Ramadan explained: There's fasting, spiritual detox, and religious observance, but also memes and community

Monday, 12 April 2021

Hina Tabassum Cheema explains the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, why Muslims fast, why it starts at a different time every year, and what it’s like in New Zealand in 2021.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. The Islamic, or Hijri calendar, is based on the cycles of the moon. It contains 354 days, 11 fewer than the Gregorian calendar used in New Zealand.

It starts, like all 12 months in the Islamic calendar, when the new moon is sighted (this is a little complicated, and we’ll get back to it later).

Ramadan is a sacred month for Muslims. It involves fasting, which means no eating, drinking (including water), or sexual activity from dawn until sunset.

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The month is very much about spiritual detoxification. The Prophet Muhammad said: “if a person does not avoid false talk and false conduct during the fast, then God does not care if he abstains from food and drink.”

It will start this week.

Tell me a little about its history

The month ‘Ramadan’ existed well before Islam came to Mecca (the holy city in today’s Saudi Arabia) in the 7th century.

Muslims believe that the Quran, the Islamic holy book, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during the month of Ramadan, about 1400 years ago.

The Quran itself says: 'The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.”

Since then, Ramadan has been observed and celebrated by Muslims around the world.

Moonsighting – the practice of spotting the new moon on the first night of each Islamic month with the naked eye – is a tradition that has endured.

The word Ramadan originates from the Arabic root “ar-ramad,” which means scorching, intense dryness or heat.

Why fasting?

There are Five Pillars in Islam – the basis or foundation of the faith.

They are:

• Shahadah: the profession of faith

• Salat: performing Islamic prayer correctly five times each day

• Zakat: giving to charity

• Sawn: fasting during Ramadan

• Hajj: the mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca.

As these fundamental tenets, it is believed fasting brings Muslims closer to God.

What else do I need to know?

It’s important to note that there are exceptions, as fasting can be tough. Old people, sick people, children and pregnant women, for example, do not necessarily need to fast.

Muslims living in countries with extremely long days or nights may also adhere to fasting times at nearby Islamic countries. For example, the Huffington Post ran an analysis of daylight hours when Ramadan fell in June in 2014. Muslims in Stockholm, Sweden would have had to fast for about 20 hours each day.

We also avoid smoking, and unkind or impure thoughts and words along with immoral behaviour.

In the morning before the sun rises, we eat a meal called “suhoor”. The evening meal when the fast is broken is called “iftar”. This can be an elaborate get-together with family and friends.

The end of the Ramadan fast is called Eid al-Fitr, the “Feast of Fast-Breaking,” and is one of the two major religious holidays of the Muslim calendar.

Eid al-Fitr includes special prayers and meals with friends and relatives, and gifts are often exchanged.

What’s it like in real life?

Everything you’ve read so far probably sounds very heavy. It’s all about fasting, praying, and staying away from backbiting and immoral behaviour.

You may well be picturing me as a tired, starving, praying machine. But Ramadan in theory and in practice are two different things.

Yes, it is, of course, sacred to Muslims. But there’s also a sense of community and fun. There are memes, there are jokes.

There are memes where it’s all about eating rather than praying. There are memes showing people eating in the morning, sleeping all day, and waking up a minute before the evening meal.

Ramadan is a month of happiness and peace. It brings Muslims together.

What's it like in New Zealand?

We welcome it with the same excitement as Muslims anywhere in the world. But it’s a little different here.

In Muslim-majority countries, everything changes. Work times change, shops have different opening hours. There are collective prayers in almost every masjid (or mosque). Street food is sold at iftar times.

Pre-dawn breaking is a big deal. When my sister told me that people now go to restaurants for morning meals, I was like, “Who will get up before sunrise and go to a restaurant to eat a meal?”

But this, she told me, was very popular in Lahore, in Pakistan, as there’s no traffic on the roads, good weather and no long queues for the morning meal.

In New Zealand, Muslims have to create the Ramadan-feel within their own homes and with friends.

How Muslims observe Ramadan depends on the city they live in. For example, I hardly ever cooked an evening meal when I lived in Palmerston North. We mostly ate at the Massey Islamic Centre of the city’s masjid. This isn’t because I’m more religious. It’s because I like meeting people and I don’t enjoy cooking.

I used to live in Nelson where Muslims normally break the fast in their homes, but have a shared iftar on the weekends followed by Traveeh (additional ritual) prayers in the Islamic Centre.

I now live in Tauranga. There’s a large Muslim community and it's common for an iftar to be hosted at the mosque. We also eat with our friends and family. One of my Pakistani friends, Saima has already invited the whole Pakistani community for the first Saturday iftar at her house.

Another friend of mine recently told me she loves Ramadan in New Zealand as she doesn’t have to spend time shopping and entertaining guests. She said she gets more time to focus on prayers – the essence of Ramadan. Of course, others would much rather be in a Muslim-majority country.

Different Muslims view and practice Ramadan differently. It all comes down to culture, gender, age, level of faith, work and family commitments. Some don’t fast. Some only fast intermittently, for example, on alternative days.

But the majority of Muslims try to put the effort in.

What about children?

Let me tell you about my eight-year-old daughter. Once during Ramadan, she came home from school and told me she skipped her morning tea and waited to eat until lunch because she was practising fasting. I asked why?

She said she wants to fast like her friends. She’s too young to fast, but she yells and begs and says she should be allowed. This is the same with many Muslim children. I did the same as a child.

The dates change every year. Why?

As the Muslim calendar is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian, Ramadan starts at a different time every year.

For example, last year, it began on April 23. This year, it’ll begin this week. Next year, it’ll be closer to the start of April. This means it falls in every season over a 33-year period.

There is some confusion though as to when exactly Ramadan actually begins.

Journalist Jennifer Williams offered an explanation of this in a piece for American website Vox. She outlined how in 6th century Arabia, people made their decisions based on what they could see with the naked eye.

The new moon is difficult to spot, so traditionally Muslims wait until the crescent moon itself is visible.

But there are opposing schools of thought, she wrote. Some Muslims believe if Muhammad was around today he’d want Ramadan to start based on precise modern astronomical knowledge. That would give Muslims more time to prepare for Ramadan and Eid.

It gets even more complicated because some Muslim countries follow Saudi Arabia’s lead, while others depend on their own moon spotters.

According to Al-Jazeera, for example, Egypt and Oman follow Saudi Arabia’s lead, while Australia and Iran, for example, rely on local moon spotters.

It is common in Pakistan for Ramadan to begin on two different days in different parts of the country.

In New Zealand, the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) announces Ramadan. They follow the tradition of using the naked eye. The uncertainty around the start time creates all sorts of excitement (I wonder when it’ll start?!) but it can cause problems.

For example, it’s really difficult to take leave if Eid falls on a weekday, and it’s hard to plan in advance.

A friend told me she once asked her manager to take leave for Eid, but wasn’t sure what day it would fall.

“I will either take leave on Tuesday or Wednesday.”

The manager was confused, and thought she was making it all up. She felt embarrassed. The takeaway for her: FIANZ should use the scientific method to avoid this confusion. I agree.

Some thoughts for non-Muslims during Ramadan

Ramadan is a month of happiness and peace. It’s spiritually rewarding for Muslims. We want to fast. Don’t feel like you need to feel sorry or sympathise. Congratulate us! Say Happy Ramadan or Happy Fasting.

If you have questions on Ramadan, ask with genuine intention.

And if you’re a boss or manager, look out for Muslim women, who generally make the iftar meal. If you can help out, or adjust working hours in the evening, that would be great.

_Hina Tabassum Cheema _is** a doctoral candidate in social anthropology at Massey University. Her_ research explores the lives of Muslim immigrants in New Zealand.**_

This piece was published with support by Keith Lynch, Stuff Explainer Editor.

​Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify where and how some Muslims celebrate Ramadan.