Wednesday, February 5, 1997
RELIGION:
Fasting Muslim students experience spiritual purification during
RamadanBy Julie Brighton
Daily Bruin Contributor
hen the small sliver of the new moon rose above a tall building
in Westwood earlier this month, Heshmat Ali experienced a "sign
from God that it was time to begin the fast of Ramadan."
The ninth month of the Muslim calendar is, for Muslims in every
country, 30 days of alternate fasting and celebrating to
commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred book of
laws, to the prophet Mohammed.
Muslims believe Mohammed received these revelations directly
from God over a period of 30 days. The revelations are celebrated
this month in order to acknowledge the event in history, and also
to concentrate personally and communally upon developing deeper
spirituality and closeness to the faith.
This Ramadan has been especially powerful for Ali, a fifth-year
psychobiology student, who said that as he watched the moon, he
"felt at one with the lunar cycle that dictates the Muslim calendar
and Ramadan, and the fast took on new meaning …"
This experience has encouraged Ali to return to see the moon’s
signal at the end of the month, and to continue even after the end
of the celebration to be in tune with the moon’s cycle.
Because the Muslim calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the
holiday occurs 10 days earlier each year than the previous year.
This year, the month of Ramadan began Jan. 10 and will culminate
with the Eid Al-fidr, a three-day celebration of breaking the fast
on either this Saturday or Sunday, depending upon the moon.
Although much emphasis is placed on fasting from sunrise to
sundown, one of the most important aims of the month is to bring
believers to greater spiritual awareness and a "regeneration and
clearing of the mind to serve God instead of only oneself," says
Yasser Aman, a fourth-year cell and molecular biology student and
president of the Muslim Union.
This is accomplished by refraining from worldly, nonspiritual
behaviors such as gossiping, swearing and even having sex during
the daylight hours. By sacrificing these activities, as well as
participating in ritual fasting, Muslims hope to achieve
self-discipline and greater closeness to their faith.
Recent graduate Yahya Ibrahim explained these goals by saying,
"Sometimes you get caught up in daily activities and Ramadan gives
you a chance to step back and get in touch with where you have been
and where you are going. It gives a real sense of strength and
closeness to God to survive this ultimate test of your
willpower."
Ali Shaikley, a first-year international economics student adds
that attempting to overcome these common bad habits and vices is a
way of approaching the month’s goal of "purification, not just of
the physical body through fasting, but getting back in touch with
spirituality and the things we take for granted every day."
Jannah Dacanay, a second-year English student and recent convert
to Islam, finds special significance in being able to overcome
small vices in her first Ramadan.
"I feel a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day
and I’m starting to wonder why I ever needed to do those things,"
she says. "You see yourself without all your worldly attachments
and problems and everything takes on a new clarity."
Community-building is another tenet of the Ramadan festivities,
and communal prayers, the tarawih, are held each night of the month
in mosques, homes and even on campus.
Additionally, great emphasis is placed on breaking the fast each
evening with others. Most people celebrate iftar by preparing a
large meal and eating together with friends and family each
evening. Potluck meals hosted by the Muslim Student Association on
campus each Thursday have also been well-attended.
Families and groups of friends come together early in the
mornings to eat and pray together before the fast begins at
sunrise, often giving up precious hours of sleep.
Shaikley admits that he is "amazed that I get by during this
month on three to four hours of sleep per night. But by staying up
late doing extra prayers and rising early to eat and pray, I feel a
great sense of strength and power in my heart that gives me energy,
even when I only slept for half an hour the night before."
While Ramadan encourages closeness to family, friends and
community, many Muslims feel a special closeness to humanity at
large during this month.
By fasting, Shaikley adds, "It is possible to feel the pains of
the poor, to know what they are going through." A sense of unity is
achieved in knowing that people all over the world, rich and poor
alike are fasting and celebrating together.
In addition to fasting every day for 30 days from sunup to
sundown, Muslims are encouraged to perform works of charity,
symbolically giving what they are not consuming to others less
fortunate. Many are engaged in service projects with friends,
family and community members.
Last night marked the 27th day of Ramadan, on which the "Night
of Power" is most commonly celebrated. This celebration
commemorates Mohammed’s night journey into heaven to bring the
angels and spirits back to earth and is considered one of the most
important days of Ramadan.
No one knows for sure on which exact day Mohammed’s night
journey took place however, so the last 10 days of the month become
the most intense, according to Aman. He adds that the last 10 days
are "spent in complete devotion to honor this divine revelation on
earth."
Ali elaborates on the significance of these 10 days, saying that
they are a sort of "added incentive to do extra prayers. Being
completely devoted on the Night of Power is better than 1,000
months of prayer and service in terms of attaining blessings from
Allah."
JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
Students pray at Royce Quad after breaking their fast at sundown
during the holy month of Ramadan. During the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Koran,
Islam’s sacred book of laws, to the prophet Mohammed.