Ramadhan, the Month of God (8)

Welcome to the 8th special episode of “Ramadhan, the Month of God”.

We start with the special supplication of the day:

“O Allah, grant me this day compassion for the orphans, and enable me to provide food (to the hungry), to greet others in an expressive manner, and to keep the company of the virtuous, with Your Bounty, O Refuge of the hopeful!”

With the advent of the blessed month of Ramadhan, there is an indescribable fervor among Muslims across the world. In the two previous episodes, we got acquainted with some of the customs of Muslims in different countries and today we focus on some other countries.

Turkey has a population of 82 million, 98% of which are Muslims. Before the start of the blessed month of Ramadhan, all mosques get prepared for the month of fasting. Mosques are decorated with chandeliers bearing phrases that glorify Ramadhan. The large mosques of the country, like Ayub Sultan, Suleymaniye, Me’mar Sinan and Sultan Ahmad (or Blue Mosque) are beautifully decorated for Ramadhan. At midnight, some people take to the streets and lanes to awaken Muslims for the pre-dawn meal (Sahar) by reciting special poems and religious hymns. Public Iftar is common in Turkey just like other Muslim countries. What is interesting at these tables is fresh bread with soup, fresh vegetables and olives. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for three days and people get ready for this great feast a few days earlier. The day before the Eid, the working hours of offices and organizations is reduced so that people provide the requirements for the event. During the Eid congregational prayer, all government centers and even museums and tourist attraction sites are closed. People go to the mosques for the prayer and then exchange visits with their relatives and friends.

In the Central Asian Persian speaking country of Tajikistan, Ramadhan is known as the month of friendship, love and helping others. Over 95% of the 7.5 million population are Muslims. The blessed month of Ramadhan is full of special ceremonies in Tajikistan. One of these customs is called "Rabbe Min". This custom is held after Iftar (breaking fast) and youngsters gather in groups and, going from one door to another, they glorify the blessed month of Ramadhan with poems and hymns. The people normally give presents to these youngsters.

Muslims of Tajikistan, like other Muslims, venerate the Night of Qadr and have firm belief that God forgives the sins of the penitents on this night, when the holy Qur’an was revealed on the heart of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The Tajik people celebrate Eid al-Fitr with special ceremonies and consider it a national feast. They flock to the mosques for the special congregational prayer and the supplications. If a boy is born on this day they name him Ramadhan and if a girl is born on this day she is named Saumiyeh, from Saum, the Arabic word for fasts. This shows the status of Ramadhan, fasting and Eid al-Fitr among the Tajik.

Ramadhan enjoys a special status in Arab countries. One of the customs common among Arabs is awakening the people for Sahar or the late night midnight meal. There are people called Musharati. They wear traditional clothes and recite poems loudly. The theme of their poems are, "O the asleep! Wake up and worship God, wake up and eat sahari as Ramadhan has come to visit you."

The Lebanese have a rich variety of foods during Ramadhan. Among these foods mention can be made of: Tabouleh, Fattoush, Batinjan Moutabal, Homous, Kibbeh, Arayes and Fatteh. Some of these foods. Like Homous and Kibbeh, have gone beyond Lebanon and are famous in other countries. Lebanese pastries are also very popular in Ramadhan. These pastries and cookies are eaten after Iftar. They include Qatayef, Kanafeh and Mafroukeh.

In Arabia, in the holy city of Mecca, thousands of Muslims get prepared at dawn for performing the Umrah (or the minor pilgrimage). After the Isha’ Prayer, they recite supplication in the precincts of the sacred Ka’ba – the symbolic House of the Unseen but Omnipresent God. The people of Arabia consume dates, coffee, minced meat and fish during the blessed month of Ramadhan. Eid al-Fitr holidays are week-long in Arabia. People use this period mostly for travelling.

In the United Arab Emirates, preparations for Ramadhan start from mid-Sha'ban onwards. Children start wearing special clothes as a prelude for welcoming Ramadhan. The various neighborhoods and mosques are decorated with lanterns and people buy new clothes to welcome Eid al-Fitr.

There are more than 20 million Muslims in Russia. Most of these Muslims live in the Caucasus, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. But there are mosques in almost every city in Russia. Public Iftar is common in mosques where dates and tea are served for fasting people. Muslims of big cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg converge for congregational prayer and simple Iftar. Serving public Iftar is so common in Russia that non-Muslims are informed of the coming of Ramadhan by this tradition. Since 2006 Moscow has been holding a special Ramadhan tent as a beautiful custom. Programmes at these tents include Iftar, organizing Qur’an recitation and memorization contests, familiarity with Ramadhan customs and traditions in various regions of Russia, the competition among children, the exhibit of special foods of Ramadhan, and acquaintance with Islam. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated gloriously among Russian Muslims. Manti is the famous food for Eid among Russians.