Welcome to Ramadan 1

By Korea.net Honorary Reporters Majid Mushtaq, Wajid Mushtaq, Mahwish Khan, Esraa Elzeny, Salwa Elzeny, Loura Al Kurdi and Nur Jannah Zulkifli

"The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proof of guidance and criterion. Whoever sights the new moon of the month, let them fast. Whoever is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you to be at ease and does not intend for you to endure hardship. He wants for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that to which he has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful." This is what Allah said in the second chapter of the Quran, in verse No. 185. 

The great month has started. It is the month of mercy and forgiveness and freedom from fire; the month of fasting and reading the Quran. 

Many Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. The manifestations of celebrating this great month vary from country to country and from region to region.

As we are Korea.net honorary reporters, we want to share with all of you the manifestations of celebrating the holy month of Ramadan. We will start with the first country, our beloved Korea. It is not a majority Muslim country, but it has established laws to respect and protect different religions, including Islam.

Here is our Pakistani friend, Majid, who is living and studying in Korea.

The Seoul Central Masjid is in Yongsan-gu District in central Seoul. (Seoul City Tour)

A few days ago, I was working in my lab. My Korean lab mate offered me some snacks, which I refused, saying that I can’t eat during the daytime during the month of Ramadan. A few minutes later, he came offering a coffee. This time, I told him with a bit more details that I am observing a fast and that I cannot drink or eat anything during daytime hours. At first he was shocked to hear, but then I explained the details to him about this holy month.

Ramadan is the ninth lunar month in the Islamic lunar year. It's considered to be the most holy month of all. During this month, observant Muslims all over the world abstain from eating or drinking from dawn until sunset. They also stay away from all the "sinful" deeds, like backbiting, swearing, lying or cheating. The true essence of this month is to purify one's soul and to feel more close to God.

Korea is not a Muslim majority country. In fact, the Muslim population here is way too small. So celebrating this holy month here is quite different than the way it is celebrated in other Muslims countries, like Indonesia, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. The best thing is that Koreans and all other non-Koreans here respect this ritual a lot and appreciate Muslims observing their fast. Muslims living in Seoul have the opportunity to go to the biggest mosque in Korea, in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, and to offer prayers, meet other Muslims and to breakfast together at sunset. However, for people living in the suburbs, for them to go to a mosque is quite tough, as mosques cannot be found that often in Korea. So Muslims like me, who cannot go to mosque every day, go to the Itaewon mosque every Friday and spend almost the whole day there.

The best thing about Korea is that people here are very tolerant and respectful when it comes to traditional behavior unique to one's own society, so I feel very comfortable observing the fast. My professors even let me go for prayers during class times and the International Students Organization also arranges an Iftar dinner for all observant Muslims at my university. Not only that, but the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) also holds an annual Iftar dinner for ambassadors from predominantly Muslim countries to celebrate diversity and to increase understandings between societies. 

Pakistan has the second largest number of Muslims in the world, after Indonesia. Here you can read all about Ramadan celebrations in Pakistan by our friend Waijd.

The Faisal Masjid mosque is in Islamabad. (Tribune)

Just like other predominantly Muslim countries, Ramadan in Pakistan is celebrated with great zeal and respect. Muslims in Pakistan wait for this month the whole year, and people feel so lucky if they properly observe the fast this month. Since the Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle, one day before Ramadan people stand on the roofs of their houses to properly observe the moon. If the moon doesn’t appear, it means the first day of Ramadan will be on day later. However, if people can observe the moon and if there's a clear sky, they feel so happy and start spreading messages of congratulations and blessings among relatives. Although the government officially announces if the moon has been "seen" in major parts of the country or not, still, it’s a cultural thing that people go up onto their roofs to personally observe the moon.

During Ramadan, almost all the restaurants are closed during the day, until sunset. When the evening comes, people go out and start preparing for the Iftar, i.e. the breaking of the fast, which means the time they are allowed to start eating. People buy fruit, especially dates, as they consider it a holy thing. All the family sits together for the Iftar and pray for the well-being of everyone. Nowadays, people also arrange Iftar parties where they invite other relatives to their homes during Ramadan. Some volunteers also do "Iftar drives" where they collect food and donations and give free food and drinks to poor people.

On the last day of Ramadan, people thank God for blessing them with the opportunity to observe a fast during the month. The first day after Ramadan is the biggest festival for all Muslims, and they call it the Eid-ul-Fitr and everyone celebrates it with pomp and show. People visit their relatives, eat traditional foods, go on picnics and spend time with their families. In Pakistan, Eid is celebrated for three days and these days are public holidays across the whole country.

India has the third largest number of Muslims in the world. From the land of Bollywood, Mahwish tells us about celebrating Ramadan in India.

The Jama Masjid mosque is in Delhi. (Scoop Whoop)

The holy month of Ramadan is one of the most sought-out times of the year for Muslims across the world, as it reminds us of strengthening our resolute faith in the one and almighty Allah, and gives us a chance to reflect upon our deeds.

Preparations are made in advance for the holy month due to the vigorous nature of fasting. 

The religion of Islam entered the geographical region of India in the 7th century when traders touched down on the western coast. However, it wasn’t until the Mughal Empire (1524-1857) and its conquests that Islam saw a rise in acceptance and conversion, many of which were forced. Today the Muslim population of India stands at about 180 million, or about 14.2 percent of the overall Indian population. 

India is a democratic country with the rule of law, and due to its very lively society and history, the coexistence of so many different religions has become a melting pot of unity and diversity. As a result, people from different backgrounds come together to celebrate each other’s festivals.

Sehri, or the time before dawn breaks, is spent in offering Tahajjud prayers and eating before the fast begins. In earlier days, a person was chosen to roam the entire neighborhood giving wake up calls and announcing the time of Sehri. This became a ritual and is still followed by Muslims who live in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods or towns. It was difficult to do so considering that the time keeping and management relied on watching the stars and analog watches.

The food consumed depended, and still does, very much on the season during which Ramadan falls. For example, during the winter, Sehri essentially includes the consumption of food that warms up the body, while during the summer, the consumption of food that keeps the stomach cool and allows easy digestion is preferred. 

Iftaar is the time at which the dusk just starts, turning into night, when the fast is to be broken. As a centuries-old-tradition, Indian Muslims, too, break the fast by eating a couple of dates followed by smaller portions of food. Contrary to popular belief, where some people believed that Muslims stuff their mouths with delicious food post-fasting, it is a completely different story altogether. Eating huge portions or too quickly must be completely refrained from, as the stomach reacts radically when food is consumed after remaining empty for so long. Also, a full stomach makes it physically difficult to offer Salah, or Namaz.  

Winter food usually consists of food that has a slightly higher fat content, like kebabs, keema samosas, or warm or hot sweet dishes prepared in ghee or butter, not to forget kachori, poori and parantha, which are famous across the Indian sub-continent. Summer food consumption involves lots of fibrous foods, like rice, cucumbers, radishes, curd or yogurt, eggs, rice cooked in various forms, like khichdi or plain pulao, and cold desserts, like phirni, rosogulla or mishtidoi.

With modern technology and newer alarm systems, it has now become easier to follow timelines and schedules. Even the possibility of food getting spoilt due to weather conditions has reached a negligible level due to modern electronic gadgets. 

As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end after either 29 or 30 days of fasting, because it depends on when the moon was officially sighted, the festivities begin. Children particularly enjoy the day, as they get to eat special dishes like biryani and sheer-korma, and wear fancy clothes, but they also are handed small amounts of money by family members and relatives. Owing to its cultural richness and presence of people from different backgrounds, the celebrations becomes more eventful when people set aside their differences and appear to wish, “Eid mubarak,” at their friend’s homes. 

It’s a beautiful feeling when your fellow countrymen come together to realize and celebrate in your moments of happiness, irrespective of caste, creed, age or religion. 

wisdom117@Korea.kr

Share this post