Nearly everyone in my village, and millions of Muslims worldwide are in the midst of their holiest month of the year. They fast from dawn til dusk, which in July is from about 3am-7:45pm. Nothing goes in the mouth until after maghrib, the 4th call to prayer of the day just as the sun sets behind the horizon. I have been invited to eat iftar (the meal that breaks the fast) every night with my landlord's family. Bless them. They treat me as a daughter and sister. During the day, the boys go out and collect the fruit and prepare the meat (lets just say it's very fresh) and the women cook the meals- mansaf, duwali, kousa mahshi, tabouleh, and all other things delicious and prepare the qatayef for desert.
Most nights there are 11 of us eating together, but some nights more family and friends come over to join in the feast. Last night there were at least 30 people over. We place a big plastic sheet on the living room floor and bring out all the dishes. We sit around the food and fidget until finally the adhan (the call to prayer) emanates from the several mosques in town. We break fast with a date and a glass of tamar hindi (tamarind juice) and then gorge.
After the meal, clean up is quick and immediate and everyone goes to pray the 4th prayer of the day. We drink tea and hang out and watch TV for about an hour until it is time for everyone to head to the mosque for the final prayer of the day. I have been invited to come to the mosque with them but declined. It feels strange to sit in the back of a mosque and watch hundreds of people pray and wrong to imitate praying a prayer I don't know. While everyone is at the mosque, I take time to either play with the kids next door or come back downstairs to my house to have my own time for reflection.
After people return from the mosque, the streets that were quiet most of the day become lively. Firecrackers are thrown around and little boys are running around until 2 in the morning. Friends and family go from one house to the next to drink coffee, eat fruit, smoke, and chat. Little kids run around and offer endless entertainment. Some people sleep for a few hours until it is time for suhoor, the early morning meal around 3am that prepares people for the 16 hour long fast ahead of them.
It's wonderful to feel so included. People are so generous, so inclusive and very noninvasive. They know that I am not Muslim and are fine with that. I fast because I want to share this experience with them. They include me in these things because that's not only a part of being a good Muslim, but because they care about me.
People fast for many reasons: to practice self-discipline and control, to become closer to God by devoting more time to prayer, to learn how to gain nourishment from the soul rather than rely solely on the body, and because it's tradition and cultural.
What resonated most with me was a Saudi Arabian doctor's response when someone asked why Muslims fast.
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| So much mansaf! (Jordan's national dish) |
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| Qatayef- mini pancakes filled with walnuts, cheese, or cream, deep fried and then topped with sugary syrup. |
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| Figs all night long |
Most nights there are 11 of us eating together, but some nights more family and friends come over to join in the feast. Last night there were at least 30 people over. We place a big plastic sheet on the living room floor and bring out all the dishes. We sit around the food and fidget until finally the adhan (the call to prayer) emanates from the several mosques in town. We break fast with a date and a glass of tamar hindi (tamarind juice) and then gorge.
After the meal, clean up is quick and immediate and everyone goes to pray the 4th prayer of the day. We drink tea and hang out and watch TV for about an hour until it is time for everyone to head to the mosque for the final prayer of the day. I have been invited to come to the mosque with them but declined. It feels strange to sit in the back of a mosque and watch hundreds of people pray and wrong to imitate praying a prayer I don't know. While everyone is at the mosque, I take time to either play with the kids next door or come back downstairs to my house to have my own time for reflection.
After people return from the mosque, the streets that were quiet most of the day become lively. Firecrackers are thrown around and little boys are running around until 2 in the morning. Friends and family go from one house to the next to drink coffee, eat fruit, smoke, and chat. Little kids run around and offer endless entertainment. Some people sleep for a few hours until it is time for suhoor, the early morning meal around 3am that prepares people for the 16 hour long fast ahead of them.
It's wonderful to feel so included. People are so generous, so inclusive and very noninvasive. They know that I am not Muslim and are fine with that. I fast because I want to share this experience with them. They include me in these things because that's not only a part of being a good Muslim, but because they care about me.
People fast for many reasons: to practice self-discipline and control, to become closer to God by devoting more time to prayer, to learn how to gain nourishment from the soul rather than rely solely on the body, and because it's tradition and cultural.
What resonated most with me was a Saudi Arabian doctor's response when someone asked why Muslims fast.
"We fast to remember all those people who cannot eat and drink daily. We fast to feel their suffering, to remind ourselves of how blessed we are to have food and water. We fast to feel those same pangs of hunger that our poor sisters and brothers feel daily around the world. We fast to become more generous, to practice self-discipline and to strive to become better Muslims and people."Muslim or not, we should all take some moments each day to acknowledge this, to practice self-discipline, to do something to help others less fortunate than us. To visit with our neighbors or call friends we have been neglecting. To focus on bettering ourselves and our emotional, physical, and mental health. And on that note, I once again wish you all a very happy Ramadan.
