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Ramadan: Muslim’s month of faith, reflection, service
By DORIS NORRITO
| Article published on Friday, Oct. 13, 2006 |
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| Samah Irshid, 13, left, gives candy to Liana Atieh, 17, after their day-long fast is broken. Charitable giving, part of Islamic teaching, is emphasized during Ramadan. |
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PINELLAS PARK – A thin sliver of crescent moon hangs high overhead in the clear night sky.
“Look at it!” Haneen Aitieh, 9, said, pointing up. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
It is the first week of Ramadan, the monthlong spiritual holiday observed by Muslims throughout the world.
“Every night we watch,” said Samah Irshid, 13. “Tomorrow, it will be bigger and every night will grow until full; then it gets smaller and smaller until it disappears.”
During this holy month, just before sunset, Muslim families from all parts of Pinellas gather to pray and to break the daylong fast together in the outdoor area behind the Islamic Center of Pinellas in Pinellas Park. The Quran decrees: “Eat and drink until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by daylight.”
Dates and sips of water are taken first to break the fast, accompanied by rounds of good wishes: Assalamu Alaikum (Peace be with you). Evening prayer inside the mosque follows; then all return outdoors for a buffet style meal (iftar) and an evening of socializing.
Homemade meals are prepared by a different host group each day. One evening it is Pakistani, another Moroccan, Indonesian or other cuisine expressive of the diversity within the Muslim community. Entire families cook all day to feed more than 100 followers; children help and afterwards join in to clean up.
For kids, Ramadan means meeting friends, fun and celebration. And, with a growing awareness, many see it as a time to be tested. Compulsory for able adults, fasting is not required of children before puberty. For Haneen Atieh and her pre-teen friends, it is a challenge that makes them feel grown up.
“I started when I was 7,” Aitieh said proudly.
Always part of Islamic teaching, charity is stressed during Ramadan. Irshid expresses giving by buying candy she distributes to friends who fasted all day.
“We are a peaceful family people and want to have this place for worship,” said Haitham Barazanji, president of the Islamic Center. “Unfortunately only extremists are being heard.”
A sign on 66th Street once welcomed all to the mosque. But it was desecrated with hate epithets and so was removed. Several hundred hate crimes were reported last year, Barazanji said. “My children ask me, ‘What’s going on?’ ”
Barazanji said that in the beginning neighbors had known little about Muslims and the mosque that had replaced a church.
“At first there were parking issues … through dialogue and respect for mutual rights came agreement and understanding,” he said.
Muslims are taught to be tolerant of other faiths, to be gentle and polite. The Quran teaches women to dress modestly so they will be treated as humans, not merely as sexual objects.
A ring of young mothers are seated beside the building. Fatimah Yuway stands alone, smiling as she observes them. Her long black chador is appointed with delicate white trim. An unusual necklace of gold stands out on the dark apparel, a gift from her husband of 30 years.
“The young generation is our future,” she said, watching toddlers play on the bright colored play gym beside the building on the women’s side. “Islam is more than a religion; it’s a way of life,” she said
“One of the most important things about Islam is respect for the mother,” Yuway said. “Mother is so blessed, heaven is under her feet.”
“Hijab (headscarf) is a sensor; it dignifies; you talk with your eyes.”
Older children play soccer in a lot across from the men’s side.
“Fathers are the protectors of women and the home,” she said.
“Islam tolerates all religions; and more and more we should be bringing all (religions) to dialogue,” Yuway said. This is a very holy month; Muslims around the world are fasting. We care for ones who don’t have (food) ... Muslims have a lot to teach.”
Muslims believe that the good acquired through fasting is destroyed by telling a lie, by slander, denouncing someone behind his back, giving a false oath, or by greed or covetousness. Against Islamic teachings, they are considered most offensive during Ramadan.
Following a changeable lunar calendar, Ramadan began this year on Sept. 22, at the new moon and ends at the next new moon. It was during this time, in the 7th century AD, that the holy Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad to guide the direction of mankind.
Ramadan is a time of self-discipline, conscience awareness and renewal, fasting and abstinence. It teaches self-control, tolerance and understanding of others.
Barazanji said in addition to the five daily prayers, a special prayer called the Taraweeh or night prayer is recited around 9 p.m.
On the evening of the 27th day, Laylat-al-Qadr or the “Night of Power” celebrates the time the Quran was first revealed to Muhammad and when Allah determines the course of the world for the following year. A three day celebration of Id-al-Fitr or “Feast of Fast Breaking” marks the end of the holy month with carnivals, feasts, gift exchanges and prayer.
The basis of Islam is love, forgiveness, charity and acceptance, the same as in other faiths. Muslims invite all to share the celebration of Ramadan.
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Article published on Friday, Oct. 13, 2006
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