Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 2000, page 63

Islam in America

There's Still Time to Greet Muslim Friends on Eid al-Fitr, Marking the End of Ramadan

By Sadia and Saira Razaq

This year Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, joins the usual holiday season of Christmas and Hanukkah. Each year, the prescribed month of fasting falls during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, based on the cycles of the moon, with each new month marked by the sighting of the new crescent moon.

Islam is built on five pillars. Each represents a unique form of worship, through which the believer builds his relationship with the Creator. Of all the pillars of Islam, none is more special than siyaam, fasting. Fasting, the fourth pillar, was revealed in the 15th year of the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) mission to call people to Islam through these words as recorded in the Qur'an: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous" (2:183).

As implied in that Qur'anic verse, fasting has always been one of the forms of worship in all three monotheistic faiths. Even today, it is practiced in one form or another among Christians, Jews and followers of other religious traditions.

For Muslims, fasting from first light to sunset during each day of Ramadan is an act of worship that forms such an intense bond between the body and the mind that the condition of one is bound to affect the condition of the other. So, just as a Muslim abstains from food and marital relations during the daylight hours, he also inculcates the discipline of the eyes, ears, tongue, and hand—meaning he refrains from witnessing a wrong action, hearing or using foul language, or abusing and fighting with another being.

An important realization for those who fast is firsthand knowledge and understanding of how it feels to be hungry and thirsty, creating a sense of brotherhood in people and teaching them to extend their hand to those lacking basic needs. Like prayer, the prescribed fast establishes a sense of unity, which cuts across all man-made barriers and unites Muslims all over the world on the basis of faith and piety.

Fasting also serves as a real test for a Muslim's sincerity, in that only God knows whether a Muslim has kept his commitment to abstain from food, drink, and all other prohibited things for His sake, or simply for outward appearances. This point is underscored in a Hadith Al-Qudsi, a report of words directly revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that states: "All the deeds of Adam's sons [people] are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I shall give the reward for it. Fasting is a shield [from the fire and from committing sins]. On the day you fast, do not use obscenity, nor yell at others, nor act ignorantly toward them. However, if anyone abuses you verbally or attempts to draw you to fight with him, say 'I am fasting' two times. The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting."

Awaited eagerly by children and adults alike is Eid al-Fitr, a celebration marking the completion of Ramadan. This also is an appropriate time for non-Muslims to reciprocate for cards bearing holiday wishes and visits they have received from Muslim friends and acquaintances. This year Eid, which begins with the sighting of the new moon of the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, begins on Jan. 7 or 8.

On the first day of Eid al-Fitr Muslim men and women attend a special prayer at their local mosque and then spend the rest of the day visiting with family and friends. Before the prayer actually begins, each Muslim is obligated to make a special contribution to ensure that needy families can enjoy and partake in the festivities of Eid.

Throughout the country, the Eid prayers attract millions of Muslims, with each mosque overflowing with Muslims praying, praising and glorifying God, and listening to the imam's address. At the end of the three-day celebration, Muslims rejoice in having witnessed the present year's fast and look to God to give them life until the following Ramadan.

Sadia Razaq is the circulation director and Saira Razaq is the Book Club director of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.