Ramadan: A month of fasting and spiritual connection
As the sun rises, Muslims worldwide rush to drink a bit of water and swallow one last crumb of food before Fajr, the morning prayer. Tired faces with full stomachs begin laying prayer mats pointing toward Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. Knees hit the floor, foreheads kiss the ground and Fajr commences, marking the beginning of the daily fast.
“It’s difficult, the first few days, then you get used to it. The hardest is the third day,” said Muhammad Hassan, a Santa Monica College (SMC) student.
Feb. 28 is the beginning of Ramadan, a month-long fast in the Islamic religion. As Ramadan continues, students try to balance their lives while simultaneously participating in the Five Pillars of Islam, core practices and beliefs meant to guide Muslims.
In Islam, Ramadan is considered the holy month; it’s the commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad receiving the first verses of the Quran from the archangel Jibril (Gabriel). At the end of the 30 days, a celebration known as Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast) occurs.
During Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to participate in the Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Sawn and Hajj.
Shahada is the declaration of faith. Salah is prayer, with five obligatory prayers throughout the day, and one optional prayer at night. Zakat is charity and Sawn is fasting. Lastly, Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam.
“We get closer to God and we focus. Most people aren’t religious, most days; but during Ramadan, we’re obligated,” said Ines Zine, a SMC student.
From the hours of dawn till dusk, observant Muslims refrain from food, drinks including water, smoking, sexual relations and derogatory behaviors.
According to the the Quran (2:185), “Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the decisive authority. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then let them fast an equal number of days after Ramadan. Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful.”
“This a commandment of God, for us to fast. Fasting teaches you to discipline yourself. You have food. You have water, but you don’t drink it. You have a wife, but you don’t have relations with her in the daytime until you break your fast,” said Mouhamadou War, chief of security at the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City.
War said, “Some of us fast Mondays and Thursdays, it’s like a habit. It cleans your body. Fasting will make you understand that you have food, but some people don't. When you’re eating, sleeping, and having a good life, some other people suffer in their lives. Fasting will discipline you to think about others and feel for those people too. It makes you understand what is the creation of the human being, because most humans think only about themselves.”
Depending on one's location, the fast can vary from 12 to 16 hours. According to a study by the National Institute of Health, some symptoms of intermittent fasting include: headaches, mood swings, lethargy, dehydration and low blood sugar.
“Some people get tired. Your sleeping schedule isn’t right,” said Zine.
“I don’t think about it because if I do then it’s going to make it even worse,” said Ahmed Abdallah, an SMC student.
According to Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, “After a few days of fasting, you are likely to have raised your level of endorphins — pain-blocking chemicals in the brain that reduce stress, increase alertness, and enhance your feeling of wellbeing. Fasting has also been shown to assist weight loss, reduce levels of bad cholesterol, improve digestive health, reduce blood pressure and resting heart rate, and improve memory.”
To help students complete Salah, the Student Equity Center at SMC offers a brothers-and-sisters praying area, located on the lower level of the Cayton Center.
Salah was originally 50 prayers, but after convening with the Prophet Moses, the Prophet Muhammad went back to God and asked him to reduce the prayer count. It was agreed that five obligatory prayers would equate to 50.
According to different verses throughout the Quran, Salah builds a spiritual connection and moral clarity, while also honoring God.
The Quran (29:45) states, “Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, genuine prayer shoulder deter one from indecency and wickedness. The remembrance of Allah is an ever greater deterrent. And Allah fully knows what you all do.”
“It’s more because of that connection, to clean yourself. You say, ‘From now on, I’m going to change my life, become closer to God.’ To become a better human being and stay away from everything. Ramadan is the month you prepare yourself for next year and many years. We pray every day to God to give us a long life, to meet many Ramadans,” said War.
Eid al-Fitr, the celebration after a month-long fast, occurs at the first sighting of the crescent moon, expected on March 29 this year.
Before Eid al-Fitr can commence, Muslims must give Zakat al-Fitr.
“Whatever wealth you have, called zakat in Arabic. If you have wealth, 1,000 dollars, laying in the bank for the whole year, that’s your savings. If you have that, every year, each $1,000, you have to pay $25 to the poor. In the month of Ramadan, people are very generous. We spend $6000 for food every day in this mosque; some mosques, probably more, just to feed people,” said War.
He later said, “To feed people is not the zakat. Zakat is like you help your brother, the community. You have to help them, to save them from poverty. If I know you’re poor, don’t have money, you can’t pay your rent, we’ll make the zakat and give it to you.”
“To help you create some kind of business. You can work to take care of your family, and maybe next year you can pay the zakat too. You will make money to pay the zakat. This is the benefit of zakat, and all this is the month of Ramadan,” said War.
Once Zakat al-Fitr is given, Eid al-Fitr, the special Eid prayer, can begin and then people go home to celebrate amongst friends and family.
“Eid is the best part, you’ve been fasting for a month. All the family comes together and makes cakes. Guys would go to the masjid (mosque),” said Zine.
“We do the prayer, and once you do that everyone starts celebrating, giving congratulations like ‘Oh Eid-Mubarak, Eid-Mubarak (blessed festival)’ to everyone, ‘Oh, congratulations on fasting the entire 30 days,’” said Abdallah.
Eid is meant to be celebrated amongst family. The celebration can look like a large party with tables full of date juice, tamarind juice and jallab to wash down sweet or savory dishes, depending on the region; or sometimes, a small celebration amongst relatives sharing tea and bread will suffice.
In Islam, “being close to your family is a really good thing,” said Zine.
Before Salah, the muezzin of the mosque performs adhan, a call to prayer. As the muezzin recites the call, shoeless Muslims run to form long, symmetrical and parallel lines in order of arrival on a prayer mat, regardless of their social status or financial stability.
In Islam, everyone is considered equal in the eyes of Allah, the Islamic god. With that in mind, Muslims with empty stomachs raise their hands next to their face and say “Allahu Akbar” (God is most great) entering prayer, before crossing their arms. They then bow, and lastly prostrate.
The process is repeated several times honoring Allah, and establishing a spiritual connection. The fast reinforces that connection, and each melodious chant from the muezzin marks one prayer closer to Eid.