The Muslim lunar month of Ramadan begins this weekend, April 2nd. For over 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan is the most sacred month of the entire year. It's marked by daily fasting during which Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and physical intimacy from dawn to sunset. The month which marks the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad, a process which began in Ramadan around the year 610 CE and continued over the following 23 years. Special congregational prayers are convened nightly during Ramadan during which the entire Qur’an is recited in the original Arabic over the course of the month.
Muslims believe that fasting is ancient and powerful practice that can have tremendous physical, spiritual and communal impact. Undoubtedly, fasting for around 15 hours a day is challenging, especially as you navigate your academics, work, social and personal commitments, but from my conversations with our Yale Muslim community, I sense that many people really appreciate the opportunity to 'rise to the occasion.' Fasting can teach many things including patience, empathy, discipline and resilience, and one of the essential ideas underlying Ramadan is that by learning to control our normal bodily desires, we are led to greater mental and spiritual clarity. Discipling the body is connected to disciplining the heart, so that not only are we detoxing our bodies over the course of the month, but we're actually detoxing our minds and hearts too, which is the ultimate goal: to develop sincerity with God and empathy with God's creation.
Muslims may fast throughout the daylight hours, but Ramadan evenings are marked by regular communal iftars (dinners). Students and community members regularly invite their friends and neighbors to open the fast with them during these delicious meals. As a global community, many Muslims are understandably proud of their global (and delectably diverse) cuisine! What better time to share this heritage than Ramadan.
As we enter this uncertain post-Pandemic (maybe long Pandemic) period, Ramadan is a reminder to focus on what is important: empathy, compassion, charity, community and care. Each fasting person has their own journey through the month. Here at Yale, let Ramadan be a time for connection: to connect to ourselves and the things that nourish our spirits, and to connect to our communities and listen deeply to the hopes and fears of others. Even if you are not practicing fasting, join us for a day or two to experience Ramadan – and make sure you join us on Friday nights for the communal fast-breaking dinners. Our community welcomes you all! Ramadan Mubarak dear friends.