Photo: iStock
Meszár Tárik
02/05/2024 09:00
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with Shahada, praying five times a day, charity, and pilgrimage. An important feature of this festive month is that it falls on a different date each year because Muslims do not follow the Gregorian calendar we use, but the lunar calendar, in which a year consists of 12 months and 354 or 355 days. The fasting period begins at the start of the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and lasts 29 or 30 days, depending on when the new moon is sighted. During this time, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise to sunset and must also avoid anger, envy, violence, lust, and gossip. Children under the age of 14, travellers, the sick, pregnant, and breastfeeding mothers are exempt from the above-mentioned duties.
According to the Gregorian calendar, the first monthly fast of Ramadan was observed in the year 624 in what is now Saudi Arabia, in the city of Medina. The story of this can also be found in the Quran (2:183), when the holy book called on Muslims to fast, just as other believers in God did in earlier times: „O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you — as it was for those before you — so perhaps you will become mindful [of Allah]”. By changing the direction of prayer (from Jerusalem to the Kaaba in Mecca) and fasting continuously for a month, the first Muslims felt themselves to be a different religious community from the other monotheistic groups (Christians and Jews) whose followers lived alongside them in Medina.
Today, crowds of Muslims participate every year in the holiest month of Islam, Ramadan. If we take a closer look at the religious traditions, there is no denying that the practice of fasting and praying has remained completely unchanged. However, the cultural aspects of Ramadan already differ significantly from region to region. For example, Muslims throughout Indonesia perform various rituals to “purify” themselves the day before Ramadan begins. In many places in Central and East Java, the purification tradition of padusan is maintained, in which Javanese Muslims immerse themselves in springs from head to toe. In many Middle Eastern countries, cannons are also fired every day during Ramadan to mark the end of the daily fast. This tradition began more than two centuries ago in Egypt. People in the African Arab country also welcome the beginning of the monthly fast every year with colourful lanterns that symbolize unity and joy during the holy month. In many Gulf countries (e.g. the United Arab Emirates), children dress up in colourful clothes and go around their neighbourhoods to collect sweets and nuts in bags while singing traditional local songs. In Pakistan, after the last iftar, crowds of women and girls flock to the local bazaars to buy colourful bangles and paint their hands and feet with henna. In Iraq, on the other hand, they play a traditional game (mheibis). The essence of this is that two teams take turns hiding a ring, which the participants secretly pass to the other players. Their opponents must use body language to decide who is hiding the ring.
Different customs have developed in individual regions and today’s modern societies are more isolated and individualistic than in the past. Regardless, Ramadan offers a return to simpler times and emphasizes the importance of strong social bonds and family values. Through fasting, prayer and expressions of generosity and kindness, Muslims achieve a closer and more meaningful relationship with God.
The author is a senior researcher at the Eurasia Center
