A glimpse at the holiday of Ramadan

HARLEM VALLEY — This month is a very important one for the more than 1 billion Muslims throughout the world, including those living right here in the Harlem Valley. It’s the celebratory time of Ramadan, a month-long period of spiritual purification that includes fasting, self-sacrifice and prayers. The significance of the holiday is that it’s believed to be “the month in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad,†according to Wikipedia.

There is disagreement among those who participate in the holiday as to when it begins. According to most calendars, this year Ramadan starts on Aug. 11 and ends on Sept. 9; the dates change yearly according to the waning of the moon.

Ramadan is best known because it requires Muslims, regardless of their sect (Shiites and Sunnis are two major sects), to fast from dawn to dusk. This is meant to teach Muslims patience and modesty through spiritual purification, all in an effort to strenghten their faith. That falls in with the five pillars of Islam, goals for all Muslims. According to holidays.net these are:

Five Pillars of Islam

1. Shahada (Testimony of Faith): This is the most important of the five pillars. It requires all Muslims to say with conviction at least once in their lives that Allah is the only God and Muhammad is Allah’s messenger. That must be said when one converts to Islam.

2. Salat (Prayer): Muslims must pray five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and at night. They can do so anywhere, but must always face Mecca, and should try to pray in Arabic.

3. Zakat (Almsgiving): This requires Muslims to give a certain percentage of their wealth and assets as charity to the poor. One can go beyond what’s required as an act of “sadaqah.â€

4. Sliam/Sawm (Fasting): This pertains to the ritual fasting during the month of Ramadan, from dawn to dusk for the entire month. It allows individuals to focus on their spritiual selves and atone for their sins. It’s also a time for Muslims to recommit to serving Allah.

5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): This is during the last month of the Islamic calendar. During Dhu al-Hijjah nearly 2 million Muslims make their way to the holy city of Mecca for the Hajj.

“Every able-bodied Muslim is required — if their finances permit — to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. If performing the Hajj will put an undue burden on one’s family, he or she may appoint a proxy to fulfill this duty in his or her place. Once one completes a pilgrimage, he or she is able to add the title of Hajji to his or her name. Islamic teachers are careful to warn, however, that the Hajj must be performed as an expression of devout faith — and not as a ploy to gain social status,†explained holidays.net.

Ramadan ends with a three-day festival called Eid, or Eid al-Fitr, that breaks the fast with much fanfare.