Patience, charity emphasized during Ramadan

Known as the holiest month of the year, Ramadan is a time of more than just fasting. It’s a time of overall selflessness and reflection.

The 30-day religious observance — held from new moon to new moon — has already begun, and as of today the local Muslim community is only 10 days in, said Falah Bakhashwin, from the Tallahassee Islamic Center.

“This is a time you stop all your desires,” Bakhashwin said. “You stop it all for the sake of God.”

The fast — an order during Ramadan — starts every day at sunrise, roughly 5 a.m. There is no eating or drinking allowed until sunset, said Hana Aziz. But you also can’t speak loudly, insult anyone or engage in of any sort of confrontation or intimate acts.

“By doing this I am learning patience, self control and understanding the suffering of the poor,” she said. “I feel more discipline.”

Mona Elmoustapha said, “Ramadan is a whole discipline — physical, spiritual and mental.”

Another component is charity.

“Charitable contributions are the highest during Ramadan,” said Mahwash Mahmood. “You must give to the poor, and because we fast we understand the importance of giving to those who are less fortunate.”

At sunset, the fast is broken — referred to as iftar — which is often done as a community.

Locally the community gathers nightly at the Tallahassee Islamic Center, located on Old Bainbridge Road. During the week more than 100 people will attend evening gatherings, with that number increasing to more than 300 people on weekends.

Families start to arrive at dusk, just before the sun has set. The men, take their shoes off and enter at the front door. The women go in through a downstairs door. There’s light conversation among everyone while they wait. A man’s voice singing out from the mosque informs everyone that the time has come to eat.

They start with something light — dates, dried fruit, pieces of melon and milk or juice. Shortly after the fast is broken, everyone heads to mosque for prayers lead by the Imam — who then leads into reciting passages from the Quran.

 

During their most recent Wednesday night service, Imam Amno Abdalla told the story of Abraham sharing in a conversation with his father, asking him why he was worshiping idol gods.

Abdalla said he chooses the passages to express the importance of a strong relationship with God.

“I’m always talking about one thing,” he said. “We want them to understand that they (should) always be connected to the Lord. If a person is always connected to the Lord, then all of his problems will be fixed.”

“When a person is connected to material things it holds down the soul,” he added. “When a person is removing those things — fasting — it elevates the soul, making them feel closer to God.”

Once the prayer has finished, the feast — prepared by a different family each night — begins. On Wednesday, they dined on Turkish and Arabic cuisine. The day before it was Indian cuisine.

“There are many different nationalities within the nation of Islam,” Bakhashwin said. “It doesn’t matter that we are all from different places. Islam is what brings us all together.”

Bringing the community together is a joy during Ramadan.

“It’s an exciting time,” said Mecca Ameen. “Knowing that you are doing the same they are doing — you’re all fasting, you’re all praying, you’re all feasting together — it unifies us.”

Ramadan ends Aug. 7. Locally they’ll commence Aug. 10 with a celebration called Eid al-Fitr (Festival of the Fast Breaking). It is said to be a joyous occasion for many reasons.

“During Ramadan you’ve stayed positive,” said Batulu Ahmad. “You get happiness and satisfaction because you are doing it for God. In the end you feel like you’ve accomplished something — knowing that you’ve fasted, which will get you into heaven — because you have done what God has asked.”

Aziz said it’s rewarding because, “after so many years of doing (the fast), you know when it’s coming, you emotionally prepare and when it ends you know you’ve done something good. You are ready to continue down that path. You feel overall as a good — better — person than you were.”

Elizabeth M. Mack

Source: tallahassee.com (Jul 20, 2013)