It’s 4:30 on a muggy August morning. The sun will begin to rise in about an hour. Your parents are fast asleep and it is so silent you could hear a pin drop. What are you doing? You may be having stress-related dreams about the impending school year, or you may be signing off Facebook, enjoying the freedom of being able to stay up so late. You have no obligations to wake up in the morning and are holding onto the last days of summer.
But what is Hiba Ansar doing? It is Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar. This is a month to “pray, fast, and cleanse yourself and your soul,” says Ansar, a Harriton senior. Now this isn’t any sort of fasting you’ve ever tried before. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day for a month. That’s right- one month. However, the practice of fasting does not always come as a bother to those who observe the holy month. In fact, that would upset the purpose of the holiday itself. Hiba contends, “During Ramadan, one is supposed to be in good habits only. It is about patience.” Muslims observing Ramadan are supposed to abstain from crude language and angry outbursts in order to demonstrate a more modest, positive, and peaceful attitude.
Ramadan begins with the taraweeh prayer the night before the first fast. The word taraweeh originates from an Arabic word meaning to rest and relax. During the evening Hiba and her family gather at the local mosque, standing shoulder to shoulder with their fellow Muslims. The Imam, leader of prayer, recites the prayers. A portion of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, is read. While the congregation is listening to the Imam, they carry out four cycles of motion: standing, bowing, kneeling with outstretched arms, and sitting. A brief interval of rest ensues and four more cycles follow shortly after. Besides having the goal of maintaining a pure mindset during Ramadan, it is a goal to finish the Quran during the thirty days of the month. Hiba can easily accomplish this goal by attending the evening prayer of taraweeh at the mosque, which is fortunately located across the street from her house. Attendance is not mandatory at these prayer services. Taraweeh can be recited in one’s home, but it is highly recommended to practice them with a congregation.
At 4:30 a.m., Hiba and her family are preparing for the daily fast by eating traditional foods during sehri, the meal before the fast begins. Luckily for the Ansar family, this year many of their meals were the inspirations of Hiba’s grandparents, who spent five months visiting from their native Pakistan and were able to contribute to this year’s festivities. Once they have filled their stomachs with traditional foods, the fast begins around 5:00 a.m. A dua, or prayer, for the intention of fasting, is recited, which is the official closing of the fast. Hiba then washes herself for prayer. During Ramadan, practicing Muslims like the Ansars must pray five times a day. “If you fast without praying, it is said that its just like you are staying hungry,” explains Hiba. The first prayer is Fajr, which takes place before sunrise. After prayer, Hiba then goes back to sleep and wakes up at a more typical hour for Harriton students over the summer. She goes about her normal day, with the exception of eating or drinking. At noon, Hiba recites the Dhur prayer. She prays then again in the afternoon, reciting the Asr prayer.
After the Asr prayer is delivered, it is time to begin preparing for Iftar, the ending of the daily fast. When Hiba cooks, it is an epic struggle to not break her fast. One lick of the fingers and a difficult day of fasting is ruined. But Hiba is able to resist the urge to do so, for she is motivated to please God and to wait until sundown. When the sun finally sets late in the August day, it is time to break the fast. A dua for the intention of breaking the fast is recited once again and God is thanked for the food. Now it is time for the Ansars to relieve their hunger and thirst and celebrate a day of fasting. This daily routine of fasting and prayer continues for the entire month of Ramadan.
How difficult is it to fast during the day for thirty days straight? I fast annually for the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, but can never imagine doing it every day for a whole month. Hiba has been fasting every year since elementary school, practically since she could understand the concepts of Ramadan. She reassured me that fasting at school isn’t as bad as fasting while she is at home because she is constantly keeping busy with classes and theatre rehearsals, rather than being tempted by a not-so-distant refrigerator. But what does it feel like to have a pit of hunger in your stomach every day for an entire month? What is the point of putting yourself through this experience? Hiba views Ramadan as a meaningful experience. Her parents have never forced any Muslim customs upon her. It is her choice to practice her religion and fast during Ramadan. “As I grow older, I realize the beauty of the fasting and what it teaches me. It reminds me that there are thousands of people on this earth that have nothing to eat at all.”
One would think that partaking in Ramadan would hinder Hiba’s social life, but she is actually able to spend more times with friends and family. For Iftar, the Ansars attend parties with other Muslims to celebrate the breaking of the fast. This is similar to the Jewish custom of holding break fast parties for Yom Kippur.
Ramadan ends with Eid ul Fitr, commonly referred to as Eid, the celebration of the conclusion of the fast. To many Muslims’ relief, it is forbidden to fast on this day. Hiba and her family usually wake up and attend an Eid prayer. After the prayer, the Ansars attend several parties throughout the day to celebrate the ending of the month of Ramadan and the conclusion of the fast. The fast is broken with a date, a fruit indigenous to the Middle East, where Islam first began. Muslims break the fast with a date because on the first Ramadan, Muhammad, the prophet, broke his fast with a date as well. The day is spent with friends and family and eating traditional Pakistani dishes. For the termination of Ramadan, the kids in Hiba’s family are rewarded for fasting by receiving money from their family. Eid seems like it would be physically draining from waking up before sunrise and having a full, eventful day. Hiba says, “At the end of the day I am beat tired from all the parties and socializing, but its so much fun!”
And with that, Ramadan, one of the more physically and spiritually demanding holidays known to man, ends with massive celebration. After thirty days of consecutive fasting from sunrise to sunset, Hiba is able to eat during the day! She feels refreshed, like she has cleansed her soul. It even feels odd for her to eat in the middle of the day! Besides feeling accomplished for completing the fast and revitalized, Hiba feels grateful for her experience. “[After Ramadan], you just appreciate what you have more and I just feel more in tune with my faith and my goals as a human being.”