Woodland Muslims start fast for Ramadan
By KHALID SAEED/Special To The Democrat

Woodland Muslims started fast of Ramadan on Sunday, Sept. 24. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is during this month that Muslims fast and the fasting lasts the entire month. It is a time of worship and contemplation. Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, God revealed the first verses of the Quran, the holy book of Islam around 610 A.D.

In holy Quran God commanded us to fast "O, ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint," (2:163).

The fasting starts with the sighting of the moon. The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar year of about 354 days. The number of days each month is adjusted according to the lunar cycle, beginning about two days after the new moon. The months drift backward over the seasons, returning to their starting points after about 33 lunar years.

Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. During the Fast of Ramadan, strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. Those who are sick, elderly, on a journey and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier.

Although the fast is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded principally as a method of self-purification by cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time. A fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as growth in one's spiritual life.

For the Muslim, the nurturing of the soul is paramount and is guided by what we call the "five pillars of Islam," essential rites of worship that have been passed down from the Prophet Muhammad. These pillars start to lose their meaning when we forget a baseline understanding of religion. Islam insists that each of us is born into this world with a pure condition. In fact while humans may be feeble, sometimes foolish, belligerent and forgetful, our center was made uncorrupt. This is equally true for men and women. The rites of worship and the way of life they engender are meant to bring us closer to our original state.

Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of these pillars, unique among them, in fact, because, as far as rites go, its very form connects well with the unseen, since the "act" of fasting is about refraining, which is invisible and altogether private. Unlike other practices like prayer, pilgrimage, charity and even the testimony of faith, which involve body, money or voice, fasting is a hidden act.

During Ramadan in the Muslim world, most restaurants are closed during the daylight hours. Families get up early for suhoor, a meal eaten before the sun rises. After the sun sets, the fast is broken with a meal known as iftar. Iftar usually begins with dates and sweet drinks that provide a quick energy boost.

Fasting serves many purposes. While they are hungry and thirsty, Muslims are reminded of the suffering of the poor. Fasting is also an opportunity to practice self-control and to cleanse the body and mind. And in this most sacred month, fasting helps Muslims feel the peace that comes from spiritual devotion.

Muslims fast during the daylight hours and in the evening eat small meals and visit with friends and family or invite them over. It is a time of worship and a time to strengthen family and community ties. Therefore this year again Muslim Mosque Islamic Center of Woodland will be hosting a community Iftar or breaking of fast dinner, where like previous years we will invite all our fellow Americans belonging to any and all faiths to fast for a day to experience the thrill of it and then join us at the Mosque social hall to share a delicious meal with us as our honored guests. However, fasting is not prerequisite to attend this dinner.

Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid-al-Fitr, literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid-al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations when people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children and enjoy visits with friends and family and exchange gifts.

A sense of generosity and gratitude colors these festivities. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance during and at the end of Ramadan.

Woodland Mosque and Islamic Center
1023 North Street
Woodland, CA 95695
(530) 666-4706
www.woodlandmosque.net