Ramadan Around the World

(Pictured above: Muslim children gather to read Quran at the Al-Kabir Mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, Ramadan 2022.) The following pictures show how Muslims around the world are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, traditionally by fasting, breaking the fast (iftar), reading Quran, and prayer. We also should remember millions of Muslims in China are prohibited/restricted from fasting or even acknowledging Ramadan, as well as pray, go to mosques for worship, or even read Quran. In 2017, many of these restrictions became law, and all Muslims, especially among the Uighurs, were forced to turn in their Qurans, prayer mats, Islamic clothing, or anything at all associated with Islam, or face the horrors of the extermination camps. So pictures of Ramadan in China might even pose an imminent danger to anyone appearing in such a photo, even anonymously. There are also many refugees from Syria and elsewhere suffering as they try to fast and celebrate this month, and notably Palestinians are often harassed particularly in Ramadan. Nonetheless, there is hope in this set of images.

Milestone: Muslims Pray Taraweeh in Times Square NYC

New York: US Muslims perform prayers in Times Square

For the first time in history, Muslims pray in New York’s Times Square

For this Ramadan, an historic first, Muslims in New York pray the taraweeh for Ramadan in Times Square as described in the article above. It is hoped that people will come to understand more about Islam, thus find more common ground and work toward justice and peace in these difficult times, insha’Allah — God willing.

The One Quranic Aya that Mentions Ramadan

This well-known aya, translated below (Saheeh International), is the only aya where Ramadan is mentioned by name as the time when the Quran was sent, and therefore is very significant and worth analyzing. Surat Al-Qadr 97 is a shorter sura entirely about the night the Quran was sent, called laylat Al-Qadr 97 or the “night of decree,” which we thus know is in Ramadan. But the whole month is named in this single aya in Surat Al-Baqara, with its significance declared in two basic ways: as the month in which the historically important event of sending the Quran to humankind occurred, and as a month of fasting and repentance. 

Quran 30 by 30 Season 3 for Ramadan

https://yaqeeninstitute.org/tesneem-alkiek/juz-1-with-dr-tesneem-alkiek-quran-30-for-30-season-3

Ramadan Mubarak! Each Ramadan, Yaqeen Institute brings us this series discussing the Quran, focusing on a different juz’ each day, which is quite a feat, so that by the end of the month listeners will have completed a study of the entire Quran. This is the third year, season 3, and it’s been thus far quite engaging, featuring a different guest each evening. Hosts Omar Suleiman and Abdullah Oduro have a nice rapport and each presentation strives to last about half an hour.

Because it is a live series, with each episode shown at 7:30 EDT, the link above is for the first episode, but there’s an arrow on that link that lists subsequent episodes too as they appear, all of which are recorded as well.

Special Prayer for Ramadan & Laylat-ul-Qadr

Although Ramadan is almost finished, there is still the possibility of Laylat-ul-Qadr on the eve of the 27th of Ramadan, for which is a little-known but powerful voluntary (not required) salat called Salat Tasbeeh, also less-commonly known as Salat Sobhanallah. A description of how to perform the “full version” plus references from the Sunnah is here (yes, this prayer has its own Wikipedia page! with a few spelling discrepancies), but a shorter version is below, one my family has done during Ramadan for years, especially during the final last days.

Ramadan Mubarak!

A Blessed Ramadan to all! May this fast and the worship you offer this month bring great blessings, enlightenment, and mutual cooperation towards what is good.

Ramadan Mubarak – and under Siege

Ramadan, the focal point or heart of the year for Muslims around the world —— for although the Hajj (pilgrimage) to Makkah is the high point of the year, the heart of the Islamic year is Ramadan —— is a month of sacrifice, atonement, restraint, forgiveness and asking for mercy, of compassion and consideration for others, of spending more time in worship and prayer, of fasting of course, of thinking about eternity, the Hereafter, and taking time away from this world and its demands. At the same time, Muslims must work to survive, live in societies that may not be Muslim or even friendly or accepting of Muslims. They must make accommodations for unfriendly or even hostile societies.

Ramadan: Purification and Emptying Out

As this most sacred of months, Ramadan, continues, we think about what its true meaning is. It’s about more than fasting from food and drink, because one must also abstain from bad behaviors, such as lying, slander or profanity, and obviously from committing any crimes, or from acting with cruelty to others such as bullying or mocking others, in person or online, openly or in secret. Not only must one abstain from sexual activity of any kind (and one considers that for Muslims this will be marital, lawful), but refrain oneself from any sexual thoughts or innuendos or behaviors that approach this area, including viewing sexually explicit materials online or elsewhere. Even excess anger is prohibited. One strives, in other words, to be a truly good person, thinking about it, being aware of Allah. So it is a kind of emptying out of those things of this world that lead us away from thikr Allah, actively remembering Allah and calling upon Him and invoking His name while alert. It is a kind of purification of the heart. We also strive to be compassionate and kind and thoughtful to others. So it is an emptying out of the selfish part, our tendency to be driven and moved by our selfish desires.

Ramadan and Taqwa: The Purpose Of Fasting

We all know Ramadan as a sacred month of fasting and worship, of purification, of compassion and contrition. Looking at the meaning of the word “sacred” in English, it is not an exact translation of the Arabic word haram, which means “prohibited” or “protected by prohibitions” in a sense, but also it means “sacred” in the sense of being reverenced, which brings us to another word, taqwa. This word is mentioned frequently in varying grammatical forms, sometimes translated as “fear of God,” or “reverence.” I like the word “reverence,” because although there’s an element of fear and respect in reverence, it is of a particular kind, a willing attitude of one who appreciates the value and power and importance of that which is revered. It acts as fear of God in causing one to avoid doing anything that would incur God’s wrath, so it is a directed fear, and that involves the mind. The Quran also uses the word taqwa in the sense of “beware” or “be aware,” invoking mindfulness, whereas fear itself, expressed in a very different Arabic word khauf, is an emotional reaction that does not involve thinking or the mind.

Ramadan, Honoring the Quran

Ramadan is first mentioned in the Quran as the month in which the Quran was sent, literally “sent down.” Thus its significance as a month of fasting (and other forms of abstention) is very closely related to the Quran. After all, the Quran is central to Islam; it is the sourcebook for the religion, for everything from jurisprudence to inspiration to wisdom of a more intellectual  nature. It is a guide to life, in essence whose language and presentation is often allegorical or via parables or metaphor, all this being expressed in one Arabic word mathal. 

Ramadan 1: The Meaning of Ramadan

One could say Ramadan commemorates the tanzeel or sending down of the Qur’an, which occurred on the “Night of Power” or Laylat-ul-Qadr, a night the Quran describes as “better than a thousand months.” One fasts from the first thread of light of dawn until what the Qur’an mentions as “layl” or night, but which is usually interpreted as the first darkness, or sunset, although some wait longer to be sure it is really night. The fast includes not only food and drink (including water), but also abstention from profanity, smoking, sexual relations, and any other “impiety” such as lying, stealing, or fighting. War is prohibited except in actual self-defense. It is a sacred month, one of four, and the most sacred of all.

Ramadan: Time, Physical Worship and Limits

The days of Ramadan are flying by with so much to do, so little energy, and no time to write about it. Time and its fleeting nature is a topic the Quran discusses with some frequency, most often in reference to spending some of that time with thikr Allah, thinking about Allah, how we will meet Him in the Hereafter, and what we are doing to be better people, more compassionate and responsible. The difference between faith and denial is enormous——yet manifested in small ways, perhaps the change from one to the other could move a mountain, a change of mindset that may take a matter of seconds…

Day One: Introduction to al-Fatiha

The first Sura of the Qur’an is al-Fatiha, or “the Opening.” It is short, consisting of 30 words arranged in seven ayat. Note the word for “verse,” when referring to the Qur’an, is aya (singular) or ayat (plural), and means “sign” or “signs.” This also carries the sense of “miracle” as it does in English.

Introducing 114 Chambers, Ramadan

Surat Al-Qamar (The Moon): 54:17
“And We have made the Qur’an easy to remember; so are there any that will study it?” (17)

وَلَقَدۡ يَسَّرۡنَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ لِلذِّكۡرِ فَهَلۡ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ۬ (١٧)

Note on 114 chambers: this stands for the 114 Suras of the Qur’an, which we shall see, during the course of this study, are arranged in the Qur’an in a very meaningful way. One can think of them, roughly, as chambers such as one sees in the chambered nautilus shell. This graphic comparison can be used as an aid to memorization as well as a gateway to comprehension and appreciation of the meaning and magnificence of this revelation, this message.

For Ramadan, I’ve decided to write an entry every day from my analysis of what I call Qur’anic architecture, that is, the structure and “design,” as well as what one could call “style,” of the Qur’an. As a revelation from Allah in Arabic to all humankind, the approach to this subject shall be one of reverence, but also intense interest in the deeper meaning of its content. Because for a book of this nature, style and content are necessarily closely related, this study is important, especially as I haven’t seen it done before.

The study will begin with some overall, general observations about which there is no issue or controversy, such as the general (and not strictly regular) decrease in length of the Suras from beginning to end, and the repetition of certain words and phrases. We will examine the significance of these and other structural elements carefully, bearing in mind that in this book, all elements are significant, especially the most prominent structural features. And where this will take us can only be, as we shall see, breathtaking.