Ramadan

Our mosque in Ettington Road underwent a facelift. It was no coincidence that this happened shortly before Ramadan. After all, Ramadan is for Muslims the most important month of the year when they visit the mosque more often than they usually do. We can notice it not just by the number of pedestrians who pass by our house but also by the number of cars that clog our street.

Fasting in summer time is no small feat. The hours without food and drink make up most of the day, fifteen hours or more. What seems particularly vexing is the abstinence of even a drop of water. On warm days when one is doing physical work, this seems not just nearly impossible but positively unhealthy as well.

Muslim apologists, however, maintain that fasting is healthy for body and soul. They claim that it cleanses the body from all kinds of toxic substances that accumulate in the body thoughout the year. The fast of Ramadan removes them from the body making the person more healthy as a result. It seems to me a rather spurious argument tagged on to the religious motivation for fashionable reasons.

In truth, Ramadan is foremost a religious exercise. It is an act of willingly submitting oneself to God who in the Qur'an (2:183) prescribes fasting to Muslims, as to others before them, by whom Jews and Christians are meant. The purpose of the fast is explicitly stated: it is to be mindful of God.

Muslims are mindful of God by not giving in to their natural urges to eat, to drink and have sex. It requires an effort and by that effort they show how highly they regard their God in their lives, much higher than their very real bodily needs.

The stated purpose of the fast is also the reason that the observance of Ramadan involves a lot more than fasting. In order to be mindful of their God Muslims read the whole of the Qur'an during the month of Ramadan. In addition, they strengthen their bonds with family, neighbours and community. The poor are not forgotten either; Ramadan is pre-eminently the month of almsgiving.

Ton