Muslim faithful welcome month of fasting, contemplation

Ramadan, for Muslims the most blessed of all months, received a heartfelt welcome last night in Turkey and across the globe as believers stepped into a holy period of reflection and purification to review their lives in light of Islamic teachings and refocus their attention on God, redoubling efforts to avoid bad deeds.

This morning, in homes, dorms, hospitals and mines across Turkey, people partook of a pre-dawn suhur meal for the first time this year as part of their preparation for today's Ramadan fast, which will not draw to a close until after 8 p.m.

They will abstain from eating and drinking from the break of dawn to sunset each day for one month, observing one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, the remaining four of which are shahada (faith in the oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad), the prescribed daily prayers, almsgiving and pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Believed to be the most blessed and spiritually beneficial month on the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is being greeted with excitement and joy by Muslims in countries all throughout the world, which are already enjoying the spiritual atmosphere of this holy period.

The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar (Hijri) calendar. It is the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year, as Muslims believe it is the month in which God began to reveal the Muslim holy book, the Quran, to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. In Turkey, banners in the streets congratulate Muslims upon the good fortune of living to see another Ramadan, special messages strung between mosque minarets display seasonal messages, and homes are busy with the to-and-fro of friends and relatives gathered for fast-breaking iftar meals, after which many believers fill the mosques for special prayers. Muslims are encouraged to spend more time reading and reciting the Quran during this month.

The most prominent event of this month is, of course, the fasting practiced by most Muslims around the world. Every day during the month of Ramadan Muslims around the world stop eating about one hour before the sun comes up and break their fast when the sun sets.

Ramadan do’s and don’ts

In İstanbul’s Kadıköy district, the shutters are closed on a popular tavern, with a single sheet of white paper affixed to its front. “Closed for the duration of Ramadan,� it reads, in one demonstration of the extra effort many Muslims put forth during the month to avoid religiously forbidden acts, such as the sale of alcohol. For it is not merely those normally labeled as “pious� who elect to participate in the sacred rites associated with the month. In addition to abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse during daylight hours, during Ramadan believers are expected to put more effort into refraining from anger, envy, greed, lust, sarcastic retorts, backbiting and gossip and are encouraged to read the entire Quran.

It is common for those who are not fasting to avoid eating or drinking in public places like parks, for example, or on public transportation, out of respect for potential fasters around them, though the fasting person as such should be concerned only with restraining their own desires for food and drink, and not with anyone else’s fasting or not fasting. Pregnant and menstruating women, the elderly, the mentally or physically ill, travelers and children who have not reached puberty are all religiously exempt from fasting -- provided that they make up the prescribed period of fasting later -- and in some cases even forbidden from it.

Many who do not usually pray or observe other Islamic prescriptions in their lives in Turkey still participate in the fast, out of religious aspiration, tradition or habit. The fast is intended to be an act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a heightened level of closeness to God. Islamic scholars emphasize that fasting, unlike many other forms of worship, such as the ritual prayer, is a form of devotion only known for sure to the devotee and God, as there is no way for anyone to know with certainty whether a person has observed all of the Ramadan abstentions or not.

The fast also allows practitioners to experience the hunger that the poor face throughout the year. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul (nafs) and free it from all evil qualities disliked by God. Properly observing the fast is supposed to induce a feeling of peace and calm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline and sacrifice, as well as sympathy for those less fortunate, aiming to make Muslims more generous and charitable.