READING: RAMADAN
Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, associated in most Islamic denominations with the obligation for adults to fast from dawn until sunset for the whole month (excepting those who are ill, too old, or on a journey, and women who are pregnant, breast-feeding or menstruating).
The month of Ramadan is also closely associated with the Quran, as described in Chapter 2, Verses 185-6 of the Quran:
“The month of Ramadan is that wherein the Quran was sent down as guidance to mankind, as clear proofs of guidance, and as the Criterion. Let him among you who is present fast during that [month]. And whosoever is ill or on a journey, it is a number of other days. God desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you. [It is] so that you may complete the number and magnify God for having guided you, that haply you may give thanks. When My servants ask thee about Me, truly I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me, that they may be led aright.” (Trans. The Study Quran)
Diverse explanations of the significance of the fast have been given: that it puts the person who fasts into a constant state of worship, in which even sleep is considered worship; that it is a purification; that it intensifies faith; that the experience hunger allows one to develop compassion for those who unwillingly have to go hungry; and that it empties the believer of his or her ego, in preparation for receiving the Divine Word, for a cup that is already full cannot receive water.
Furthermore, many Muslims consider Ramadan to be a time of fasting from negative actions and character traits, as well as from food and water, and some consider a bout of anger, for example, to invalidate the fast.
In addition to being a time of heightened spirituality, Ramadan also has important significance for Muslim community life, as people often gather in large or small groups to break the fast together and celebrate. Many Muslims organize for the evening meal to be distributed freely, so that those without the means to prepare an elaborate meal will also be well fed. For many Shia Muslims, certain nights of Ramadan are also commemorated with mourning rituals, as the first Imam (the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, and also the fourth caliph of Sunni Islam) Ali ibn Abi Talib was struck with a poisoned sword by a dissident from the Kharijite sect as he prayed the morning prayer on the 19th of Ramadan, and passed away on the 21st.
The culmination of Ramadan occurs in the last ten nights, which are considered particularly blessed, and in which the Prophet encouraged believers to retreat from the world and engage themselves in prayer and Quranic recitation. According to a saying of the Prophet, Laylat al-Qadr (known as ‘The Night of Power’ or ‘The Night of the Decree’ in English), which is the holiest time in the Muslim calendar, falls on one of the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. The Night of Power is the night in which the Quran was first revealed, or when the entire Quran descended to the lowest heaven, ready to be revealed over the following decades, and is described by the Quran as being ‘better than a thousand months’. (97:3) Although, no one knows exactly which night will be the Night of Power, and hence Muslims are encouraged to ‘search for it’ in the last ten nights, it is common in Sunni Islam for the 27th night (i.e. the night before the 27th day) to be given special emphasis, whereas in Shia Islam the 19th, 21st and particularly the 23rd are emphasized.
The month of Ramadan provides a source of unity and charity in Muslim communities as well as being an intense time of personal devotion and spiritual transformation.
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