The Spirit of Ramadan

the spirit of ramadan rama chakaki - July 17 2012 t: @rchakaki

Evening Seminar - An Overview• Ramadan is a spiritual month; to observe it, one draws tremendous energy. Join us for an evening exploring the basics, beneﬁts, myths and spiritual impact of the month. Learn how you can contribute to the community during this blessed month.• On this evening, we will address: • Ramadan - purpose and basics; • Myths and facts surrounding the month; • Cleansing mind body and soul • the Ramadan spirit - a practical guide for a diverse community; • and the unique perspective on giving during Ramadan. • Discuss how our community of diverse faiths can collectively draw on the great energy of the holy month and bring beneﬁt to all in the community• This event is open to everyone who is curious, enjoys learning about the spiritual, and the practical aspects of Ramadan.

Considerations• This is a personal research project. It does not represent a comprehensive study. I am not a scholar of Islam. I tried to keep to Quran verses and Sunna teachings, references from Imam Nuwaawi, Imam Ghazali’s writings, talks and books by leading Muslim Scholars (Dr. Abdul Hakim Murad, Hamza Yusuf, Tariq Ramadan, Bin Baz, Syed Houssein Nasr) and some web-based articles.• Depth of the Arabic Language - moving away from the literal meaning - researched on Almaany.com and from scholarly writings.• Reﬂect on the photos - they represent the diversity and strength of the positive energy one can draw from the holy month. Almost 2.1 billion muslims.• Dialogue format - corrections welcome..

icebreaker- name- what ramadan means to you (nothing if that’s the case - behonest)- state something you like &dislike about the month- why you’re here.

“Fast and you shall be healthy“ said the proﬁt PBUH.To observe Ramadan, is to bring silence and peace to the body, mind and spirit.

A month of discipline• Performed right, you end it feeling rejuvenated.• Abstaining from the luxuries of life and allowing the senses to make do with minimal stimulation both in body and spirit.• Abstinence from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. While it may seem difﬁcult, it is easier to practice than other forms.

the basics

The ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Begins with the sighting of a new moon. Fighting is not allowed during this period. “On the authority ofAbu Abdul Rahmaan Abdullah (r), the son of Umar ibn al-Kattaab (r) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s) say: ‘Islam is built upon ﬁve [pillars]:testifying that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayers, giving zakat,making pilgrimage to the House and fasting the month of Ramadan.’” (Recorded in Bukhari and Muslim)

Ramadan is derived from rmḍ, which is Arabic for heat. In other contexts, the same root is used to refer to burnt earth, ahot climate or a lack of food. This relates to the daytime fasting that Muslims are expected to perform during Ramadan.

The origins of Ramadan draw from the occasion of Laylat al-Qadr, translated as "the Night of Power or Destiny."Qurans 2nd chapter, verses 183-185 “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those beforeyou that you may become righteous ... The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for thepeople and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it."

those obliged tofast..• Fasting is obligatory upon every adult Muslim who is sane, is able to perform it and is not traveling. If he/she cannot meet any one of these conditions, he is excused from the fast without any penalty.• Exemptions: traveler - pregnant & nursing - ill - minor - elderly - mentally incapable !" ‫9$ل 706 ا5 40%3 و 10. - “%- ,+ ا*) ا&%$م‬ ّ ”):;‫ا‬ ”‫)ون @$?>=ر‬B:C‫ ا‬DE‫“ذ‬ 6GHG ‫)ه أن‬KL $MN 3&O‫6 ر‬GHG ‫ أن‬DPL 5‫“إن ا‬ ”3R%&S,

1Predawn meal - SAHUR - The Messenger of God advised believers to partake in this meal prior to fasting, even if it be with only amorsel of food, or a mouthful of drink, as there was great blessing concealed therein. The meal would be delayed until just beforethe Morning Prayer. TN)@ ‫=ر‬P;‫ن "! ا‬U" ‫)وا‬P;G. Narrated Anas bin Malik

2During Ramadan, it is common for Muslims to go to the Masjid (Mosque) and spend several hours praying and studying theQuran, or pray in congregation in their place of work.

3Throughout the day, God’s Messenger would engage in acts of generosity and charity.The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Charity is prescribed for each descendant of Adamevery day the sun rises.” He was then asked: “From what do we give charity every day?” The Prophet answered: “The doors of goodness are many…enjoining good, forbidding evil, removingharm from the road, listening to the deaf, leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one’s legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, andsupporting the feeble with the strength of one’s arms–all of these are charity prescribed for you.” He also said: “Your smile for your brother is charity.” – Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 98

4At the call to the sunset prayer, the Prophet would break his fast before performing the Prayer, with freshdates, or dried dates if fresh ones were not available.“O God, I have fasted for Your sake, I have broken my fast with what you have provided. Thirst is goneand the veins are moist once again. God willing, the reward is established, too.”

5In addition to the ﬁve daily prayers, during Ramadan Muslims recite a special prayer called the Taraweehprayer (Night Prayer). Some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.

6Iftar - some have it immediately after the Sunset prayer, while others have it after Taraweeh. Iftar is afamily meal. In many cultures a ration is kept aside for the less fortunate.

While it is not part of the prophetic tradition, many muslim communities decorate the streets with lights in celebration of theholy month. The people of Yemen take to cleaning their homes and go as far as repainting as an added form of cleansing.

poor practice - what happens when the focus is onfasting from food and drink alone

for some muslims, the holy month is reduced to the literal meaning of abstaining from food and beverage alone.. we witness thosewho become less productive at work, maintain a disrupted sleep pattern, over indulgence on food, TV time and socializing oversheesha. For non-muslims living amongst them, the month seems disruptive, restrictive and lacking in spirituality.

People gain a lot of weight in Ramadan - they over indulge at meal time,consuming more and wasting more than they would in other months.

without attention on cleansing the spirit, people indulge in activities thatgo against the essence of the month.

The loss of balance, indulgence in over-eating, late night entertainment and poor understanding of restriction lead to poorperformance at work. The lack of understanding of the concept of restriction and puriﬁcation among all, makes observing themonth a greater challenge.

Levels of fasting - Guarding & Engaging the senses

.‫$ره‬KC$@ TVW‫ ا‬X:Y‫$ر @$[=ات و‬V‫ ا‬X: ُY :‫*! 706 ا5 40%3 و10. أ^3 9$ل‬V‫%_ 4+ ا‬P7 `LaYThe essence of fasting is in creating the space to elevate one’s spirit.. Moving away from the physical world and into the spiritualrealm

taste• To fast only from food an beverage is cleansing for the body.• The abstinence from food and drink strikes on Maslows hierarchy of needs.• Reducing indulgence. aS, +@ ‫ام‬abC‫ أن ا‬aMY‫أ‬ .01‫*! 706 ا5 40%3 و‬V‫ ا‬cM1 3^‫ي 9$ل : إ‬aVK‫)ب ا‬KL +@‫ ا‬D;P@ ، 3VB@ +, ً ‫)ا‬h ‫ @+ آدم و4$ء‬l, $,( : ‫=ل‬bL ً `0m" a@ n‫$ن و‬N ‫ن‬U" ، 3*07 $[@ +MbL ‫$ت‬M%b ‫آدم‬ 3;:V `0o‫0` )ا@3 ، و‬o‫$,3 ، و‬SB)• ‫وا‬a" .R0N‫$@3: إذا أ‬P7? .01‫9$ل 706 ا5 40%3 و‬ ‫ و,&=ا‬pqC‫وا ا‬ah‫. و‬b0‫)وا ا‬r7‫. و‬Ks$1‫زار 406 أو‬u‫ا‬ $, aY‫ وا‬vN vNwL‫$ه و‬S, c;R%" ‫. إزاره‬NaY‫ أ‬vPL n‫$ء و‬C‫ا‬ .3LaL x@• The ﬁrst 10 days are the days of mercy.

sight• avoiding the forbidden• dressing modestly• taking refuge in nature• yvN ‫َاد‬Hُ:‫َ وَا|*َ&) وَا‬c ْM;‫$6:إِن ا‬SG ‫9$ل‬ ُ َ ْ َ َ ْ } } 36:‫1)اء‬u‫-ا‬n=ُ•|;, 3ْV|4 ‫َ$ن‬N €ِ•‫أُو‬ ً ْ َ ُ َ َ َ َْ

hearingA month of peace and tranquility, giving the delicate muscles in your ears a break. Freeing the hearing center in your brain andallowing it to relax and rejuvenate. In todays urban, noise polluted environment, this break comes as a blessing (baraka).

smellCrowded urban airspace carries smells ranging from the subtle to the extremely pungent. To the smell center of the brain, urban airspace isequivalent to being on a treadmill at 100 km per hour. A constant workout. From perfumes to poor hygiene, the aroma of coffee, the smell ofcigarettes, to the smell of a worn out diesel fuel engine. Imagine a break from all of that.. it does wonders for the brain and smell organs.

speech• Avoiding gossip, backbiting, evil and idle talks, arrogance, lying, breaking promises, dishonesty, severing social ties, etc.• Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: "Whoever fails to leave off ruinous speech, and acting on it [during Ramadan], God does not need him to leave off eating and drinking." (Al-Bukhari)• ‫ْ)ة‬m|N +, )Nْ‚ُL - Tَ^ƒُ" ‫َ$ ر1=لَ ا5}ِ ! إِن‬L : ٌv ُ>‫( 9$لَ ر‬ َِ َ ْ ِ َُ َ َ } ُ َ َ َ $َ[َ^‫ذِي >ِ%)َا‬HُG $َ[}^َ‫[$ - …%ْ) أ‬R9a7‫[$ وَ7%َ$,[َ$ و‬Gƒ7 ْ َ َ َ ََِ َ َ ِ ِ َ ِ َ َ . ‫ }$ر‬V|‫!َ "! ا‬E : َ‫@|0ِ;$^[$ ؟ 9$ل‬ ِ ِ ِ َ َِ َ ِ• ‫$. وإن‬VW>=4‫ إ‬XW>=4‫$. إن ا‬V%" 5‫! ا‬bG‫$ ;$ن، إ‬L .$VMbR1‫ ا‬XMbR1‫إ‬• .D0b‫$ن ا‬M>)G ‫ا0;$ن‬

touchincreased warmth and permissible physical contact. getting closer to family, loved ones, visiting thesick.. it is the month of solace and remembrance. The second 10 days are those of forgiveness.

Mind & Heart• Above all, disciplining the mind and puriﬁcation of the heart, is the greatest challenge and the highest reward.• To be able to monitor ones thoughts and feelings• Focus on the positive, the peaceful, the pure is the most enriching experience to the individual and the community.• Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Fasting the month of patience and three days every month is equivalent to fasting the whole year." (Ahmad)• ‫َ03 أَو‬G$َ9 ‫ْ و إِن ا,)ؤ‬vَ[ ْWَL n‫َ)"ُ` و‬L ƒَ" T}V| ُ> ‫` : ا&%َ$م‬LaY +, ْ َُ ٌُْ ْ َ ََ ْ ْ َ ٌ ُ ˆ ِ .|‰$&‫ه ‹0ُ=فُ "َ|. ِ ا‬aَ%@ ! ِ;ْ:َ^ ‫ِ وا‚ي‬xَG), .‰$7 !ˆ^ِ‫ْ إ‬vُbَ%0َ" 3 َMَG$h ِ } ُ َ ِِ ِ ِ} َ ْ }َ ٌِ َ ْ ُ َ +, 3َG=[hَ‫)َا@َ3 و‬hَ‫َ$,3 و‬Sَs ‫ْ)ُك‬R|َL ِ€;ِ ْC‫_ِ ا‬Lِ‫َ$َ6 ,+ ر‬SَG ِ}5‫ ا‬aْV|4 ُDَ%ْsَ‫أ‬ ْ ِ ُ َْ َ ُ َ َُ ُ ْ ْ ِ َ ِ . $َ[ِ$َ m|,َ‫َ) أ‬S@ TَV|; َP‫أ َ>ْ |0ِ! ا&%َ$م ِ! وأَ^َ$ أَ>ْ •ي @3 وا‬ ْ ِ ْ ِ ُ َ ْ َ ِِ ِ َ ُ ˆ• The last 10 days are about SALVATION and PROTECTION

How does one create the space?what does one do with all the time?

bring the intention to do for others - to serve - to use your time for spiritual growth - 3ّ%V‫ا‬

Seeking knowledge on a daily basis - youtube (Sheikhs Zaid Shaker, Abdul Hakim Murad, Hamza Yusuf,Suhaib Webb, Tariq Ramadan)

Commitment to the 5 daily prayers and daily Taraweeh

Quran Recitation - The people of Mauritania read the entire Quran once perevening

Daily Du’aa - ask and you shall receive -60 )"$…}ِ .K ْDِ W|َ R|1َ ‫. اد4ُ=^ِ! أ‬Ky@‫$6: {و9َ$لَ ر‬SG 5‫و9$ل ا‬ ْ َُ ْ ْ ُ ُ َ َ‫ُون‬ahْ)َL .[0S !ِ@ ‫ ُ=ا‬V|ِ,Hُ%‫ِ%|*ُ=ا ِ! و‬W|َ R|;َ%0َ" !ِ^$َ4‫ا4! إِذَا د‬a‫ُ د4=ةَ ا‬D%ِ>ُ‫ٌ أ‬DLِ)9 !ˆ^Uَ" !ˆ V|َ4 ‫ََ€ 4|*َ$دي‬w|1 ‫و إِذَا‬َ ُ ْ ُ}ََ ْ َْ ْ ْ َ ِ } َْ َ َ ِ ِ ِ َ َ َ

Raising one’s awareness of the community and eliminate the desire to receive for the self alone..have the intention to beneﬁt others.. learn for others, pray for others, give for others systematically ..

Family-time - especially signiﬁcant for workaholics - making the time to engage with family, immediate and extended,telling stories of the past to inspire children and youth, visiting the elderly and tending to ramadan practices in group.

Fitness - individual and collective.

Benevolence - starting with family and moving outward in support and kindness of community members. Celebrate the littlesuccesses children have in ramadan - in Pakistan a young boy who fasts for the ﬁrst time is dressed up and paraded with prideamong his community who praise his accomplishment

Buy nothing challenge - Live simply, so others may simply live.

Document the holy month rituals - art - calligraphy - photography - blog..

Offer to babysit for parents who wish to observe Taraweeh

Invite those less fortunate (those without means, family or knowledge of the holy month) - In Nigeriafamilies invite a poor member of the of the community daily for iftar.

Reﬂect - on those suffering in your community; think of ways to improve their lives

conserve -We do not inherit the earth from our fathers,we borrow it from our children! how do we conserve it for future generations? how can we use the spirit of the month reducepollution, reduce natural resource consumption and build in a sustainable manner.

community challenge• Al-Hemam• Adopt A Camp• other?

beneﬁts• Strengthens ones ties with Allah and trains the soul to observe duties of devotion in accordance with the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.• Enforces patience and determination in the Muslim individual.• Promotes sincerity since fasting is between the individual and his Creator.• Promotes good character, particularly truthfulness and trust-worthiness.• Encourages the Muslim to do away with bad habits and change his/her circumstances for the better.• Enhances generosity, hospitality, and spending on charitable causes.• Reinforces feelings of unity and brotherhood among Muslims.• Instills orderliness and close observance of the value of time.• Serves as an opportunity for children to perform acts of obedience and to practice Islamic acts of worship.• Offers a chance to balance ones attention to both physical and spiritual needs.

References• Recharge Ramadan Battery - http://southernmuslimah.wordpress.com/2008/09/• Facts - http://www.ehow.com/about_5079461_origin-ramadan.html• Suhur - A Musaharati, dawn awakener, strikes his drum to wake observant Muslims for their overnight sahur, last meal, before the days fast in Sidons Old City in southern Lebanon just before dawn August 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Ali Hashisho) #• Did you know “health Sticker” -http://goodtaste.ae/2011/07/10/sun-goes-down/• Myths and poor practice - http://sohablog.com/?p=74• Prayer -http://sfcg.ﬁles.wordpress.com/2010/08/ramadan_indonesia.jpg - Muslim women attend prayers on the eve of the ﬁrst day of Ramadan at a mosque in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia (REUTERS/Sigit Pamungkas)• Quran recitation -http://nourspot.blogspot.com/2011/08/capture-spirit-of-ramadan.html• Traditions across countries -http://www.alajman.net/vb/showthread.php?t=66724• Myths and poor practice - http://www.timeoutbahrain.com/knowledge/features/25680-ramadan-dos-and-donts• Ramadan & Hydration -http://doctor2008.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/fasting-fast-times-and-the-olympics/• Seek knowledge -Jamelie Hassan, Seek Knowledge Even Onto China, - 1993-95. Vinyl calligraphy and painted wall, varying dimensions. Collection of the artist. Photo: John Tamblyn.• Fitness - http://www.facebook.com/FitMuslimah• document the month - http://ramadankareem.blogspot.com/

References• Kashmiri Muslims pray on a street on the third Friday of Ramadan, in Srinagar, India, Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)• A Palestinian Muslim man decorates an alley of Jerusalems old city with festive lights in preparation for Ramadan on Tuesday, Aug. 10 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)• The basics - http://www.lastprophet.info/a-day-in-ramadan-with-the-prophet• http://muslimvoices.org/muslim-greeting/• celebrate children - http://www.newslinemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/muslims-in-america-gallup-poll-2011.jpg• those obliged to fast - http://thecommongroundblog.com/2011/08/01/muslim-americans-promote-interfaith-relations-during-ramadan/• Cover -Tehran, Iran: A woman leaves her shoes outside a Mosque in Ramadan. http://www.zawaj.com/tag/ramadan-fotos/• grafﬁti - El Seed• ask & you shall receive -Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalems Old City on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)• Muslim Population - http://muslimpopulation.com/World/• Miswaak - http://www.jpbsonline.org/article.asp?issn=0975-7406;year=2011;volume=3;issue=1;spage=113;epage=117;aulast=Akhtar

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The Spirit of Ramadan

by Rama Chakaki on Jul 17, 2012

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