According
to Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim or ‘Hijri’ calendar – ‘Ramadan’ is the
holiest month of the year. During Ramadan, believers of Islam observe strict
fasting from dawn to dusk during which period; they abstain from food and drink
and spend the days in spiritual reflection. After 30 days of Ramadan is ‘Shawwal’
– the tenth month according to the Hijri calendar. And the first day of the
Shawwal month is ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ – the joyous festival of breaking the 30-day Ramadan
fast. Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations span three whole days when Muslims worldwide meet
all their families and friends in person to partake of the Eid celebrations.
Pix courtesy: Wikipedia, dsaravanane@flickr.
From
the sighting of the first crescent of a new moon after the eighth Islamic
month, the ninth month – Ramadan begins when Muslims observe fasting,
reflection, devotion, sacrifice and generosity – the five Tenets of Islam. Not
only do the Muslims comply to this imperative, they feel blessed by this compliance.
The
five tenets or pillars of Islam are:
1. Creed or Testimony or ‘Shahadah’ – where Muslims recite under
oath, the Islamic creed - "'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu
'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh", or "I testify there are no deities
other than God alone and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."
2. Prayer or ‘Ṣalāh’ – these are ritual prayers which
Muslims perform five times a day at five different periods of the day: Fajr
(near dawn); zuhr (noon); asr (afternoon); maghrib (just after sunset) and isha
(at nightfall). The Arabic word ‘Salah’ is popularly known by its Persian
counterpart – ‘Namaz’ – both of which mean bowing, homage, worship and prayer.
3. Alms-giving or ‘Zakāt’ – it is an act of voluntary
alms-giving of a fixed portion of accumulated wealth to help the poor or the
needy. Zakāt is to Muslims what ‘Ma’aser Kesafim’ is to Jews and ‘Tithe’ is to
Christians. During Ramadan, Muslims donate 2.5% of their personal wealth after ‘nisab’
(meeting essential needs) is reached.
4. Fasting or ‘Sawm’ – in order to inculcate ‘taqwa’ or ‘God
consciousness’, Muslims abstain from food, drinks and sex from dawn (fajr) to
sunset (maghrib) during Ramadan. Fasting or abstinence from any indulgence,
helps one to empathize with those less fortunate ones. Abstinence also helps
gain control over one’s desires and increases focus on devotion to God. Usage
of expletives or thinking evil thoughts is strictly avoided during Ramadan. And
even before fasting, it is a practice among Muslims to explicitly express their
intention to Fast which is called ‘Niyyah’ or ‘Niyyat’ in Arabic. Infact, without
the prior outward commitment – Niyyat, even fasting is not considered valid.
The emphasis here is to solidify commitment of the person who is fasting
towards this tenet of Islam by outward expression.
5. Pilgrimage or ‘Hajj’ – every Muslim is to make a
pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the 12th month of the
Islamic Calendar – Dhu al-Hijjah. Mecca is the holiest place of Islam religion
as Mecca is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad. Mecca is also where the Holy
Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad centuries back. Every Muslim on earth who has the financial
and physical capability to travel to Mecca needs to perform Hajj at least once
in his lifetime. Millions of Muslims perform Hajj at Mecca each year.
Bound by these Principles of Islam, Muslims believe that
they are commanded by Allah – as mentioned in the Holy Quran – to observe
fasting right up till the end of Ramadan plus pay ‘Zakāt’ before performing the
Eid-ul-Fitr prayer.
Typically, on the day of Eid, Muslims wake up before
sunrise offer ‘Salatul Fajr’ (the pre-sunrise prayer) then at the time of
offering Eid Prayers they walk up to the Mosque reciting the ‘Takbir’ or
incantation until they reach the Mosque or until the ‘Imam’ commences worship.
It is forbidden to fast on Eid so a mini-breakfast –
mostly made of dry fruits is had before performing the Eid Prayer. The Eid
Feast in India – is a lavish spread of dry fruits, biryani and sweet meats
which the women-folk prepare at home. People of other faiths visit their Muslim
friends – sometimes many households on the same day, to wish them ‘Eid Mubarak’
and partake of their joy and festivities.
Besides four weeks of austere fasting and heightened
piety, Ramadan also is the much awaited month for shoppers of the other faiths
as some of the most ostentatious, ornate and attractive apparel and jewelry are
sold during this month.
Night-bazar trend is another thing to look forward to
during the Ramadan season when brightly illuminated marketplaces display their
best wares and solid retailing continues till the wee hours of the morning. ‘Qawwalis’
or Sufi songs are heard on music systems everywhere you go in the market. Especially
at places like Delhi and Hyderabad, you would see equal number of non-Muslims
shopping at nights during Ramadan when these cities’ shopping places come alive
after dark. The marketplaces are overcrowded with shoppers and vehicular
traffic is diverted during this month.
‘Haleem’ – a wheat and meat delicacy is made and sold
only during the Ramadan. Hyderabad is the ‘Haleem Capital’ of India and is visited
by countless Muslims and non-Muslims for the sole purpose of eating Haleem
during Ramadan. No wonder then that Haleem alone does a whopping business of Rs.
100 crores during Ramadan in Hyderabad.
Popular Mosques of India are:
1. Cheraman Juma Masjid – located in Thrissur District of
Kerala – is the first Mosque of India built in 629 AD by Malik Ibn Dinar.
2. Jama Masjid – located in Delhi – is the largest Mosque in
India, built in 1650 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The capacity of this
Masjid’s courtyard is 25,000 people at one go.
3. Makkah Masjid – located in Hyderabad – built by bricks
which were made from the soil brought from Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The fifth ruler
of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty – Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah commissioned this Mosque
which was completed in 1694. Mosque can hold 10,000 worshippers at a time. IT
took about 8000 workers to build this Mosque.
