'A month to Recollect and Connect with God': Celebrating Ramadan on the South Coast
By Kevin G. Andrade
Dartmouth
For one month, every year, Muslims from around the South Coast gather Saturday nights at the Islamic Society of Southeastern Massachusetts for an evening of food, community, and prayer.
The ritual is a highlight of Ramadan celebrations .
"Ramadan is basically a holy month to come closer to God, to Allah. It's a holy month where the blessings are tenfold," Jamal Mir, president of the board at ISSEM, said. "It's a month of forgiveness...to fast and feel what a poor man feels like.
"It's a lot of self-control," he continued. "It's a month to recollect and connect with God and to let go of worldly things."
What makes Ramadan holy?
According to Islamic tradition, Ramadan is the month in which the Angel Jibreel —known as Gabriel in Western tradition — revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad in the mountains outside Mecca in 610 ACE.
Often called Ramzan in India and Pakistan, it is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and lasts between 29 and 30 days.
Traditions vary from region to region, many Muslims endeavor to read the Qur’an in its entirety during the month, others perform extra prayers, many more perform acts of charity.
Muslims are already supposed to perform a charitable donation to the poor called Zakat — one of the religion's five pillars — that is a minimum 2.5% of one's income and assets not put towards living expenses.
There is an additional Zakat required at the end of Ramadan called the Zakat al-Fitr. This is alms for the poor in order to help them celebrate Eid al-Fitr — the last day of the month and a holiday for Muslims.
Fasting and Iftar
Perhaps the most widely known aspect of the holy month is the fast.
"God said: This is a month for you to fast for me," Mir said. "It's not for your forgiveness. or for heaven. You do it just for me and the love of me."
Muslims are obligated to abstain from food and drink — including water — from sunrise to sunset.
This is done as a way to strengthen one's discipline, move closer to God, and to learn empathy for the poor.
Those exempted from fasting include: the elderly, pregnant women, the sick, young children, and women during menstruation.
"It's expected that you fast," he added. "If you don't fast, that's between you and God."
Every day, the fast ends with a feast known as iftar.
At sunset the Adan — or call to prayer — goes out. They then break the fast with a date — an easy to digest quick source of energy high in sugar — and a glass of milk.
"It's called Sunnah," Mir said, referring to Prophet Muhammad's practices and habits collected in a set of holy texts called Hadith. "Back in those days milk and dates went hand in hand.
"The Prophet of God used to break fast with a date," he continued. "So, we re-enact it and we do it because he gave us a guide to live life and do things by."
This is followed by the Maghrib prayer, the fourth of the five daily invocations required of Muslims. Once that is complete, they have a full meal, known as an iftar.
Though sometimes this may be done in community at a local mosque, most do this at home with their close family and friends.
Ramadan ended with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr on May 2.
(This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Iftar: Muslims break the fast during Ramadan at Dartmouth mosque )
