Understanding Ramadan

There’s always the challenge of adjustment in going to places with different cultures.  Blending in may not be expected, or even possible.  The challenge, then, lies in adjusting to local culture without sacrificing one’s own.

It is Ramadan in the Muslim world.  One feels its import in an Islamic nation (Ummah.)  Ramadan is the name of the ninth month of the Muslim calendar.  That it is the month when Muslims fast made the name synonymous with fasting.

The lunar Islamic calendar differs from the Gregorian calendar in that it is based on moon cycles.  Thus, the date Ramadan 1, 1427 is also September 23, 2006.  Ramadan comes 11 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar.  The length of the fast depends on which season the holy month falls in.

Fascinated, I came across this item that officially announced the start of Ramadan:  “The Ramadan Crescent Sighting Committee announced that today is the first day of Ramadan.  This announcement came in a communiqué released by the committee after its meeting yesterday in the Sharia Judicial Department in Abu Dhabi, headed by Mohammad Bin Nakhira Al Dalheri, Minister of Justice.”

As in all Islamic months, the start of Ramadan is based on the new moon (hilal), which is why it differs from one country to another.  Some countries though follow Saudi Arabian moon sightings so they can mark the holy days together.

For millions of Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time for devotion to God, for cleansing of body and mind, self-restraint, sincerity and humility, tolerance and patience, communal nightly prayers, and gift-giving.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, Ramadan fasting (sawm), which became mandatory after AD 624, is one of the highest forms of worship.  As long as it doesn’t cause physical or mental harm, it is required of Muslims past the age of puberty who are mentally and physically fit and aren’t traveling.  Those who can’t fast during Ramadan for some reasons are obliged to fast in other months or to feed the poor.

A typical fasting day begins before dawn with a suhoor, the meal before the start of the fast.  At sunset, the fast is broken with the call for sunset (maghreb) prayers and an evening fast-breaking feast called iftar.  As in all days, prayers are said five times throughout the day, but an extra set of prayers called taraweeh is conducted after iftar.

In Dubai, work hours in the private sector are shortened by two hours while public service office hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Shopping malls and supermarkets close later than the usual schedule, as in 1:00 a.m. instead of 11 p.m.

Live music is banned throughout the month, which is why Ramadan is when Filipino musicians here take their home visits and vacations.

Cosmopolitan Dubai doesn’t require non-Muslim women to wear the abaya (chador in Iran; the standard outer clothing of black robe and veil.)  But there are tips for non-Muslims during Ramadan.

Out of respect for the holy month, non-Muslims are expected to avoid eating, drinking and smoking in public, and to be considerate in dress and behavior.  It’s similar to expecting non-Christians back home not to make noise or party boisterously during Good Friday.

Attending an iftar is appreciated by Muslims, the tips reveal.  Courtesy allows the husband with the rest of the corps to attend the iftar of the country’s emirs at various nights.

My own iftar experience came when the husband had the chance to honor the standing invitation of a local guy who calls him “my brother” and whom he in turn calls “the kid brother I never had.”  He is one of Dubai’s airport managers and loves the Philippines, complains only about the noise of pedicabs in our country, and is married to the only sister of basketball star Marlo Aquino.

More than the feast that seemed prepared for 30 people instead of six and a cuisine that I’m still trying to understand, I had such fun and laughter.  I finally knew an Arab who’s one of the wittiest and most hilarious persons I’ve met, our host Nasser.

(15 Oct 2006)