What exactly is Ramzan?
By Jawhar Sircar
(National Herald, 12
June,2018)
We are passing through a traumatic period
when the very ‘idea of India’ is being challenged by forces that are ignorant
of the contribution of different communities to the architecture of Indian
existence. One of the reasons for this crisis could be that we were complacent
or had taken for granted that the essential faith in multi-culturalitymust have
sunk in after 65 years of existence as an independent nation. We had basically
not taken pains to understand each other’s beliefs, religious practices and
life-sustaining values — in short, each other’s essentially different ways of
thinking. As a result, determined mischief-makers could play upon these ‘differences’
and deliberately spread misunderstanding and poison among the masses. To give
an example, let us see how much non-Muslims know about major Islamic
observances and festivals — except that secular India gave us ‘holidays’ on
these days and those who had friends among them wished them. How many realise
why Muslims go
through a long month
of fasting from before dawn to after sunset. We do appreciate that
is really creditable — their energies call this devotion to be an evidence of
their fanaticism — but few take the extra effort to learn why they do it. As
this month of Ramzan or Ramadan can fall in almost
any season, the period of fast without touching water often becomes rather
long. We all know that Muslims end this month of fasting when the first slice of the Eid moon is sighted as our holiday depends on
it, but beyond this, most of
us know little else about this very major festival of India's largest
'minority'.
So, let us try to understand more about this practice of fast that Prophet
Muhammad instituted in the ninth month of the lunar calendar: to commemorate
the first revelation of the Quran to him. The forty days of fasting before
Easter that the Christians call the 'Lent' may have inspired it though this
mandate is nowhere as obligatory. Some Arabs practiced this
mandatory fast even before
Islam arrived, like the Mandeans of northern Iraq who
were reported by Abu
Zanad in the mid eighth century. As is known, Prophet Muhammad
often turned around quite a
few pre-Islamic festivals of the period of Jahillyah or 'ignorance' into
observances that bore the stamp of ethics and new meaning. There is no doubt that the
Prophet made it compulsory among
Muslims.
Jews observe fast on Yom Kippur and other
religions like Hinduism also
enjoin certain days for
religious fasts. Hinduism prescribes a period of restricted diet like Navaratri, but
most leave it to the individual to decide. The binding observance on such a
large scale as Muslims do all over the world is really beyond comparison.
The Arabs call it Ramadan which is from their root word for scorching
heat or dryness. In other words, it was meant to take physical suffering head
on deliberately — in order to strengthen one's resolve and inner conviction.
This month most of the world's 160 crore Muslims practice strict Sawm and after
a pre-dawn meal called Suhoor and their first prayer Fajr, they do not touch
even a drop of water or any food until the sun sets. It is one of the five
pillars of Islam and the real test is to keep working through the day at the
same pace as the well fed do and not to permit any slow-down despite hours of
dehydration. Islam exempts only the sick or those who are really old or
travelling, as well as women who are pregnant from this rigorous fasting but it
also counsels them to make up for their omission at the first available
opportunity. How long is the fast? India like Arab countries could have it for
15 to 16 hours, while in New Zealand it could be for less that 10. But as we go
up to Europe or North America, daylight hours extend to 20 hours, while the sun
never sets near the North Pole. To obviate extreme rigour, Muslims may simply
stick to the sunset hours of Mecca. Several mosques all over the world arrange for
the entire Quran to be recited over thirty nights in prayers called Tarawih. What
is less known to outsiders is that Muslims are also expected to exercise utmost restraint in every form
of behaviour and abstain from sexual relations during their fast. All forms of
good conduct are amply rewarded by the Almighty during this holy period and
this injunction against aggression or spite is as important as fasting. In this
context, it is tragic to see some fanatics waging a relentless and inhumanly
destructive war on their co-religionists in the Middle East during this holy month.
Just as Yoga is not just contorting the body, Roza
is not only a test of physical endurance: it is meant to infuse moral and
religious virtues and bind the community more strongly. Everyone
knows that many find the fast too rigorous, but the spirit of the family and
community sustains them — even as many look constantly at their watches for the
end of the day’s fast. But it gives them strength of will-power and discipline
and proudly distinguishes Muslims from others. Among its virtues the most remarkable is that of
compulsory charity, Zakaat, which is another pillar of Islam that mandates that
the poor must be given a portion of one's earning as Sadaqah. During Ramzan,
this is increased as religious merit also becomes more. Despite uncompromising
Roza, common Muslims actually celebrate the month and lights and lanterns are
strung in mosques and public places, a tradition that was started in Egypt.
Indonesians and Malaysians light obor torches and twinkling pelita lamps during
this period. In Java, people bathe in hot springs before starting to fast
whereas in some parts of Indonesia a dragon-like creature is taken out on
parade in honour of the winged steed of the Prophet, called Buraq al Nabi.
Giant drums and firecrackers are used to wake up people before the sun appears.
At
the time of sunset, the fast is broken usually with dates and a sweet drink,
followed by Maghrib, which is the fourth of the five namaz that pious Muslim observe
every day. An essential feature of Islam are meals called Iftar that are taken
after the whole day’s fast which is meant to bring the entire community together. It is a different
matter altogether that those who did not observe the fast often joined the
Muslims in this religious meal and the ritual has developed political
overtones. This year Rashtrapati Bhavan has decided not to carry on this custom, which leads to different
interpretations. In any case, Iftar has given rise to a whole genre of culinary excellence and food
markets that are shut during the day bustle in the evenings with tantalising
aromas and abundant choices. Arabs, for instance, move from juices, salads and
appetisers to lamb and other spicy meat dishes, along with rice pulaos that
they call pilaf. They conclude with a rich dessert of soft sweet aromatic
luqaimat dumplings, baklava cakes of nuts and honey and a sweet pastry of
noodles and cheese called kunafeh. The orthodox bemoan the fact that whatever
health benefits one acquires through the long fasts disappear for those who
overeat at Iftar, but humans are made thus. While the rich can afford their
chef-styled Iftars and pre-dawn Sehri meals, peasants make do with rice-cakes
and other equally simply fare.
It is needless to say that most Muslims look forward to the end of the
month with Eid ul Fitr that is popular as Bayrami in Turkey, Russia and in many
European countries. It is also called the Sweet Festival by many and the
"smaller" Eid, like the small Sallah of Nigeria, whose aggressive
Boko Haram Muslim desperadoes had thundered into world news. The sighting of
the thin slice of the new moon is fairly well known to non-Muslims as well, because a public holiday revolves around it. Once
the fast ends, it is compulsory for Muslims to congregate in large public
spaces, often called Idgahs, for this special community prayer. It is then time to visit the elders
of families and seek their blessings. Children enjoy it more as they receive
not only new clothes but cash or gifts as Eidi — much like other
innocent children do, during Christmas or Diwali. People move on to meet their relations and friends,
but such is the power of the day that they greet and hug even complete
strangers. It is custom for richer Muslims in many part of the
world to place large
quantities of foodstuff at the doorsteps of the needy, while some keep money
and delicacies. Sumptuous community meals follow on open rugs and it is time
for chocolate, nuts, cookies like Kahkaa, bakery goodies, sweets of every
conceivable type. Afghanistan does it with sweet cakes and jalebis, while
Indonesians celebrate with a sticky rice preparation cooked in bamboo called
Lemang. The lachcha and sweet seyyunia and dozens of delicious condiments made
of milk, nuts, dates and vermicelli. One reason for sweets is to restore energy
that fasting may have sapped, because at the end of the day, all time-tested
festivals have their own critical reasons.
Eid sermons are an essential element of the entire
religious observance and the entire community seeks to congregate in a spirit
of fraternity and equality — from which others can learn so much. And, despite
provocations, they invariably
seek the mercy of the Almighty and pray for peace unto all mankind. It
is essential for us to understand that Islam has local and national variations
and the India or the sub-continental version of Islam is distinctly different.
The extreme position of some ‘orthodox elements’ to ‘purify’ Islam in this
sub-continent is not only impractical but also contrary to our way of life — that
believes in give and take, accommodation and adjustment. The India we sincerely
believe in is one that happily synergies the best that every community
professes and offers — with common cultural elements interwoven from all
religions — that are ‘Indian’ first and everything after that. It is time we
understood each other better, because that is the only remedy against those who
constantly attack India’s
pluralityand are hell bent ondestroying it — by constantly spreading partial
and misleading information. Our need is to save a India, while theirs is to sow
hatred among communities — to divide and destroy the India of Ashoka, Akbar and
Mahatma Gandhi.
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