Ramadan

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Ramadan and its Significance

Introduction

Ramadan is the ninth and most holy month of the Muslim lunar calendar. In Ramadan,

Muslims fast for the entire month from dawn to sunset in which they are not allowed to eat,

drink, or participate in any sexual activity. Throughout the month, they spend a lot of time

praying and reading the Holy Quran in order to strengthen their faith and become better Muslims

in general. Becoming a better Muslim does only include performing the main rituals of the

religion, but also includes improving their moralities and interactions with others. People that

live in Muslim countries or Arab countries tend to practice its ritual due to the support and the

encouragement that they get from their fellow Muslims there. Also due to the resources that they

have there such as the great number of mosques that is available there. When people immigrate

and decide to move away from their home country. Some of them forget about their religion and

traditions and starts following what is best in their new place. Yet, some carry their traditions and

they get even stricter on it due to their fear of it and forget about it, especially religion because of

the lack of resources. Despite the numerous hardships Muslims face in Ramadan, especially

while living in the US, they have been steadfast on performing their rituals and strengthening

their faith all over the US.

Background and Methods

I interviewed Yazan Alasadi, a 19 years old sophomore at Goucher College, who is a

Palestinian refugee currently living in Baltimore Maryland. Yazan used to go to school with me

back in Syria and we both observed Ramadan and its rituals. I chose to interview Yazan because

he is somehow religious and he states that he feels that he have a strong connection with god. He

is an active member of the Muslim community in Maryland as he participates in youth groups

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and arranging events at the mosque specifically during Ramadan. He also teaches young kids

how to pray and read the Holy Quran. Not only that, some of the kids read the holy text however

they don't understand what they are reading. In which Yazan explains and translates the meaning

of the text. He speaks Arabic however he is also fluent in English in which he can easily translate

or explain anything throughout teaching the kids. I remember how I used to go to the Friday

prayers with him and how we used to fast together and participate in all sorts of Ramadan

activities and requirements when we were both living in the same country. The interview was

conducted over Facetime, it lasted around 45 minutes in which he provided me with all the

information and the practices that are offering for the Muslim community in Baltimore. I have

observed Yazan perform one of the mandatory five prayers of the day and he explained how he

fasted Ramadan in May. As a Muslim member of the society, I also perform this ritual every

year to ask for forgiveness and to gain a comfortable enlightened life free of obstacles. Yazan is

originally from Palestine, the first Qibla and considered the holiest city for Muslims after Mecca.

He strongly believes that preforming the of Islam and following what we are asked to do helps

with you being successful in life and enlighten your path.

Findings and Analysis:

The magic ritual is Fasting, it is a practice that Muslims follow every year. Whoever is

performing it doesn't eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. People perform this ritual because

prophet Mohammad said that doing it will make us sense the poor people and how they suffer

without having food to eat. Also, it teaches us how to be patient and control ourselves throughout

the pressure and tough times. Not only that, studies have shown that fasting is actually healthy

for the body if it was done correctly. It lasts for 30 days and all Muslims perform it no matter

how old they are. Kids fast half a day so they get used to it. However, after reaching puberty then

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it's a must for all healthy Muslims to fast. Some people don't like it because it can be tiring for

them which is understandable. Other love it because it makes you feel that you are blessed, in

addition to the feeling of creating a stronger bond with god.Usually throughout the month when

its time to eat, families usually gather in a house or at the park and eat all together which makes

it a great way to bond and spend time together. It is performed in public in which all the people

interact with each other and support each other throughout its time. Ramadan is unique in Makka

because it is considered the holy land. People over there are strictly religious and they have all

sorts it resources and activities that they do. It is most popular in Muslim counties, Ramadan

creates a vibe that lasts the whole month that people enjoy. It is starting to get popular in foreign

countries in which they started to understand what it is and respect it in order to make it easier

for the people who are fasting. Also, more resources are available now in which people can use

to practice Ramadan and any other Muslim ritual.

Throughout the interview, I asked Yazan why do you practice Ramadan and what do you

think of it. Yazan stated that as a Muslim, it is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is considered

an important one. He said he doesn't do it just because its a requirement he stated “I practice

Ramadan because it makes me feel that I'm protected. It makes me feel that God is on my side

where ever I go”. Yazan believes that because of Ramadan and doing what is required from us to

do he feels protected and blessed because of his actions. A lot of people say that whenever they

are too busy with life and they ignore their practices such as praying, they feel that God is

punishing them and that they are not as successful as they used to be while they were praying.

Another reason why he loves doing it is the gatherings. He said “when the sun sets and it is time

to eat, it is always crowded by the dinner table. Families gather and eat together so they can

support each other for them fasting”. It's not only the gathering for the food he also said “After

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Iftar, people go and pray at the mosque, they pray tarawih which is from 8-12 rikaa. Sometimes

the mosque is fully booked with people so some people have to pray outside on the curbs of the

streets”. A rikaa is a unite of prostration. People do that so they can ask God for forgiveness and

so they can get closer to him and ask him to support them and protect them from all the bad

things in life. Lastly, he stated “Ramadan can be tough on a lot of people, staying without food

and water for a long time is definitely a hard thing to take” he also said “there is a saying that

says: fast so you get healthy” which sounds a little odd but studies have shown that it is true. If

fasting was done correctly, it will help him be under control of the body which helps by losing

weight and by creating a diet that will provide the body with what it needs. One of the fetishes of

Ramadan is the Quraan. It is the holy book that reading it throughout the month which is greatly

recommended. One of the taboos is interaction with any sexual activity or behavior because it is

considered as breaking the fast. People are not allowed to do so throughout fasting, they are

expected to lower their gaze, be aware of their actions, and avoid any cussing or fouls. He stated

that it is not easy to practice Ramadan in a place that doesn't have the energy that we used to

have in Syria. Fasting in the US can be hard because there isn't a lot of people doing it. It is hard

to be fasting and be surrounded by non-fasters, especially if it was throughout the school year.

Yazan mentioned, “Students eat in front of me which makes me hungry and want to break my

fast, in addition to girls wearing inappropriate clothing that catches the eye”. Due to living in a

foreign country and in a place that is diverse, it makes it hard for people to fast due to multiple

reasons but mostly because they are not surrounded by other fasters.

From an outsider perspective, the definition of ritual is “repetitive sets of behaviors that

occur in essentially the same pattern they occur every time”(Ember, 1167). This means that

Ramadan comes once every year and people practice it the same way every time without any

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changes. People will definitely ask why would Muslims suffer and go through this month will

minimal food and water? Why would they do that to themselves? Some people are educated and

know why Muslims do it. However, some might believe that fasting is a requirement in their

religion and avoiding it might cause serious punishment in the afterworld.

Conclusion

Ramadan is one of the most important religious rituals that Muslims practice and

perform. From an emic perspective, It is a great way to interact with God and ask for

forgiveness, It is also a great way to help the community and gather around. From and Etic

perspective, fasting is done for religious reasons that people have to follow or else they will face

severe consequences. Each place has specific rituals that they perform that is private to them. It

can be as small as a household or as big as an entire country. They only ones that they fully

understand why they practice it is the ones that perform it. Some of the rituals are universal such

as Ramadan because it is based on religion and many countries practice it. Some are private that

no one knows about it except a limited number of people.

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Work Cited

Ember, Carol R., and Melvin Ember. Cultural Anthropology. Pearson, 2015.

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