Ramadan and the Days of Awe

The Islamic month of Ramadan will soon commence with the first sighting of the new moon.  For North America this is likely to happen on Sunday, August 31st, making the first day of Ramadan Monday, September 1st.  Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad, and is therefore considered a blessed and holy month. 

Muslims observe this holy month by fasting from sunrise to sunset every day, breaking the daily fast after sunset with prayer and a meal called the iftar.  After the iftar it is a custom to visit family and friends, resuming the fast the next morning.  Ramadan is a time of strict restraints, and also a time of worship, study and contemplation.  During Ramadan, it is common for Muslims to go to the Masjid (Mosque) and spend several hours praying and studying the Qur’an.  Some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.  When the fast ends (the first day of the month of Shawwal) it is celebrated for three days in a holiday called Eid-al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking).  Gifts are exchanged.  Friends and family gather to pray in congregation and for large meals.  In some cities fairs are held to celebrate the end of the Fast of Ramadan.

This year the end of the Ramadan fast (Eid) will converge with the beginning of the Jewish holy Days of Awe, at sundown on September 29th. For the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, and during the next ten days leading up to Yom Kippur, Jews think about their actions over the past year, how they affected their family, friends, community, and their world, by the things they said and the things they did.  They ask forgiveness and resolve to do better.  Yom Kippur is essentially the last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate regret and to make amends.  Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and God, not for sins against another person.  It is therefore a custom to go to family, friends and others whom one has wronged, to ask forgiveness before Yom Kippur.  It is also customary to fast on Yom Kippur, from sundown to sundown.  This is not meant as a punishment, but rather to remove oneself from the ordinary, to devote oneself to prayer and to move closer to God. 

The spiritual themes of both observances include fasting, prayer and charity.  There is the sense of a journey when one turns attention to God and to compassion for others during these times of reflection.  Here at Merrimack College we are all embarking on a new school year; it is a time of reflection and renewal as we chart our direction for the year.  May you and your loved ones enjoy the blessings of family, friends and community as we all strive to have a good year; and to our Muslim friends, a Ramadan Mubarak, a blessed Ramadan.