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The Battalion
Page 3 • Friday, November 14, 2003
Fasting fellowship
Fasting during Ramadan helps Muslims focus on religion, self-sacrifice
By Kendra Kingsley
THE BATTALION
On a cool November night in College Station, Texas, Saeahat
Gulan and Zaynah Danquah slip robes (called jihbas) over their
clothes, secure their head coverings (called hijabs) and leave
their apartment to celebrate one of the most important holidays
in the Islamic religion: the fast of Ramadan.
Located on a quiet street, the Islamic Center of Bryan-
College Station is bustling with devout Muslims who are prepar
ing to recite the words of ancient Arabic prayers.
Two entrances separate the Muslim men and women because
the Muslims believe dividing the sexes prevents distractions dur-
; the prayers.
Gulan and Danquah enter the foyer designated for women.
Here, they remove their shoes to prevent bringing dirt into the
mosque, which is supposed to be clean for prayer at all times.
Inside the mosque, a two-way mirror serves as a wall
between the Muslim men and women so that the men will not be
distracted while they pray. On one side of the mirror, the
Muslim preacher (called an iman) begins an Arabic chant, which
signals the beginning of the Tarawih, a special prayer recited
only during Ramadan.
Soon, the men have lined up side-by-side to recite the
Tarawih; the women, who are able to see the men through the
glass, follow their words and motions. The men and women fall
to their knees and drop their faces to the ground to assume a
prostrating position while they pray.
“Your face is the most honorable part of your body,” explains
Danquah, a 21-year-old biology student at Texas A&M. “When
s on the ground, you’re basically telling God he’s the highest
power - which is what Ramadan is all about.”
Muslims follow a specific schedule during the holiday, which
requires fasting from sunrise to sunset. The Sunnah (a record of
the prophet Muhammed’s teachings) urges Muslims to eat a pre
dawn meal (called sahur) to give them strength until their next
meal at sunset.
During the day, Muslims are encouraged to morally discipline
themselves — avoiding arguments and impure thoughts.
Immediately after sunset, Muslims are allowed to take a meal
called iftar, literally meaning, “break the fast.”
Currently, Islam is considered a minority religion in the
United States - especially in the South. Yet Danquah, whose
patents are first-generation Muslims from Jamaica, says growing
up the predominantly Baptist “Bible Belt” was not an alienating
experience.
In fact, if anything set her apart from the other students in her
Killeen, Texas, elementary school, it wasn’t her religion.
“My sister and I would constantly fight over clothes,” she
said. “My mom got so tired of listening to us argue about who
was going to wear what that she ordered us clothes from a
school uniform company in New York. She made us wear white
oxford shirts and light green jumpers to wear to school every
day. Since green and white were our school colors, we looked
like the most school-spirited kids every day.”
As she got older and began wearing hijabs to school,
Danquah found that her Muslim roots became an object of fasci
nation to other students.
I understood that I was different from the other kids, and I
got used to answering all of their questions about the Muslim
religion,” she said. “No one gave me a hard time about it, but it
could be difficult during Ramadan when the other kids were eat
ing lunch. I’d usually bring a book to the cafeteria so I could
distract myself from the food.”
Ahmed Aden, an electrical engineering student who attended
first through 12th grade in Virginia, said his memories of
Ramadans are more painful.
“During junior high and high school, kids would wave pieces
of cake in front of my face because they knew I was fasting,”
Aden said. “In college, people have outgrown that type of
behavior and are typically very understanding when I explain
why I’m fasting.”
Because Ramadan is scheduled according to the lunar calen
dar, it begins on a different day each year. This year, Ramadan
began on Oct. 27 - which, because it’s during daylight savings
time, means the fasting day is shorter.
Aden, like most Muslims, began participating in the fast of
Ramadan when he hit puberty several years ago - when the holi
day began in the sweltering summer months.
“It used to be so difficult for me when I first started fasting
because it seemed like the days lasted forever,” he said. “Now,
because I have more patience and the days are shorter, I don’t
usually find it too difficult to make it through the daylight hours
without food.“
When Aden feels tempted to eat throughout the day, however,
he tries to avoid situations that involve food.
“If I know there’s going to be pizza at a meeting, I usually
won’t go,” he said. “When I get hungry in between classes, I’ll
pretend like I’ve left my wallet at home and can’t buy food any
way.”
Muslims are allowed to eat before sunrise or after sunset dur
ing Ramadan, and Aden says he adjusts his meals accordingly.
Yet, a bowl of cereal at 5 a.m. and a sandwich at 7 p.m. is hard
ly a typical daily diet for the 24-year-old.
“During the fast, I feel like I get a little taste of what it’s like
to be starving,” he said. “Here in the United States, everything’s
at your fingertips. During the months I’m not fasting, I find
myself going through the McDonald’s drive-through or snacking
on chips even when I’m not hungry. Fasting makes you realize
how much you really need to survive.”
U
During the fast I feel like I get a little taste of
what it’s like to be starving. Here in the United
States, everything’s at your fingertips. During
the months I’m not fasting I find myself going
through McDonald’s drive-thru or snacking on
chips even when I’m not hungry. Fasting makes
you realize how much you really need to
survive.
— Ahmed Aden
senior electrical engineering major
Because Ramadan is intended to strengthen a Muslim’s rela
tionship with God, spiritual benefits naturally follow, Aden said.
“After the fast, I always feel rejuvenated because I’ve
renewed my faith,” he said. “I’m a little sad when Ramadan
ends because I feel so much closer God during that month. I
know it has to end, but sometimes I hope the Islamic officials
don’t notice the moon’s position at the end of the month so that
Mahesh Neelakantan • THE BATTALION
we can have a longer Ramadan.”
Aden, who is not married, confesses that the most difficult
part of Ramadan for him is giving up food during the day.
Married couples, however, face additional stipulations.
During Ramadan, husbands and wives are required to practice
sexual abstinence during the fast. That stipulation, which serves
as an additional test of self-control, is something newlywed
Sarah Ashraf finds “empowering.”
“Knowing you can wait until after the fast gives you disci
pline and really makes you feel so strong,” said the University
of Houston student. “It’s important to realize that we aren’t
meant to have everything we want when we want it.”
Across the world, more than 4.1 million Muslims recognize
the fast of Ramadan. In predominantly Islamic countries, such
as Jordan, Syria and Turkey, public life, commerce and govern
ment virtually slow to a crawl - especially when Ramadan falls
during the summer.
Muhammed Munawar, president of the A&M Muslim Student
Association, describes the sacrifices as “lessons in patience.”
Munawar says he often faces scrutiny from his classmates, who
don’t understand why Muslims must fast during Ramadan.
“Classmates have asked me why we force ourselves to go
hungry,” said Munawar, a junior industrial engineering major.
“But the essence of Ramadan is not to torture ourselves, but to
tame our inner selves and become better people.”
Islam is currently the fastest growing religion in the world,
and Munawar says he sees the religion growing at A&M - espe
cially during Ramadan, when people take more notice of
Muslim practices.
“People are always fascinated by fasting, and we’ve had a lot
of non-Muslims come to our meetings and ask us what Ramadan
is all about,” Munawar said. “Even if they’re part of a different
religion, non-Muslims are usually very supportive because they
understand we’re doing this all for God.”
For those who don’t understand why fasting is one of Islam’s
most religious practices, Munawar has a simple answer.
“When you say something nice, other people hear you,” he
said. “When you give money to charity, other people take notice.
But when you fast, no one except God notices. That’s why it
means so much - because you can fool other people, but you
can’t fool God.”
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