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| Sunday, 2 November 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Ramazan : Fasting - a means to highest virtue by Jayanthi Liyanage It has always been a matter of admiration in the eyes of non-Muslims, that in Ramazan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslim people take care that not a single morsel of food, liquid or solid, passes through their lips from dawn to dusk. The close-knit nature of the Muslim community and the devotion with which they conform to the daily ritual of prayer in itself inspires awe.
The month of Ramazan is counted in lunar months, as against solar months. What is Ramazan?, was the question I posed to a Muslim friend, Fatima. "It is a month of restraint from excesses," was her answer. A month in which the toning down of day-to-day luxuries helps them to rediscover the priorities of life, and to separate what is important, and what is not so important. In short, Ramazan, seems to be an annual period of the year, in which to ponder on the meaning of life. Starting with the sighting of the new moon for the ninth Lunar month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims all over the world, may they be men or women, rich or poor, begin to fast for 30 days, of one accord. Throughout the world, this ritual has not changed much fundamentally, creating a strong bond of unity among Muslims across different regions and ages. As such, fasting is followed in the world of Islam, which makes about one billion in world population, scattered across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, West Asia, Turkey, the Far East, Malaysia and other parts of the globe. In this unity of the principle of ritual, no matter in what customs it may be veiled seems to lie the strength of the Islamic population across the world. Except for the sick, the old above 67 years of age and the young below seven years of age, and pregnant and lactating women, the fast is obligatory for all Muslims. Even the urbanised and cosmopolitan young, with a few exceptions, take up the ritual of fasting during the daytime, suppressing the customary urge to have tea, coffee, water, snacks or cigarettes, turning their thoughts to the renewal of soul. This obedience to the wishes of God - Allah, by complying with the spiritual practice of cleansing through fasting is the fourth pillar of the five core pillars, on which the religion of Islam is founded. It is indeed, a month of rapprochement of people with God, as it was on the 27th day of Ramazan, known as Lailathul Qadr, when the first revelation of the Holy Quran was made by the Angel Jibreel to the Holy Prophet Muhammed at Mount Hira in Arafath. Fasting does not mean a mere abstaining from food or drink, but also an abstaining from over indulgence and activity of thought, sight, speech and desires of lust or hatred. "Unless one is getting married, no one holds any kind of function during the month of Ramazan," says Fatima. "You are supposed to restrain from all excessive practices as this period is considered to spiritually elevate you. Naturally, the benefits accruing to you in this month are far greater than you receive in other months, as you gain greater insight through fasting and prayer. Intrinsically, you would feel at least a bit better than you were before fasting." Fasting seems to be a concept which was in existence even before the religion Islam emerged. Which is why the Holy Quran states, "O Ye! Who believe fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may become righteous. (Holy Quran 2-184). The extra Rakath of prayer, called Tharaveeha, if made properly during Ramazan, could instil new faith in Islam followers and give them a fresh lease of life in the months to follow. Writings on "Ramazan or the Month of Fasting" by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din states that Islam has introduced a new meaning into the institution of fasting. According to him, fasting, prior to Islam, meant the suffering of some privation in times of mourning or sorrow. It also was a system of mortification and penance. "What a misnomer of theology and a trite conception of religion!," remarks Kamal-ud-Din. "Islamic fasting is neither mortification or a wicked starvation...It is only a means, and a potent means, for the reform of our morals and the best ethical ideal for one to strive for...Islam does not content itself with saying that humility and gentleness are the highest of virtues, but has laid down rules showing how these can be possessed and exercised." And fasting is one such rule. One learns this humility through the empathy with the poor and the needy, experienced during fasting, says a Muslim research writer. "How can you empathise with the poor without your body and mind actually feeling their hunger pangs and suffering?" Therefore, in adhering to the third pillar of Islam, which is Zakath or Sadaqa or charity, Muslims are enjoined to bequeath a certain amount of their income to the less fortunate during Ramazan. Fitra rice is given to the poor at the end of 30 days when Ramazan is celebrated with festivity. What can the non-Muslim learn from the compulsory fasting of Islam? "However, elevated in society you are through education and career advancement, you are compelled to adhere to the basic norms of Islam," points out the researcher. "The fellowship, conscientiousness and devotion acquired through such norms could bring orderliness and discipline to society, arresting its deterioration." But mere fasting and Mohammedan prayer would not serve its purpose of rediscovering one's spirit in life, unless it is practised with genuineness of heart, Fatima hastens to assert. The principle of fasting, which is an elixir to the dying - not only in body, but also in spirit - offers a lesson to all those who come from other religions. ******* Hotels and restaurants adapt to Ramazan With subha, the first prayer of the day, fasting begins at dawn. The fast is broken at the time of Ifthar, the sundown, at the time of the evening prayer, magrib.
Some of Colombo's hotels and restaurants have special arrangements to break fast, with an Ifthar buffet being offered to in-house guests and customers. A sampling is given below. Hilton Hotel - Curry Leaf Restaurant - Ifthar buffet from 6 p.m. Hotel Holiday Inn - different breakfast menus to customers and house guests who begin fast, at 4 a.m. Ifthar menu in the evening at the Coffee Shop. Galadari Hotel - breakfast only on guest request. An Ifthar buffet of Arabic dishes at 6 p.m. at Sheherezade Arabic Restaurant. Colombo Plaza Hotel - early morning breakfast and break-fast meal only at the request of house guests. Ifthar is offered at the end of 30 days. Dine-More restaurant - conjee, samosa, soft drinks and dates in the evening, to a clientele made up partly of the staffers in offices around. |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
As
dusk spreads over the sprawling city of Colombo, Muslim homes get busy
with preparation of food to break fast. Generally, the fast is broken with
dates and water, followed by kanji, a broth made of rice with chicken,
beef or mutton pieces, coconut milk, ginger and garlic, which is said to
have a cooling effect on the digestive tract, deprived of food for long
hours. Also on offer are faluda drinks, samosa and sweetmeats such as
gulab jamun, sanja, muscat and halwa.
