Story & photos by Edd K. Usman
Ramadan is here! Like their brethren across the world, Muslims in the Philippines are now into the fourth day of fasting, as Islamic religious leaders in the country declared the start of Ramadan 1, 1439, on May 17.
Islam’s month of fasting is a season of mercy, forgiveness, charity, sacrifice and, most of all, taqwa (God-consciousness).
Here’s why Muslims fast, said in the Holy Koran as quoted by Ustadhz Muhammad Cana, an Islamic scholar who studied in Saudi Arabia.
“O ye who believe! Prescribed for you is fasting as it was prescribed to those before you that you may become God-conscious or righteous” (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 183).
Moon-sighting
This year Ramadan falls in the months of May and June 2018. Ramadan (as-Sawm) is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Ascertaining the first day of fasting is complicated, although the science of astronomy can easily provide an exact date on when the crescent of the new moon, which signals the arrival of every month of Islam’s Hijra (Flight), will appear.
It’s a requirement to do what Islam’s messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, did when he was alive—sighting of the crescent moon with the naked eye.
Moon-sighting is a communal activity that is repeated every year because it determines the start and end of Ramadan.
Sighting of the crescent moon with the naked eye is important to Ramadan fasting. However, even Saudi Arabia’s religious leaders have acknowledged the role of science. This means there are three ways the sighting of the Ramadan crescent can be done—such as using telescopes and binoculars, astronomical charts and with the naked eye.
Moon cycles
Hijra’s dates are determined by the cycles of the moon. Thus, a Muslim year moves back by about 11 days vis-à-vis the sun-based Gregorian calendar.
It is the reason the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) has been forming a National Moon-sighting Committee (NMSC) every year.
Cana, an imam who works at NCMF and a member of the committee, said they deployed on May 15 evening NMSC members nationwide in coordination with Darul Iftah (House of Opinion) in Mindanao.
The committee has also been coordinating with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-Pagasa), he said.
Cana added the moon was not seen then, thus, the Darul Iftah declared the first day of Ramadan was on May 17.
Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are among countries that also started fasting last Thursday.
Cana quoted the prophet’s words: “Start fasting when you see it [i.e. the crescent] and stop fasting [i.e. Ramaān is over] when you see it. If the sky is cloudy [and you can’t see the crescent on the 29th] then consider Shaʿbān as 30 days.
“In the Islamic lunar calendar called Hijra [Flight], this is year 1439, where a year is either 354 or 355 days.”
Total abstention
Cana said Islamic fasting requires total abstention from food, drinks, smoking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk.
“Muslims perform the Ramadan fast for fear of God and to get closer to Him, to develop God-consciousness, patience and empathy with the less fortunate,” Cana said.
Just a morsel of food, or a sip of liquid, or a puff of smoke invalidates one’s fast, not to say doing sexual relations, he said.
Not only that, he added, as Muslims fast they are also enjoined to refrain from sinful speech and behavior.
Excused from fasting
Excused from the fast are the sick, elderly, diabetic and women who are pregnant, with a monthly period or breast-feeding.
For people who are on travel, or not well enough to fast during Ramadan are allowed to replace the fast they missed with equal number at some later days.
Children before puberty are not obliged to fast, although many fast voluntarily.
Worship intensifies
Worship intensifies during the month: nightly Taraweeh prayers, reading of the Holy Koran, more people joining Mass prayers, giving of charity, etc.
In the last 10 days of Ramadan, Tahajud prayers are performed at midnight.
During Ramadan the greeting is “Ramadan Kareem,” which roughly means “Happy/Generous Ramadan” or “Ramadan Mubarak [Blessed Ramadan].”
Ramadan day schedule
Every fast starts with breakfast before sunrise, called suhoor, followed by Fajr, the dawn prayers.
Families wake up around 2 a.m. to cook food for suhoor, which more likely includes soup, and either fish, chicken, vegetables or meat for those who can afford.
About 13 hours later the kitchen in every household will become busy again, from about 3 p.m., to prepare food for iftar (breaking of fast) at sunset.
Azan, or the call to prayers from mosques for Maghreb is a signal to break the fast.
For iftar, families usually prepare bread, fruits, fruit salad, sindol (banana, sticky rice, sweet potato cooked in coconut) and the usual fare of viand and rice.
Every Moro tribe has its own native food and delicacies. Ramadan is a time to showcase them on the table. It is not unusual that some neighbors are invited to break the fast with them.
Traditionally, khorma (dates) are the first food eaten during iftar. It is the sweetened fruit from the Middle East which Islam’s prophet also ate.
After eating dates and drinking milk, juice or water, some prefer performing the Maghreb prayers first, then eat a full meal.
All the prohibited activities between sunset and sunrise are already allowed after the day’s fasting.
Holiest month
In Islam, Ramadan is considered the holiest month because it was the month in which the Koran was revealed to the prophet during the night of Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), one of the last 10 days of Ramadan.
At the Blue Mosque in Maharlika Village in Taguig City, Ustadhz Abdulbaki Abubakar said they prepared the mosque for the influx of worshipers.
“The ‘masjid’ [mosque] was for devotees’ benefit,” he said, adding food for iftar every day is also being planned for worshipers,” said Abubakar, grand mufti of Zamboanga Peninsula.
A tricycle driver, who gave his name as Omar, said fasting during Ramadan is very important to his family.
“Even at the heat of the sun, I still fast and continue to drive to earn money,” he said. “Ramadan is business as usual even for tricycle drivers.”
Muslims—from at least 14 Moro ethnic communities—in the Philippines are estimated variously at 8 million to 10 million, the majority in Muslim Mindanao. Many of them have since transferred to various parts of the Visayas and Luzon to escape the conflict in Mindanao, and look for better opportunities.
Five pillars
Islam’s five pillars are: Shahaddah, Salat, Sawm (Ramadan), Zakat and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
The 12 months under Hijra are: 1) Muharram; 2) Safar; 3) Rabi’ al-Awwal; 4) Rabi’ al-Thani; 5) Jumada al-Awwal; 6) Jumada al-Thani; 7) Rajab; 8) Sha’ban; 9) Ramadan; 10) Shawwal; 11) Dhu al-Qidah; and 12) Dhu al-Hijjah.
Hijra months are similar to the 12 months in the Gregorian calendar being used in the Philippines and many other countries.
However, since Hijra moves by moon cycles, making a Muslim year 11 days shorter compared to the Gregorian, the observance of Ramadan comes earlier each year. Next year, Ramadan may start on the first week of May.
Hijra is used across many Arab countries.
Hijra (Hijri or Hegira), means migration or flight from Mecca to Medina (now in Saudi Arabia), because it started with the migration of Islam’s prophet—and those who believed the message he was conveying—to escape the persecution they were receiving from their fellow Arabs, the nonbelievers.
Islam’s New Year—on Muharram 1, 1439—coincided with September 21, 2017.
Image credits: Edd K. Usman