Yesterday marked the first day in the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, holiest of all months because it was during Ramadan about the year 610 C.E. that Muhammad began receiving the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred text sent down from God in revelations through the Angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) over the course of the following twenty-two years until Muhammad’s death in 632 C.E. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown each day, then feast and celebrate during the hours of darkness. The atmosphere has reminded some Western visitors of the Christmas season in Christian communities worldwide: celebrative, a time of inner spiritual searching, special additional worship, reading and contemplating the Qur’an, and so forth. There is also lots of visiting, special meals with special foods (again, at night!), and exchanges of gifts.
Ramadan also marks Islam’s first military jihad (”struggle” in self-defense): on the 17th day of Ramadan in the Muslim year 2 (year 624 in our calendar) Muhammad and his Muslim army won a battle at the wells of Badr in Arabia against overwhelming odds. They were badly outnumbered by their pagan enemies from Mecca. This victory has inspired some militant groups throughout Muslim history to launch attacks during Ramadan and explains why a month of celebration and heightened spiritual awareness can at times be marred by acts of violence.
Post a Comment