. This is going to be our fourth year doing it.”
