By Oula Mahfouz
Ramadan begins this year tomorrow, Friday, April 24, and lasts until May 23. Some Muslim countries and organizations determine the date using astronomical calculations, while others rely on seeing the crescent moon of Ramadan with the naked eye in the sky on the Thursday before.
The month of Ramadan has a special significance for Muslims, who consider it a month of closeness to God and intensify their worship, as fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with Salat (prayer), Zakat (charity), Haj (pilgrimage) and Shahada (testimony of faith). Festive rituals are observed in the homes and streets of Muslim countries, and people congratulate each other by saying, “Ramadan Mubarak.” Fasting increases family bonding as all family members eat at the same time.
The fasting person refrains from eating, drinking, having sex or smoking for a whole lunar month (Ramadan), from sunrise to sunset. The aim of fasting is not to suffer from hunger and thirst, but to draw closer to God and to recognize one’s own daily waste and to give alms to those who need it. It means not only refraining from eating and drinking, but also not offending others, not arguing with anyone, and avoiding lustful thoughts. It is important that fasting also helps to develop good behavior during this month. Children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, those who are menstruating, travelers, and the elderly should not fast.
There are usually two meals: “Suhoor” before sunrise and “Iftar” after sunset. People are usually keen to eat certain types of food that support and facilitate the fasting process, such as dates and certain drinks like hibiscus, licorice and tamarind. This year, the daily fast in Germany lasts about 17 hours, while in Syria, for example, it lasts only 15 hours because the days are shorter there.
Fasting is a phenomenon that runs through almost all religions and faith communities in the world. Both Buddhists and Hindus, Jews and Christians know and practice it. And in all religions, fasting is aimed at purifying and refining the soul and disciplining the body. Fasting is considered the purest religious ritual and is far from hypocrisy, since it is not an “act” but a “cessation”: things that give one pleasure, such as eating and drinking, are refrained from, and one is instead supposed to be patient.
But there are also personal or political reasons for fasting. For example, as a form of protest or to push for certain demands to be met. Or for health reasons: clinics for therapeutic fasting are now springing up all over the world, and these usually have a very beneficial effect on the health of those who fast.
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