Ramadan Mubarak / Blessed Ramadan:

The holy month of Ramadan begins by the sighting of the crescent moon of Ramadan and lasts for either 29 or 30 days. Please find below Schedule for Ramadan 2010:

You can also click on Prayer Time to access the time schedule and on Monthly Calendar to know what's happening at the Center.


Fasting (Sawn)

Source: Discovering Islam, by Imam Seyed Mustafa Qazwini

Almost every religion encourages some form of fasting. Prophet Muhammad and the prophets before him all called upon their followers to fast. The Quran states, “O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you just as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may be pious and learn self restraint” (2:183).

Islam prescribes complete fasting. It requires complete abstinence from food, drink (including water), smoking, and sexual activity. Hence, from dawn until the time of the sunset prayer, one must abstain.

Although fasting is recommended on other significant Islamic dates, it is however, required every day during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The month of Ramadan is revered and honored by all Muslims. It was on a particular night called the “Night of Destiny” (Laylatul al-Qadr), during the month of Ramadan that the Quran was revealed to the Prophet. Muslims believe that on this night, every year, Allah determines the fate of each person for the year to come. Therefore, worshipping on the “Night of Destiny” is considered, “Better than a thousand months” 97:3.

Although the exact night of the “Night of Destiny” is not known, Islamic scholars approximate the date to fall on either the 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, or 27th of the month of Ramadan. Therefore, Muslims copiously worship Allah on these specific nights. The Quran states:

Verily, We have sent it [Quran] down on the Night of Destiny and what would make you know what the Night of Destiny is? The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand months; He sends down the angels, and the Spirit during it by His will for every matter; Peace! Till the rising of the dawn. (Quran 97).

As with prayers, the benefits of fasting are innumerable. Fasting strengthens one’s willpower, teaches discipline, encourages sympathy with the poor, breaks harmful habits, strengthens one’s health, and establishes a sense of religious brotherhood and sisterhood. However, the strongest benefits are spiritual. Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad said, “Fasting is to deepen and strengthen faith.” Fasting sharpens the spiritual awareness and inspires a sense of gratitude toward Allah.

Apart from refraining from food and drink, Muslims are also encouraged, during the month of
Ramadan, to give additional charity toward the poor and the needy.
 

Reflection on Ramadan at ICCF by a United Methodist Retired Pastor


WHO'S THE GREATEST? by Larry Patten
 
"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:30-37

My friend invited me for dinner. A prayer would be said before the meal and guests like me were reassured we wouldn’t have to join, but were welcome to gather with our hosts in praising . . . Allah.

I was a non-Muslim invited to gather at Fresno’s Islamic Cultural Center to enjoy a meal and share with neighbors during Ramadan.

As an adult, the who’s-the-greatest answer in any form is meaningless. On my best days I only have interest in strengthening my faith, of becoming more Christ-like.

Ramadan represents the holiest time of year for Muslims. Among the Ramadan obligations is daily fasting. From sunrise to sunset, a person does nothing (including eating or drinking) that represents pleasure. The day’s final meal takes on significance. On every day the devout Muslim prays on five separate occasions. But during this time of celebration and sacrifice, the prayer before the dinner (Maghrib or sunset prayer) is likely more keenly felt . . . if only because of a growling stomach!

Truthfully I don’t understand much of this. Raised in a 1950s American suburb, I wasn’t aware of any Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists. The “strangest” religious expressions came from Roman Catholic classmates or the very few Jehovah’s Witnesses I knew. Along with other elementary school students, I remember being jealous of a kid who didn’t stand or say the Pledge of Allegiance.

“Why?” we asked.

The whispered response, in the playground or from a teacher, was, “He’s a Jehovah’s Witness.” Different. Strange. Other. If there were more detailed reasons given, they zoomed over my ten-year old crew cut.

There were kids not-like-me that attended Mass on Sunday. (Why not call it church like “normal” people?) They had lists of movies the Pope allowed them to see. Or not see. (Didn’t the Pope’s film reviewers realize they created a must-see cheat sheet?) I attended a Baptist church. Wasn’t having communion a few times a year—instead of every darn week—sufficient? Yes, those Catholics were different. Strange. Other.

Nowadays, I can’t help but think of faiths like Islam and Judaism and the numerous divisions of Christianity (there are at least 635 Christian-based denominations in the United States, perhaps more by the time this is published), when I read Jesus’ concern that his disciples argued over “who was the greatest.” (Mark 9:34.)

When I was a kid, the who’s-the-greatest answer was easy. Me. My experiences. I may have been fleetingly envious of my seated, silent classmate during the Pledge, but when only one person sat and the other thirty were “just like me,” I did the social math. More numbers = the right way. Right?

At the Ramadan prayer, just before breaking the fast with my Muslim neighbors, I observed a way of faith different than mine. As an adult, the who’s-the-greatest answer in any form is meaningless. On my best days I only have interest in strengthening my faith, of becoming more Christ-like. I often fail at my efforts, but through it all the who’s-the-greatest seems, well, childish.

So what will we teach our children?

I watched my neighbors bow. I heard the Arabic language, guttural and with unexpected pauses, and couldn’t identify a single word. And yet, as the Quran was recited, I understood at least three things.

I was welcome. I had been told, “Come and join.” Being there was a prayer born of invitation.

There was food in my future. Religious or not, everyone fasts. Where do you think we get the word for the day’s first meal? Break the fast. Breakfast. Some eat too much; too many have too little. But every human anticipates a meal to give our bodies energy. Jesus, accused of being a glutton and drunkard, knew the joy of the meal. And even more, and I thought of this during Ramadan prayers, of the joy of sharing table with others. Break the fast. Break the bread. Break into conversation with the one next to you and across from you.

Lastly, as I witnessed men bowing low—a few in business suits and others arriving from a day of sweaty labor—I noticed a boy. My friend, the one who invited me to break Ramadan’s fast, has several children. One is a seven-year old. As my friend prayed, his child mimicked him. Words were shared, bodies moved in harmony. And there was this boy who joined his dad. Who, like me as a kid, saw this as simply what you do because this is what his family does.

Who is the greatest? My friend’s son was born after September 11, 2001. That horrific pain will always be “history” to him, a long ago event. But, for all children born since then, I humbly hope and pray for a world of compassion, where no one is odd, different, other.

What a silly question those disciples debated.

In Mark’s Gospel, to reveal his follower’s pettiness, Jesus embraced a child. I imagine Jesus—perhaps before the meal began, before a fast was broken—inviting that child to come forward and to remind others, then and now, of the power of welcoming.

in Peace,

Larry Patten
(written on September 8, 2009)

Larry Patten is a writer and United Methodist pastor.
Contact him at: larry@larrypatten.com
 

Ramadan, the Holiest Month of the Year

By Joan Obra / The Fresno Bee

During the month of Ramadan, the observant rise before dawn to pray, eat and drink. Once the sun colors the sky, no food or beverages can cross their lips.

The evening brings an end to the day's fast. Folks start off slowly -- typically with dates and water. As the night progresses, they'll ease their stomachs into a full meal.

Prayer is just as important, since Ramadan marks the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. To honor this holy book, Muslims read the entire Quran at least once during the month. They also abstain from sex and smoking during daytime hours.

"The month of fasting is an opportunity for people to take the time to purify their souls and minds and to draw closer to the divine," says Kamal Abu-Shamsieh, director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. "That is the ultimate goal of the fast: to give up something that is good for you for the sake of getting closer to God."

"Fasting itself is meaningless," he adds. "It becomes starvation of the body without enrichment of the mind and soul."

There are exceptions. People who are pregnant, breast- feeding or sick do not fast. They can make up the fast on different dates, Abu- Shamsieh says. Alternatively, they can sponsor a break-the-fast-meal for the poor.

Starting in their early teens, most Muslims will fast during Ramadan, as well as mind what they eat. For example, sales of halal meat -- meat slaughtered in accordance with Islamic rules -- are higher at this time, says Areg Farra, store manager of Jerusalem Market at Shaw and Gettysburg avenues. (The store is also known as Cedar Groceries.)

The beginning and end of Ramadan are the busiest times of year for the store, Farra says. She lists the Arabic names of popular foods during these times: maamoul, cookies stuffed with dates; fresh medjool and rotab dates, both used to break the daily fast; and tamarind and vimto (berry) syrups, which are mixed with water to create sweet drinks that restore the body's energy.

The shop also stocks up on ingredients for soups made with freekah (roasted young wheat) or aadas (red lentils). Both are lighter meals that won't tax the stomach after a day's fast.

And then there are the sweets made with phyllo dough, such as the popular baklava; warbat, which is filled with cheese; and kunafa, which has either cheese and condensed milk or mixed nuts and syrup as fillings, Farra says.

Since visiting friends and family during Ramadan is customary, shoppers buy the sweets as gifts. Some folks also buy more than is needed.

"It seems like people want to eat more," Farra says.

That's the ironic part of Ramadan. Although it is a time of fasting, ethnic groceries and restaurants that cater to Muslims find themselves busy. Other such businesses are Pars Café at Shaw and Blackstone avenues and Lahori Tikka at Bullard and Palm avenues, which provide meals to area mosques.

Business is slow in the mornings at Pars Café, co-owner Nasser Nassirpour says.

"It's because the people are fasting, and they're coming after 7 p.m.," he says. The catering jobs, he adds, make up for the lack of customers early in the day.

For catered meals during Ramadan, Pars Café will make dishes such as kabab-e kubideh, the ground meat kebabs; soup-e jow, a barley soup; and soup-e sabzi, a vegetable soup, he says.

Persians don't break the fast with this food, though. They typically drink hot tea and eat dates, Nassirpour says.

"I see sometimes the people, they start just with hot water," he adds. "They don't even drink tea. Just hot water."

Next come nibbles of bread and cheese, and after about half an hour, they're ready to eat a full meal.

Of course, the food eaten during the month depends on the ethnicity of the person celebrating Ramadan. For example, instead of Persian bread and cheese, Pakistanis might reach for pakoras (vegetable fritters) and chatni (sweet-spicy condiments) after breaking the fast, Lahori Tikka owner Hussain Zaidi says.

Zaidi serves family recipes; he hails from Lahore, the capital of the province of Punjab.

For catered dinners, Zaidi cooks dishes such as dal (legumes), chicken biryani, a spiced chicken-and-rice dish; and beef nehari, a slow-cooked dish of onions, spices and shank meat.

His restaurant also is open during this time, serving regular fare such as chicken tikka, the cubes of marinated, skewered meat cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven.

The foods eaten during this time are pretty typical, he says. "You don't want to tempt yourself with dishes during Ramadan," he says. "They want something very simple, not a more fascinating food."

Cooking such dishes also lessens temptation for Zaidi, Nassirpour and other professional Muslim cooks: During Ramadan, they handle food all day without being able to taste any of it.

"God gave every person one computer, which is in the mind," Zaidi says. "All the senses work together when I'm cooking." So even though he can't taste the dishes, he says he knows how they are supposed to look, smell and feel.

Ignoring any urges to eat while surrounded by food is about "controlling your physical and spiritual body," he says. "It's a commitment between me and the invisible."