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In
most of the Islamic world Ramadan the
ninth month of the Muslim Calendar, began Thursday at sun down. The date is calculated by the first sighting of the crescent
after the New Moon. Since this can vary in different parts of the
world, so can the marked beginning of the month. In the United States the western calendar date
was April 23.
Ramadan
was the month in which the first verses
of the Qur’an were revealed
to the Prophet Mohammad.
The
month of cleansing as the faithful rededicate themselves to Allah by emphasizing patience, humility, and spirituality
by an absolute fast observed by all
Muslims over the age of puberty each
day between dawn and dusk.
The observant are also called
to be more reverent and fervent in prayer. During Ramadan the
entire Qur’an is often read in mosques in 30 installments.
Customs connected to the Ramadan observance vary somewhat culturally
and between Sunni and Shi’a traditions. In more secular Islamic countries
evenings after the fast are often filled with feasting and entertainment,
while attendance to evening services following a modest breaking of
the fast is customary in more traditional societies. Acts of charity to the poor are
encouraged
The holiday
of Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan
and the first day of the following month, after another new moon has been
sighted, 29 or 30 days after the onset of Ramadan. This is the most festive of Islamic
holidays and is marked by the donning of new clothes, feasting, and family
gatherings.
There a rich traditions
of poetry in both Arabic speaking societies and in Iran,
formerly Persia which is the spiritual center of Shi’a
Islam. Poets have been considered to
have a special duty to speak to social and moral
conditions and to hold rulers to the high standards of Allah. While they are often revered by
the masses they are often harassed, imprisoned, or even killed
by unamused religious and state authorities.
Kazim Ali.
Kazim Ali is a British born Muslim of Indian descent. Educated in the United States with
a B.A. from University of Albany-SUNY, and an MFA from New
York University. Ali’s poetry
collections include The Far Mosque
(2005), The Fortieth Day (2008),
Sky Ward (2013), and Inquisition (2018). Today’s selection, Ramadan, comes from The Fortieth Day.
Ramadan
You wanted to
be so hungry, you would break into branches,
and have to
choose between the starving month’s
nineteenth,
twenty-first, and twenty-third evenings.
The liturgy
begins to echo itself and why does it matter?
If the
ground-water is too scarce one can stretch nets
into the air
and harvest the fog.
Hunger opens
you to illiteracy,
thirst makes
clear the starving pattern,
the thick
night is so quiet, the spinning spider pauses,
the angel
stops whispering for a moment—
The secret
night could already be over,
you will have
to listen very carefully—
You are never
going to know which night’s mouth is sacredly reciting
and which
night’s recitation is secretly mere wind—
—Kazim Ali
Ramadan: A Poem was written by Musa Burki and was found on the website Virtual Mosque.
Ramadan: A Poem
A time for
our hearts to become unsealed
Reflecting on
the divine words revealed
The month
which we hope to never end
Unable to
count the infinite blessings it sends
Asked by our
Lord to give up our worldly pleasures
So that we may
receive His divine treasures
It’s a time
that comes but once a year
Yet the moments
which we hold most dear
The nights
spent in prayer and reflection
Prepares the
soul for redemption
Praying to our
Creator for mercy and wisdom
Pleading to
be admitted into His kingdom
We welcome
you, O Ramadan, with joy as our guest
Having to
subdue our egos as a test
You mend our
hearts and give us tranquility
As we engage
in battling our iniquity
Solidifying
the bonds of kith and kin
Washing away
the stain of sin
Fasting not
only of body but of speech
It is Your
benevolence which we beseech
O Ramadan,
you have blessed us with your presence
Teaching us
to grow from our spiritual adolescence
Continue to
be the month which will always bless
Helping us to
alleviate our fears and distress
—Musa Burki
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An Eclectic Journal of Opinion, History, Poetry and General Bloviating
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