What is Ramadan? Muslim New Zealanders to start month of daytime fasting

Thursday, 2 May 2019

Ramadan is a kind of detox for the soul with fasting only one part of it. AMANDA SAXTON reports.

Anayat Ullah will start waking up at 4.30am next week, if the night sky behaves as expected.

That will give him time to down a bowl of porridge with banana – his suhoor, the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan – before morning prayers. The 25-year-old won't eat again until it's dark.

But it's no sacrifice, says Ullah, an insurance broker and Rohingya refugee who arrived in south Auckland nine years ago from Bangladesh. He will focus on strengthening his spiritual ties with Allah and doing good deeds.

Anayat Ullah, from Auckland, says Ramadan for him is about getting closer to Allah.

Muslims like Ullah around New Zealand will be fasting during daylight hours from an estimated May 6 to June 4. Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam, doesn't begin until the moon is right.

* The risks and benefits of fasting during Ramadan

* A new tradition: Police host its first Iftar dinner as part of Ramadan**

Followers of the religion around the Pacific will scale hills or tall buildings on Monday evening, armed with binoculars. They'll spend the 20 minutes after sunset scanning the sky for a glimpse of the slim crescent moon due to rise.

They will report back to the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), which needs at least two trustworthy people to testify they have seen the moon to declare the start of Ramadan the following day. If the night sky is too cloudy, the celestial search will be repeated on Tuesday – and so on.

President of the New Zealand Muslims Association Ikhlaq Kashkari, from Auckland, says that 'while science has progressed since the prophet's time and we know exactly when the moon will rise, we do still rely on people sighting it'.

Ikhlaq Kashkari is the president of the New Zealand Muslims Association.

There are about 50,000 Muslims in New Zealand and about 60 mosques and Islamic centres. Islam is our fourth biggest religion, after Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. About 30 per cent of this country's Muslims were born here.

WHAT IS RAMADAN?

It's the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and begins about 11 days earlier each year.

Ramadan is important for Muslims as the month the Koran was revealed to the prophet Mohammed and fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The others are charity, faith in Allah as the one true God, praying five times a day, and making a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, on the Arabian Peninsula.

Kashkari calls Ramadan a 'realigning time' and says fasting together acts as an equaliser.

'It's when kings and the poorest of the poor come to the same level; we are all fasting. So it helps people understand each other better, especially those less fortunate.'

Days during Ramadan start early, before sunrise, with suhoor and prayers. Then it's business as usual, sans food and water, at work or school. People break their fast after sunset with iftar, the evening meal, then typically head to mosques for more prayer. Mosques tend to be as full as they are during Friday prayers every night during Ramadan.

Prayers at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, during Ramadan.

For Ullah, iftar tends to be big dinner of biryani and samosas cooked by his mum. The family of nine will eat together each evening in their south Auckland home. Others break their fasts at mosques, many of which will serve iftar throughout Ramadan. It can also be a busy time for halal eateries, with Auckland fasters gathering for kebabs at the ubiquitous late night shisha joints along Karangahape Rd.

While they don't offer special meals or deals for Ramadan, K Rd's Little Turkish Cafe's manager Milad Fari said there was an annual boom in business during the holy month.

After Ramadan comes Eid al-Fitr – a celebratory feast on the first day of Shawwal, the month after Ramadan and again determined by a moon sighting.

DO ALL MUSLIMS FAST?

While Muslims the world over are expected to fast during Ramadan, there are exceptions. If you're sick, very old or very young, pregnant, or breastfeeding, for instance.

Food and water aren't the only things people abstain from for the month. The devout will also cut out smoking, sex, and casual sinning (such as swearing or jealousy). Ramadan is considered a kind of detox for the soul.

The two biggest differences Muslims of different cultural backgrounds and countries face during Ramadan are the foods eaten for iftar and the lengths of time they're expected to fast. Dates get eaten by everyone, says Ullah, but families tend to stick to their traditional cuisines for meals.

New Zealand currently has the shortest fasting time in the world, as Ramadan falls nearer winter.

Imam Gamal Fouda from Christchurch's Al Noor Mosque says everyone is welcome to visit during Ramadan.

However, since Ramadan's dates change each year, those with long fasts in 2019 will in a few years' time experience Ramadan in winter.

Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere – whose daylight hours in summer can exceed 20 – are, however, allowed to align their fasting with that of the nearest Islamic country. This gives them time to eat, pray, and sleep.

SECURITY CONCERNS AFTER THE CHRISTCHURCH MOSQUE SHOOTINGS

This Ramadan will have a sombre slant from many Kiwi Muslims in the wake of Christchurch's mosque massacre. Fifty people died after a gunman opened fire during Friday prayers at Linwood Masjid and Al Noor Masjid on March 15.

Out of concern for safety, Muslim elders are considering cancelling some large gatherings in the city during Ramadan.

Police have confirmed they are still patrolling the two affected mosques and 'potential risk sites where appropriate'. A spokesperson said police would not go into specific deployment details 'for operational reasons', but Muslim officials say they have been assured of a police presence at mosques throughout New Zealand during Ramadan.

Al Noor Masjid Imam Gamal Fouda says that despite – and due to – the shootings in March, mosques around the country were anticipating a higher turnout than usual this year.

'People want to visit the mosque, meet people and give support. We welcome everybody,' he says.

HOW CAN NON-MUSLIMS PARTICIPATE?

Kashkari echoes Fouda invitation to share iftar at their local mosque.

'The big ones will be breaking fast together every day, and the smaller ones at least on Saturdays,' he says.

'Everyone is welcome. Even outside of Ramadan, mosques are open to everyone.'

Assorted community events will be held throughout the month, and would be advertised on Facebook pages.

Kashkari says Muslims do not expect any special treatment while fasting at work or at school, but would appreciate some seasonal best wishes. He suggests:

'Ramadan kareem,' which translates to 'have a generous Ramadan', and 'Ramadan mubarak,' meaning 'happy Ramadan'.

RAMADAN IN NEW ZEALAND

Aside from the bonus of short fasting days – which won't be the case forever – Ullah says Ramadan in New Zealand can be a tad isolating, compared to in Muslim majority countries.

'It's different because everyone is busy with their life here. You don't get the same sense of community. People getting together.'

He grew up in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, full of Rohingya Muslims who had fled persecution in Myanmar, and remembers Ramadan as the highlight of the year.

Straight after morning prayers at the camp's mosque, Ullah and all the other kids would race to the soccer field to play cricket.

'We would have dawn cricket until the sun was properly up, and the adults would gather to chat – everyone asking 'how was yesterday and how are you today and what have you been eating',' he says.

This year, for Ullah's Ramadan acts of charity, he will be upping the amount of money he sends his family members still in the camp.