Ijaz 1 University of Manitoba RITUAL ANALYSIS Ramadan Aiman Ijaz 7913320 Western Religions 1324 Ijaz 2 Ramadan, also known as the sacred month of fasting, is celebrated and holds great significance.During this month, the holy book of Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, making it compulsory for all Muslims to participate in. For Muslims around the world, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar is filled with endless blessings, purification, and worship. This month helps people focus on self-improvement, and devotion while also bringing the communities together through the meals shared at dusk. The thirty days of fasting lead to the celebration and festivities, the favorite day of every Muslim around the world, known as Eid-Ul-Fitr. Ramadan holds the power of being the holiest month of the Islamic Calendar and has great significance in Islam, as Muslims around the world restraining from food, water, and sexual activities, from dawn to dusk with the purpose of becoming closer to Allah and learning piety and righteousness, as fasting encourages forbearance and discipline. The beautiful month of Ramadan begins with the sighting of a new moon, as Islamic rituals follow the lunar calendar. The new crescent moon is the indication of the beginning of Ramadan, which determines whether Ramadan is going to last 29 or 30 days. Muslims around the world wake up for Suhoor, the time before the first prayer of the day, called the Fajr prayer. Suhoor is a very important part of fasting, “Suhur is recommended by the Prophet Muhammad in his Sunna, or tradition, and many Muslims rise early before Fajr to consume food and drink that help them prepare for the upcoming day” (Saleem and Curtis 87). Fajr prayer begins 5 minutes before sunrise and is the indication to put down all foods and drinks, and begin fasting. Later at noon, Duhur prayer is performed which is the second prayer of the day that a Muslim is obligated to perform. The following prayer is the Asar prayer during late afternoon, around the time that the preparations for Iftar begin. Iftar is the meal that breaks your daily fast and it begins Ijaz 3 at the fourth prayer call of the day called Maghrib prayer. Maghrib is performed at sunset, followed by a feast to end the fast and is typically celebrated in gatherings. After Maghrib comes the last and fifth prayer of the day, called Isha, which happens after dark. While praying and abstaining from eating and drinking, you are also required to keep away from sexual activities, temptations, and slandering. The month of Ramadan consists of many restrictions and rules to follow; such as performing all five prayers of the day, reciting the Holy Quran and going to the mosque (for men mainly). During Ramadan, Suhoor is the time to start a fast, and Iftar is the time to end the daily fast. During Suhoor, most people focus on eating protein filled foods, and drinking lots of water. Iftar on the other hand is celebrated with a big feast, different in every culture, but always filled with fruits, and protein filled foods. During the hours between Suhoor and Iftar, there are many restrictions that an individual is required to follow while fasting. Acts such as kissing, sex or any intercourse is prohibited, and considered a sin which would break your fast. Although, once you have performed Iftar and ended your fast, a married couple can certainly kiss and hug as it is allowed in Islam. Another act that is prohibited is to gossip or slander one another. To speak ill of one can break your fast as you are not maintaining a pure conscience and intentions. Unintentional acts such as vomiting or menstruating while fasting may break your fast. If a person breaks their fast unintentionally, it is still valid and counts. Although, breaking your fast purposefully has strong consequences. To purposefully break your fast leads to many bad deeds and means you must make up for it. Isha is the last prayer of the day but during Ramadan a special prayer called Tarawih is performed, “’whoever prays at night in Ramadan out of sincere faith and in the hope of reward from Allāh, then all his previous sins will be forgiven” (1, Book: 32, Ḥadīth No: 226).’” Ijaz 4 (Distagir 5). Tarawih is performed at mosques by an Imam, (a religious leader) where you pray rakats, and ends off with a series of emotional prayers. It is a big gathering of people, who perform prayers together, and focus on worshipping. Along with tarawih, Ramadan also comes with the blessed night of Laylat- al Qadr. The blessed night of Laylat- al Qadr, “is the night of power, which can take place any day during odd nights in the last ten days of Ramadan'' (Saleem and Curtis 93). Sunni’s believe it occurs on the 27th night of Ramadan, and Shi’as believe it to be the 23rd night, due to prophetic differences. The blessed night of Laylat-al Qadr is the night when angels descend to earth and is known to be the most significant event in history. The night holds such great impact that according to Prophet Muhammad, any prayer during this time is to be answered. Muslims gather at mosques, or even at home, and devote their whole night to worship, prayers, and reciting the Quran. As this month is said to be the most significant month of the Islamic calendar, “every good deed you do in Ramadan is multiplied, so going to the mosque to pray is even better than praying at home or feeding the poor is even more blessed in Ramadan in deeds (Saleem and Curtis 83). The month holds such great significance as it marks the first revelation of the Quran sent to Muhammad. This is also the month when the historic battle of Badr took place, “Victory in this battle strengthened the status of Muslims as an emerging force for the Arab world” (Dastagir 4). Due to these two crucial events of Islam occurring during the time of Ramadan, it holds its historical significance. The historical significance of the word Ramadan comes from the Arabic word “Ramad,” which means “to burn” and “to restrain.” Ramadan is given its name as it means to burn anything that attaches people to materialistic things, “to burn...that attaches human beings to the material world and incites a person to commit all manner of evil” (Dastagir 2). The Ijaz 5 name has a historical significance which contributes to the purpose of Ramadan; staying away from materialistic things, focusing on worship and becoming closer to Allah. Along with fasting, to recite the Quran and donate to charity are all good deeds that every Muslim aims to do in order to gain the maximum amount of blessing. Donating to charity, also known as Zakat, is also one of the 5 pillars of Islam, alongside Ramadan. Muslims take advantage of the fact that every good deed you do is multiplied during Ramadan and fulfil their obligatory zakat by donating 2.5% of their wealth to the ones in need. Many Muslims also give Sadaqah (voluntary charity), to contribute to their blessings and good deeds during this holy month.Those who you cannot give Zakat to are your spouse, children, parents and grandparents due to the close relationships. Zakat and charity can be both given to anyone who lacks the basic needs and doesn’t meet the nisab threshold, which is the minimum value of wealth one must have to give Zakat. Although Zakat is obligatory for all Muslims, a person who doesn’t meet the nisab during one lunar year is not expected to give any Zakat. The act of Zakat and charity is to not only maximize one’s blessing but to minimize the suffering of another. Due to this sacred month of Ramadan being one of the five pillars of Islam, every Muslim is expected to actively participate in it, with few exceptions. All adults without health conditions, and children who have reached puberty, are expected to complete all 29 or 30 fasts. The few exceptions for abstaining from fasting are for pregnant (and/or) menstruating women, an ill or travelling person, and anyone with a serious health condition. Abstaining from fasting during the month of Ramadan, due to any of these reasons, means that you are expected to make up for the missed fasts. As stated in Surat Al- Baqarah in the Quran, “Yet if one among you is sick or is on a journey [such a person shall then fast] the same number of other days.” Every child that has reached puberty must fast, meaning anywhere from the age of seven to teenage Ijaz 6 years is a normal time for an individual to start fasting. The agreed upon age is said to be ten years old, but a child is expected to be exposed to the idea of fasting as early as possible. The religious narrative that comes along with the time you take off from eating and why it was chosen as the act of purification is to reflect on your spirituality and adherents of Islam. Another reason is to feel the pain of the less fortunate ones, “’The hunger pains make you remember people who never get to break their fast because it’s their life’” (Saleem and Curtis 84). By not eating and drinking, you focus on the things you take for granted; it helps you reflect on all the blessings that Allah is to be thanked for and worshiped for. As said in the words of Quran “’Remember Me; and I remember you’” (Dastagir 11). That saying of the Quran is the reason why one must spend as much time as they can to remember Allah, and be grateful for all your blessings, as well as to ask for forgiveness for sins. It teaches you forbearance and discipline through all the restrictions that are applied on you. Forbearance is applied when you are to refrain from any food intake, sexual desires, music and foul language. The discipline comes from being able to follow all the rules and restrictions allowing one to achieve all their religious goals. The act of discipline is taught as you have set times of starting and ending your fast and praying at the designated times. The purpose and end goal for every Muslim participating in Ramadan is to learn the hardships of the ones in poverty, to use the time to pray and focus on following the righteous path the Quran explains. Along with focusing on the righteous activities, you are also to reflect on your wrong doings, “indulging in lust, temptation, and lowly desire and involving oneself in backbiting, slandering, jealousy, hypocrisy” (Dastigar 2). Ramadan is a time to reflect on past experiences and actions to set religious goals for the rest of the year. By participating in Ramadan, one is following the path that would lead to heaven, “When the month of Ramaḍān begins, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Ijaz 7 Hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained” (1, Book: 31, Ḥadīth No: 123)’” (Gastigar 11). As the devil is said to be chained during Ramadan, the wrongful temptations are lowered in one's spirit. The restricted temptations allow one to focus on the words of the Quran and devote all your time to worshipping Allah, which in turn betters one’s self. Prophet Muhammad fasted during Ramadan and opened his fasts with a date and glass of water. It is considered a Sunnah to open your fast with a date, which have remained an important food item of Ramadan. Dates have been a ritual from the beginning of Ramadan and very few things have changed in terms of the fasting rules. The ritual of celebrating Eid-Al-Fitr after Ramadan has also been a ritual that has been in place for a while, that Prophet Muhammad has celebrated following a victory battle. Eid-Al-Fitr is celebrated by all the Muslims around the world, to celebrate the end of Ramadan. It is a day that consists of family gathering, money giving, big feasts, and most importantly the Eid prayer. Overall, the rituals have remained the same but the only change that happened was to the ritual of Tarawih, “Prophet Muhammad did pray Tarawih during Ramadan, he did not do so in the manner that many Sunni Muslims do today- a tradition that was established later by his son-in-law, good friend, and third Caliph Umar al-Khattab" (Saleem and Curtis 90). As Ramadan is a ritual written in the Quran, it is expected to be followed by the words of Prophet Muhammad and Allah. No person or individual is allowed to change any rituals of fasting or create their own rules of fasting and Ramadan. In conclusion, Ramadan holds the power of being the holiest month of the Islamic Calendar and has great significance in Islam as Muslims around the world restrain from food, water, and sexual activities from dawn to dusk with the purpose of becoming closer to Allah. This enables learning piety and righteousness, as fasting encourages forbearance and discipline. It is a month that results in the purification of one's soul through endless worship, and Ijaz 8 self-reflection. Through participating in this holy month, every Muslim feels a little closer to Allah than before and to their religion of Islam. Refraining from all the foul and sinful actions of life eventually helps you experience a lifestyle that Allah considers to be the right path for you. Overall, fasting and spending more time worshipping helps you see the righteous path the Quran guides every Muslim to which is the gateway to ultimate destination of heaven. Ijaz 9 Works Cited Jaikumar, Pearline, editor. “Ramadan.” Cultural Studies: Holidays Around the World, 6th ed., Omnigraphics, Inc., Detroit, MI, 2018. Credo Reference, uml.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-credoreference-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/cont ent/entry/hfcwd/ramadan/0. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020. Saleem, Jackleen. “Holidays.” The Practice of Islam in America, by Edward E. Curtis, New York University Press, 2017, pp. 83–98. EBSCOhost, web.b.ebscohost.com.uml.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=29b2b1c6-8a3 2-4b05-83db-3d5e28219194%40pdc-v-sessmgr05&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl 2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=1497324&db=nlebk. Distagir, Golam. “Ramadan.” Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, edited by Zain R. Kassam et al., 2018th ed., Springer, Dordrecht, 2018. Khalil, Mohammad Hassan. “Why Ramadan is called Ramadan:6 questionsanswered." Conversation: An Independent Source of Analysis from Academic Researchers, edited by Conversation, The Conversation, 1st edition, 2018. Credo Reference, https://uml.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entr y/conversqauq/why_ramadan_is_called_ramadan_6_questions_answered/0?instit utionId=1217. Accessed 09 Nov. 2020.
