Rituals
and Realities
By Nasim Hassan
Delaware, USA
During the whole month of Ramadan,
I watched the Taraveh prayers on PTV Prime Television.
Literally thousands of people offer prayers every
night in Mecca and millions prayed in Muslim countries
around the world. I thought for a split second
that if all of these people also acted upon what
they heard in recitation of Qur’an, this
world would be decidedly a different place.
In Mecca, the people come for prayer from all
over the world. You can see people in different
dresses. A large number come from South Asia,
particularly from Pakistan. The plight of Pakistanis
is well known. The people in Sindh and Baluchistan
do not have good drinking water. Poverty and pollution
are rampant in South Asia. There are not enough
schools to educate Pakistanis in rural areas.
Health care is a big issue.
How thousands of people can spend millions of
rupees to go and pray in Mecca every year under
these dismal economic conditions? There has to
be a disconnect somewhere. Either they do not
understand Qur’an, or if they do understand
it ,then they really do not believe in it.
Fasting is another ritual practiced by Muslims.
In the USA, there are countless Iftar parties
everywhere. Looking deeply into the meaning of
fasting, my understanding is that fasting teaches
us self-control and empathy for the poor and the
hungry. In the USA, Iftar is held in Islamic centers.
Most of the people in Islamic centers are the
members of the community who can easily afford
food. We do not invite the homeless and hungry
in our homes, Islamic centers or restaurants.
The following personal incident explains the attitudes
of Muslims in this country.
A few days ago, my family visited a New Jersey
area. In Iselin Township, we looked for a Muslim-owned
restaurant to break our fast. This restaurant
was fully booked for the Ramadan for Iftar parties.
There was a person in Islamic dress greeting guests
at the gate. I asked him if there was a section
for people who could pay for the food. The gentleman
blankly told me that the whole restaurant was
booked and we must know the host to open our fast.
I silently walked away but a thought lingered
on in my mind.
It reminded me of a Dargah of Hazrat Data Ganj
Bakhsh in Lahore. As I recall in that Dargah no
questions were asked when food was being served.
In Ramadan, every person was welcome to break
the fast with whatever was available.
Now coming to the charity donations, there are
countless charitable organizations that are appealing
for help from Pakistani Americans. These charities
cover education, health care among other things
in Pakistan. Pakistani Americans have a natural
empathy for Pakistan. I believe Pakistanis in
the USA support a number of organizations in Pakistan.
However, I have not seen many organizations that
are working for Pakistanis in the USA or for local
poor Americans. There is a saying,” Charity
begins at home”. It may mean relatives and
friends but it also denotes the geographical location.
I believe living in America also means certain
social responsibilities. We must support local
charities and directly help people here in the
USA.
Long ago, when Muslims understood the Qur’an
and implemented the holy book’s teachings
in their daily lives they ruled the civilized
world. The prayers in Ramadan were a constant
reminder of their religious obligations. Recitation
of the whole Qur’an during Ramadan every
year served as an urging to the Muslims to look
deeply and apply the teaching in a changing world.
As long as Muslims continued the process of thinking
and analyzing, they were able to adapt to new
conditions.
Gradually, prayers became a ritual. Now prayers
are performed like rituals without an understanding
or thinking about the real significance of such
rituals. I admit that I do not understand the
meaning of the Qur’an being recited during
Ramadan.
Until such times that we understand the Qur’an
and apply the inherent message to the demands
of the current situation, we will continue the
process of rituals without facing realities.
For comments, please respond to nhassa@yahoo.com
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