October 05, 2005
My first RamadanHolidays
Sunset today marked the beginning of Ramadan for millions of Muslims around the world.
Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam. Around 610 A.D., a caravan trader named Muhammad took to wandering the desert near Mecca (in today’s Saudi Arabia) while thinking about his faith. One night a voice called to him from the night sky. It was the angel Gabriel, who told Muhammad he had been chosen to receive the word of Allah. In the days that followed, Muhammad found himself speaking the verses that would be transcribed as the Qur’an.
At many mosques during Ramadan, about one thirtieth of the Qur’an is recited each night in prayers known as tarawih. In this way, by the end of the month the complete scripture will have been recited.
Muslims practice sawm, or fasting, for the entire month of Ramadan. This means that they may eat or drink nothing, including water, while the sun shines. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam. As with other Islamic duties, all able Muslims take part in sawm from about age twelve. [Link]
I thought that I would share the story of my first Ramadan to mark the occasion here on SM. To me Ramadan was nothing but a word and a vague concept until three years ago. I had read about it in books and had Muslim friends explain some of the traditions to me, but as a non-Muslim, unless you live in a Muslim country or near Detroit, I think it is difficult to really understand the feeling of Ramadan. In November of three years ago I landed in Amman, Jordan just hours before sunset on the first full day of the holy month. I had never stepped foot off a plane in an Islamic country before and I was excited to begin my adventure, in addition to being a bit nervous. My destination lay approximately three hours south near the ancient ruins of Petra. I stepped outside and looked for a cabbie that could speak some English. I asked him if he could drive me to south to Petra.
“Sure. You go Petra? I take you. Please sir. Come.”
The Sun was hanging low in the sky as we left the airport. Minutes later the cabbie was anxiously fumbling around with his hand in the glovebox. A pack of cigarettes lay inside.
“Have one,” he said as he lit the cigarette already in his mouth. He had a bit of the shakes I remember thinking. “I can’t smoke all day,” he explained to me.
Ahhhhh. I remembered that nothing is supposed to pass your lips during the day.
“Here, take take, I will light for you.” Frequent travelers understand that the whole world thinks Americans are prudes for not lighting up as often as they do. I fancy myself as part of the old school though, one who partakes in local customs if it will help establish trust with those the cross your path while traveling. I grabbed the cig and lit up for the first time in years. I don’t inhale. Soon after, the two of us exchanged background. He told me about his wife and kids and I told him what I did in the States and what I would be doing on the rest of my journey.
“I would like to spend a night sleeping in the Wadi Rum,” I told him.
“Yes, you know Wadi Rum? I take you.”
A few minutes later he told me that we were taking a break. We had only been driving for about 40 minutes. Pretty soon to take a break, I thought. He pulled off the side of a road and next to a rather large one-story building with many cars and buses parked outside. It was a restaurant. Again I felt embarrassed as I remembered that he hadn’t eaten all day. He ordered us two plates of rice and lamb stew and we sat down to eat together. It is not wise to eat and drink from a roadside establishment less than an hour into an overseas trip to a third-world country. It’s just asking for gastrointestinal trouble. However, protesting this food did not even cross my mind. All around us were men who were similarly hungry from their first full day of fasting. I liked the feeling of community and the friendly smiles all around me. It was completely different than eating at a restaurant where you enter and leave with the people you came with. Here you felt as if you were eating with the whole restaurant. My driver explained that many of these people were Palestinian refugee day laborers.
We got back on the road and drove for two hours until arriving at Petra at almost 10 p.m. at night. The driver took me to a hotel he recommended, which is code for “so-so place where I will get a kick back.” Whatever. I was beyond tired. He told me that he had arranged for a room for me, and oh by the way…it had an extra bed.
“I sleep in extra bed, is ok?”
Ummm. No. I needed my privacy. That’s where I drew the line. I had tea with some gentlemen in the lobby that were friends of his. They told me that I looked Saudi Arabian. Depending upon the length of my hair and whether or not I have any facial hair, I can probably pass for someone from any of about about a dozen countries. He crashed on a couch in the hotel lobby. I was asleep within minutes in my room.
I awoke at 5:15a.m. the next morning. All through my room was a booming voice speaking in Arabic. “What the hell is going on,” I thought. Was there a fire or something? As the haze of sleep slowly lifted, I started putting things together in my mind. “This must be the call to prayer.” I hated being woken up this early but I again thought that it was a cool concept that everyone in the entire city was waking up to the same alarm clock. “Everyone in their beds for miles around me feels exactly like I do at this very moment,” is what I thought at the time. I had never woken up to praying before. It was a good feeling.
Hours later, after sunrise, I was ready to explore the famous ruins of Petra. Before doing so however, I needed fuel. No shop of any sort was open, and my cab driver was given dirty looks for even asking for food for me. There was no way I could spend an entire day wandering amongst the desert ruins without food or water. Eventually I found some cheese and crackers.
I had Petra mostly to myself that day. There were few tourists at that time of year. Absolutely amazing. There was no Holy Grail to be found but it was worth every minute it took to get there. Around lunch time that day is when my transformation began. I was hungry but was feeling guilty about my hunger. Even though I tucked myself in the shadows of one of the isolated ruins, I could only bring myself to eat two cubes of cheese and three crackers the whole day. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone stumbling upon me and thinking that I was a bad Muslim. The fact that I wasn’t really Muslim didn’t matter. This pattern continued later when I was back in Amman. I needed people around me to know that I was a good Muslim. I wanted to belong to this place and to them in the way they belonged there and to each other. It took me three days in a Muslim country to understand the power of Islam, and why it inspires such dedication. You know with complete certainty that for at least that month you are one with all around you. Throughout the day you feel what everyone around you feels and it makes you powerful even when you are so hungry that you may have to sit still. I will probably never experience Ramadan again in my life but I am grateful that I got the chance to in Jordan. I may not know the teachings of Islam the way accomplished scholars do, or unjustly interpret it as fanatical fundamentalists do, but at least I got to experience for a few days the one aspect that I feel may be the most important. The brotherhood.
abhi on October 5, 2005 12:39 AM in Holidays, Religion · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
just swoon-worthy, abhi. remind me why i play gwen to your tony again?
my parents do a seattle area fast. in the middle of winter thatz pretty strenuous.
Abhi,
A great story. Very well told.
You never heard the morning prayer when you were in Delhi.
Before sunrise, in any town in India, you can hear islamic prayers, sikh keertans, and bhajans - all together on separate loudspeakers in the background, and bollywood songs too.
a quick question-
is it ramadan or ramazan??? ...coz i remember (vaguely!) reading about "ramazan" in the school textbooks. then one day i hear of "ramadan" from my cousins who were in Saudi for a while and suddenly i hear the whole world saying ramadan!
Ramadan is said in Arabic and Ramzaan is said in Urdu and/or also in Farsi(Persian).
The brotherhood
So when you going to recite the kalima Abhi? ;-)
Its a very romanticised and swooning vision. As a non practising, non fasting Muslim, the Muslim brotherhood is good in theory - in reality it often excludes, denigrates and renders into second status any non Muslim - if you are Hindu, Jew, Buddhist, Christian you are not part of the brotherhood. Kind of like a caste system of its own. And you are regarded as inferior.
And I am glad I escaped it and see all of humanity as my brother and sister.
Dear Abhi,
Thank you for this very kind, heartfelt post. At a time in which most news about Islam is negative (saddly usually on account of what my co-religionists do--Bali, example), its great to hear your story from Jordan.
Happy Deepvali/Ramadan/Rosha Ashana
Zahir
Dear Abhi,
Thank you for this very kind, heartfelt post. At a time in which most news about Islam is negative (saddly usually on account of what my co-religionists do--Bali, example), its great to hear your story from Jordan.
Happy Deepvali/Ramadan/Rosha Ashana
Zahir
Abhi,
Nicely written article. In the interests of clarifying any misconceptions (and to pre-empt any responses from people casting aspertions on you), it would probably be worthwhile to briefly explain your motivations for writing all this.
(This is a genuine query -- no replies such as "It should be obvious" etc please -- there are people out there who will need to have your reasons spelt out to them).
Many thanks
It's interesting to me how physical challenges are often associated with the deepening of religious faith.
Something about fasting in particular is very powerful, no matter what faith you are.
There's an interesting passage about an outsider's experience of the Ramadan fast in Amitav Ghosh's "In an Antique Land." When he was in Egypt studying medieval trade routes, Ghosh decided not to try and keep the fast, in some sense because he didn't want people to think he was a poseur. (that's my interpretation of the passage)
I too like to celebrate RAMadan!
"This means that they may eat or drink nothing, including water, while the sun shines."
I've heard that during this fast most Muslims have real big breakfasts and large feasts during dinner, so this is basically like skipping lunch. I think most people would be more thirsty than hungry during this type of fast unless they're during some hard labor.
There all kinds of unusual fasts out there, I had Gujarti girlfriend who held a salt fast on certain days! Never understood the need for fasts.
It's JordAn not JordOn.
Nice post.
However, as a practising Muslim, I can say that being a part of a brotherhood is not the motivation for staying hungry and thirsty all day.
Fasting in Ramdan is not only about not eating or drinking. It is about avoiding everything bad for you and other fellow human beings. It is a month to regain our moral compass bearings, start fresh, if you will.
Ashfaq
Great post. Reminds me of Ramadan in Jakarta and the early morning call to prayer I'd hear while getting ready for school. Although I didn't fast (I'm Hindu) I noticed the Indonesians I knew were a bit more sluggish and irritable during the day -- maybe the downside of fasting. I've also noticed the food gets a lot heavier and richer during Ramadan, and sweets are eaten in huge quantities.
Wow. It's scary how quickly one can get brainwashed. No wonder that region produces so many madcaps.
michael h said.
What do you mean? Are you saying abhi is weak in the mind or a madcap? Why does this scare you?
Brilliant post, Abhi, took me back to the old Dubai days. Ramadan holds fond memories for me. Selfish ones, like getting a shorter school day and going to various iftar 'parties'. And more selfish ones, like experiencing the brotherhood first hand.
I've done that one, once a year for five years. It's called 'moda-kat', which means something like 'bland-times'. In the final year you get to dress up in chanya-cholis with crowns of flowers and do garba. Also people give you pre$ent$, weee!Tried fasting during Ramadan with friends once, I lasted a miserable few days (those dates at sundown tasted better than any mangosteen I've ever had). But my moda-kat years were useless to me. Ramadan fasting is surely hard on those who perform physical labour but it isn't exactly easy to bear for those writing final exams either!
Ramadan Kareem everyone!
timepass:
So you lived in Jakarta? What period?
I hardly got that impression at all. Reverence was more the word that came to mind after reading Abhi's beautiful story. Respect and Tolerence were a close second. I don't think feeling 'A Part of the One' makes anyone brainwashed, but probably more mindful. This world could definitely use a lot more of that, don't you think?
Timepass, funny, one of my fondest memories also of growing up expat in Jakarta is listening to the early morning prayer when getting ready for school. It will always be part of Indonesia's soundtrack for me.
In recent years, it seems Ramadan has acquired this commercialization similar to that of Diwali and Christmas. Families save for months just to afford the feasts, dinners, and gifts at the end of the month. I can attest to this for Diwali (my familys Hindu) at least.
DesiDancer, would have to agree with youreverence, respect, and empathy are the words coming to my mind as well.
O'Ya and Vidster, I lived in Jakarta from 1984-86 -- finished my high school there -- and there was something mystical yet appealing about hearing that distorted chant every morning in near darkness. The first time I heard it I was a little freaked out -- I had no clue about Ramadan. It sounded like a disembodied voice from high above -- God on the intercom? Afterwards it became part of the morning routine and at times I'd barely notice it was there.
Come to think of it, I used to hear the call to prayer during the rest of the year as well, though less frequently -- I think there was a mosque near my house -- so that sound became a permanent part of my Indonesian soundtrack.
A heart warming tale... I look forward to hearing a Saudi Muslim's story of experiencing the same sense of brotherhood while bathing in the Ganga at the Kumbh Mela.
I would have to hesitantly say that the above paragraph did strike me as cause for concern to some extent too, but I don't think anyone here on SM should necessarily jump to negative conclusions about Abhi, certainly not until he's had the opportunity to expand on his motivations for writing his article.
Vikram,
>> look forward to hearing a Saudi Muslim's story of experiencing the same sense of brotherhood while bathing in the Ganga at the Kumbh Mela.
I look forward to hearing a Indian Muslim's story of experiencing the same sense of brotherhood while bathing in the Ganga at the Kumbh Mela.
Jai Singh: >>I don't think anyone here on SM should necessarily jump to negative conclusions about Abhi, certainly not until he's had the opportunity to expand on his motivations for writing his article.
Hey...it's his blog. He can write whatever he wants to without having to explain anything to anyone.
M. Nam
MoorNam,
Absolutely correct, although read my post number 3 to understand where I'm coming from -- it's to pre-empt the avalanche of flaming indignation his article could prompt....
*post number 3
Apologies, that should say "post number 9"
indeed. it must be an amazing experience and i totally agree with you. the group expression of faith must create a sense of brotherhood. but it's surmise on my part, based largely on a trip to vaishno devi. do post about your experiences when you get the chance.
cheers
Lord, here we go again. Certain folks here seem to enjoy hijacking threads and twisting them to suit their own selfish ends.
***sound of axes grinding in the background***
timepass, i'm not very surprised to hear there was a mosque near your house--mosques in jakarta seem to be as ubiquitious as ganesh temples in chennai, i.e., one in every street corner! :)
but i understand what you mean about hearing that chant before daybreak--with the sun barely out of the horizon, it's just you, the otherwise-silent world, and the morning call to prayer. it can be very humbling. the emotion behind prayer--regardless of the language in which it is articulated--can be universally binding.
i lived in jakarta until the historic year of 1998. completely tangential i know, but could there really be an underground jakarta-based desi population in SM?
"I've heard that during this fast most Muslims have real big breakfasts and large feasts during dinner, so this is basically like skipping lunch. I think most people would be more thirsty than hungry during this type of fast unless they're during some hard labor."
Mani: You've heard wrong, the "breakfast" is actually a pre-dawn meal, so there is no food or water from just before dawn till sunset. Depending on where in the world one is and the season, the fast varies from not particularly strenuous to quite strenuous (in Dubai the fast often enbtailed 11-12 hours without food or water).
Since Guru Nanak has been mentioned, in the spirit of brotherhood and peace I think everyone should read this article...
Talking of crazy Gujju fasts - I have a friend at the hospital I'm at now, who fasts once a week in some bonkers way. He can eat one meal that day. But if he stands up, then the meal is over. If he sits down again it counts as a new meal. Hence he makes all his other friends (not me!) run around getting him things. Perhaps that's the motivation behind it...
I have my problems with Ramadan. It just seems too hard, I know very few of my friends who keep rosa who actually manage it properly. In the winter they go by British sun-up and -down. But come summer we have sun-rise around 4am and sunset at about 10pm, with temperatures over 30C. It's impossible to manage that without water. So they suddenly switch to 'Mecca timings'. I also asked what certain Finnish Muslims do (6 months sun, 6 months dark) and was given the same answer.
Then other friends opt out, or only fast on certain days. Illness - fine that makes sense. But some tell me that there are clauses that allow doctors or bus-drivers (people upon whom others' lives depend) to not fast. So why make it so hard? I've fasted for over 24 hours for charity a few times, I don't think it focusses the mind at all, it just makes you think about food the whole day.
And this is purely anecdotal, but the girl who lived above me in my freshers year fasted very strictly (it was known as the month of bad breath in halls) but shagged her non-Muslim boyfriend every day! Hohoho.
I don't know how you three who lived in Jakarta put up with the loudspeakers, they used to do my head in.
Nukh: Um, one doesn't fast in Ramadan to cleanse any OTHER Muslim's soul, but only one's own. Since under Islamic theology one may not be held liable for the sins of another, it follows that a fast for a bombing committed by someone else would be of no use. To put it another way, salvation is not a communal affair, but an individual one...
Umair,
Nice article. However, in the interests of clarification for the benefit of non-Sikhs on SM, I should probably mention that Guru Nanak ji went to Mecca not on "Haj" but because he did not recognise religious distinctions (and because as far as he was concerned, God was present everywhere, irrespective of which religion a particular holy site belonged to); also, the business with the "chola" is highly controversial, especially in view of efforts by some Muslim groups to use it as "evidence" that a) Guru ji converted to Islam and b) that Sikhism is a branch of Islam.
Furthermore, it was actually the Sufi aspect of Islam which the Gurus acknowledged, and not the orthodox "formal" version of the faith; it is the writings of Sufi saints which have been included in the contents of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji -- not the Prophet Mohammad, any of his associates, or any of the established Islamic clergy at the time or during the centuries afterwards.
As this thread is on a different topic I don't want to go into further detail here. However, I do appreciate your good-natured motivations for posting that article and welcome your efforts, in the spirit of friendship and brotherhood.
"In the winter they go by British sun-up and -down. But come summer we have sun-rise around 4am and sunset at about 10pm, with temperatures over 30C. It's impossible to manage that without water."
Bong Breaker: that's strange, I hadn't heard of a switch to Mecca time in those circumstances. Based on what my mother and some other relatives do when they are in Western countries, I will disagree with your statement that "it's impossible" to manage 15 or 16 hours without water. It's quite possible, and people do it all the time. In Dubai, one would see tons of construction workers (out in crazy heat all day) who would fast for 11 or 12 hours...
As for the girl in your fresher year, the problem I have with that logic is that based on what you are saying one should either not practice a religion to ANY degree, or one should adhere to it in every particular. But surely people are more complex than that? Most people don't live their lives according to a rulebook, Muslim or not. Most Muslims I know do not pray five times a day, but do fast during Ramadan...others pray 1 or 2 times a day...most of those who do not pray or fast do not drink alcohol or eat pork, and all of those I know who do drink alcohol do not eat pork; and even some of the most devout orthodox Muslims I know cannot dispense with Bollywood...
That's beautiful... and very well-told too. I really, really like the fact that you took it upon yourself to follow their customs, even for a short while.
"Furthermore, it was actually the Sufi aspect of Islam which the Gurus acknowledged, and not the orthodox "formal" version of the faith; it is the writings of Sufi saints which have been included in the contents of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji -- not the Prophet Mohammad, any of his associates, or any of the established Islamic clergy at the time or during the centuries afterwards."
Jai: I do agree that the "Muslim" writings included in the Granth Sahib Ji are Sufi, I had never thought differently. As someone who has an interest in Sufism that's all the better from my perspective.
I should also say (not really directed against you) that while it is true that Sufism does not find favor (or much favor) among adherents of the "formal" orthodox faith, that is not a reason to place the latter above the former in any hierarchy, particularly as Sufi-inspired forms of worship are the way hundreds of millions of ordinary people (particularly in rural areas) in the sub-continent continue to practise Islam. That the clerics might disapprove can hardly be dispositive: why should we confer greater legitimacy on a madrassah interpretation than a "folk" interpretation?
The talk of Sufism reminded me...Has anyone here read "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam"? I loved it, what with Ole Omar insisting on seizing the day and boozing up while you can (he meant metaphorically but hey...)
In the winter they go by British sun-up and -down. But come summer we have sun-rise around 4am and sunset at about 10pm, with temperatures over 30C.
In northern lattitudes (say, north of 50 or 55 degrees), practice varies. Most people I knew went by the sun. Not too difficult when Ramadan is in winter, as it has been for the past 15 years. But it was harder in the late seventies, when Ramadan was in the summer, when the day can be 17 hours long. I heard of one guy who tried a 12 hour fast instead, but it was exceptional.
But there weren't as many northern Muslims (at least in Canada) back then. We'll see what happens when Ramadan in in the summer again in 2011 or so.
(And I have very little sympathy for British Muslims complaining about heat. Over 30 degrees? Maybe twice a year, when it isn't raining)
umair, any RATIONAL person who is familiar with islamic theology will tell you ...the less said the better.
it is full of admonitions that if practiced in any civil society would lead to abominable conditions for all non muslims and women.as evidenced in the holy kingdom of saudi arabia
it would be so much better, if we stopped interpreting the quran literally and started evolving towards a more RESPONSIBLE religion.
btw, noticed that the powers that be removed my previous posting. i was just being cynical...and had no mal-intention.
Mathematiker: not just metaphorically...I think Ole Omar enjoyed his cup in every way (along with, btw, his calculus)
And David's Lips are lock't; but in divine
High piping Pehlevi, with "Wine! Wine! Wine!
"Red Wine!"---the Nightingale cries to the Rose
That yellow Cheek of hers to incarnadine.
Since we are talking of communal harmony and inter-religious understanding, here's a bit of good news from Afghanistan.
M. Nam
nukh: My comment was addressed to your post where you suggested that fasting for "soul cleansing" purposes meant that one should fast to cleanse the Muslim soul tainted by suicide bombings. That is inconsistent with Islamic theology, where one fasts for one's OWN soul, and NOT for the souls of Muslims in general. Your follow-up, that "any RATIONAL person who is familiar with islamic theology will tell you ...the less said the better" is simply non-responsive. To repeat: one does not fast in order to expiate the sins of other people.
Sincerely,
A rational person who is familiar with Islamic Theology
Moornam: that is good news indeed (about time we had some from Afghanistan)
Jai Singh
The chola fallacy is put about by Qadiani Muslims who are also known as Ahmaddiyas. They come from the town of Qadian which is in Indian Punjab. I have read their literature and they say that Guru Nanak was a Muslim and cite the chola as 'evidence' of this - which is ridiculous and very offensive actually, because it was accepted by Guru Nanakji as a gift from sufis in the spirit of fraternity and respect for all religions, yet they interpret it as proof that people should convert to Islam. This is a way o fthinking that no matter how hard I try, I just cannot understand.
Elsewhere in their literature I read about how Buddhists Hindus Christians and everyone should accept Islam fast - but the irony is that the Qadianis are the most reviled sect of Islam by mainstream Muslims and are persecuted in Pakistan horrendously - they are viewed as heretics for some reason.
"it would be so much better, if we stopped interpreting the quran literally..."
As a one-time lit. student, couldn't agree more.
MoorNam
That is a wonderful story thanks for posting it.
Umair you bring up an interesting topic, wish I had a bit more time. But first about the 16 hours without water in heat - well it's possible, but it's daft. That's purely from a medical point of view. Why risk dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and possible death? There has to be some flexibility.
Dubai doesn't have 16 hours of daylight at any time of year though, does it? I would advise going by Mecca timings year-round, as when the rules were invented they were for that part of the world. Otherwise my friends here just end up feeling guilty if they can't manage the whole thing, for no fault of their own.
About practicing religion a bit or not at all - I don't agree. When I were a wee lad, I decided I didn't want to eat beef. Then years later I realised I am so un-religious that it makes no sense me doing some token gesture like that. Towards the end of my teenage years I gave up on God completely.
Likewise I have friends who've got drunk during Ramadan and then fasted as well as the above girl. Yes I agree with you that praying once is better than not at all, but things like Ramadan or sex before marriage are things that can really only be done 100% or not at all. Ramadan is like lent, a period of abstaining from things that are frowned upon, right? Certain things like not praying as often as you should I understand, but a Muslim who drinks/gambles but then prays frequently is surely missing the whole point.
I don't like people being guilted into doing things. It's a common phenomenon, but when exams approach, people start praying more/drinking less/having less sex etc etc. It's the same mentality that led my best mate to abandon Islam altogether saying "it's just so much harder to be a good Muslim than a good Christian." He went on to explain rules about how long you can mourn for and things I hadn't heard about.
I don't think religion should be about half-measures. But that's an easy view to have as an outsider.
Jai: The general point of my posting the piece by Yoginder Sikand (himself a Sikh and a Sufi, at least based on my reading of his book "Sacred Spaces") was that, particularly in these times when fanatics of all stripes try ever harder to police the "boundaries" that separate "us" from "them," the early history of Sikhism can teach us valuable lessons about how one might re-imagine relations between Muslims and Sikhs (or between Muslims and Hindus for that matter) as not necessarily and inevitably conflictual (that they often were and are conflictual is of course a matter of historical record); one might re-imagine the traditions as overlapping at points, and rely on those moments/junctures to promote dialogue and pluralism between followers of different faiths. There's nothing like a little ambiguity at the religious margins that so unsettles the "boundary police" in all religious traditions...I certainly have no interest in claiming Guru Nanak "for" Islam; his greatness as a saint does not for me depend on whether he testifies to the existence of the one God and the prophethood of Muhammad...
my dad had a friend who worked in anchorage alaska. i am pretty sure he went by 'mecca' time unless it was around the equinoxes.
Vikram wrote:
>>>heart warming tale... I look forward to hearing a Saudi Muslim's story of experiencing the same sense of brotherhood while bathing in the Ganga at the Kumbh Mela.
That would be quite a sight, I must say. Several Muslims I knew growing up were interested in a more syncretic approach to religion. One fellow, a friend of some Hindus in my housing complex, even visited Tirupati and came home from the pilgrimage with a beaming, spit-shined head. Sensing a spiritual comrade, some Hindus started observing a single day of fast during Ramadan, and were treated to succulent lamb biriyani, haleem, and other savories at fast-break.
Then in the 90s something changed. His wife started sporting a hijab, and he began donning the skullcap and reading the Koran at all hours of the day. At first sheepishly, then almost defiantly. He slowly distanced himself from other Indians. A shame too--the man could cook.
Abhi, thanks for deleting my post!! You sure are, like ohters, propogating waves of "brotherhood" by your actions.
p.s.: I'm assuming you did it intentionally...
umair,
a Rational person would stop adhering to and explaining the rules, perpetrated by an illiterate misogynist biganist who lived and died more than a millenia and half ago.....
oops sorry,
i meant, an illiterate, misogynist, bigaMist...
you know, i have some issues with abhi's post too, but i'm not him, and didn't experience what he did. in a more discursive post i'd moot the issues, but that post isn't this. "my first ramadan" says it all. this wasn't a big picture analysis. deal with it.
Umair,
Sure, I understand what you're saying, completely. As I mentioned previously (or at least alluded to in my comments about Guru Nanak ji), Sikhism doesn't really recognise formal religious distinctions between people, at least not in the conventional sense. The danger, though -- and this is a general comment and not related to yourself or anything you have said about your own viewpoint -- is when people perceive the "blurred boundaries" as meaning that Sikhism agrees with the religious tenets and guidelines for "ideal" human behaviour in certain other faiths in their entirety. Which is obviously not the case. Sikhism recognises the inherent divinity within every human being irrespective of their religious affiliation (there is no "believer vs. infidel" concept in Sikhism), but it does not mean that the faith necessarily believes that "all religions -- at least in their accepted, orthodox, structured forms -- are equally of divine origin". This is something of a misconception, and neither is it correct that Sikhism is some kind of artificial faith where the "best of both Islam and Hinduism was adopted".
A few more brief points:
Hmm...technically, you can't be both, not in the strict sense anyway....
He did.
He did not.
Anyway, the interesting -- and perhaps most pertinent -- point was that he was generally recognised as being a great saint by people of multiple faiths, including during his travels throughout the Middle East, even though people weren't able to "pidgeonhole" him into one particular religion. The same happened most notably with Guru Gobind Singh ji too a couple of centuries later -- even by Mughal soldiers on the opposing side.
Since you've mentioned your Sufi leanings, you may be aware that the famous Sufi saint Baba Bulleh Shah joined the Guru's army along with several hundred of his family, during the struggles against the Mughals. It's a tragedy that there appears to be less of a Sufi prominence within the global Muslim community these days -- and instead we're faced with Aurangzeb-style Wahabbism spreading everywhere, along with OBL and his friends.
Bong Breaker,
You know that such black-and-white viewpoint raises some controversial questions about (for example) those of us who are Sikhs and simultaneously clean-shaven (amongst other things) ;) But I think I understand your point -- you're referring to the fact that there shouldn't be hypocrisy in religious matters -- and you're totally correct there.
great post Abhi.
Kush said :
May I add to that list the religious songs blasted from churches (atleast in tamilnadu). Of these listed I think I prefer the islamic version because of its brevity [as opposed to an all-day continuous religious-song-athon], and because it's acapella it's not as severely distorted by the poor sound systems used. In fact, as long as the source is far enough away, and the prayer [or rather, call to prayer ?] is short, it actually sounds kinda nice imho.
Also: in the spirit of Umair's comment, here's an article about religious/cultural cross-polination by William Dalrymple called "Nearest In Love". It's interesting, though he might be extrapolating a little. An excerpt :
I don't think religion should be about half-measures. and you're referring to the fact that there shouldn't be hypocrisy in religious matters -- and you're totally correct there.
true. but one tendency that secularists and fundamentalists both have (in my experience, and i've been guilty of this too!) is that we often view a strict and "orthodox" expression of religious faith as the only real form.* richard dawkins has this issue too, one of his essays is a full-bore attack on the roman catholic church because he despises their equivocation in relation to evolutionary theory (or accommodation) more than the outright rejection of the fundamentalists.
i'm an unbeliever, but i think that secularists should cut liberal and heterodox believers some slack and not just assume that the old-style norms are the only way. moderate religious people need atheists in my opinion because we're the only ones who will attack fundamentalist religion in direct no-holds-barred fashion. on the other hand, we need moderate religious people to serve as restraints and buffers on their nuttso coreligionists.
* isiah berlin once said is that the orthodox synagogue is the synogue he doesn't belong too, except on high holy days. which implies that as an unbeliever he only legitimates classical rabbinical judaism as "authentic."
Nice post Abhi. Ignore the haters. I rather like the way the muslim brotherhood is reappropriated here to reflect ordinary muslims.
I grew up in a suburb of Bombay. Ours was a primarily Hindu locality, separated by a main road from a Muslim neighborhood. The muslim neighborhood had a mosque in it. The muezzin did a beautiful azan every morning at 6:30am or so. Shortly after, when I was walking to school I used to pass by a ton of people performing their morning prayers on a side street. To this day, the azaan anywhere in the world, even here in Houston, Texas, brings back memories of home.
I don't really remember my first Ramadan, but I do have a story.
It was evening, close to sundown, on a busy Bombay street. I was about 12. My mom and I were returning home from somewhere in downtown when we pass through in an autorickshaw through one of the big Muslim localities. The streets were chockful of people shopping and waiting for sundown, tons and tons of food vendors getting ready to satiate thousands of fasting folks. Kababs were being barbecued all around, the aroma was tantalizing, hypnotic. We get stuck in a traffic jam.
We are hungry, the kebabs beckon.
"Those smell really good"
"I know, I wish we could eat those".
"Why can't we, mom?"
"Are you nuts? We're Hindu, moreover Brahmins, we're not supposed to eat that!"
"Why?"
"It's beef, I'm sure!"
"Oh, ok".
Five minutes later
"I'm hungry"
"So am I"
"Those smell really good"
My mom and I look at each other, our greedy eyes meet and we detect the saliva almost drooling over from each other's mouths.
"Please just don't tell your dad".
...typical ABCD sentiment - longing to belong.
Abhi that was beautiful. Thanks for sharing something so personal.
"It's beef, I'm sure!"
The kebabs in India are mutton - goat meat.
Not necessarily, especially in poorer Muslim neighborhoods (like the one we were passing thru). Beef is really cheap in India, I believe, coz of low demand.
But that was not the point, anyway :)
Anna said:
"After all that we've been through
I know we're cool"
Kush said:
Nope. I went to Delhi right after I left Jordan. I have visited India about 4 or 5 times. Most often I stay in Ahmedabad where my family is from. Most of the Hindu and Muslim parts of town are kept separate (at least the ones I saw).
Jai said:
Thanks for looking out for me Jai. It seems however that your concern was unwarranted. The aspertions you feared didn't really materialize. Remember, sometimes when people cast aspersions on you it's cause you done good. As far as motivations I am not sure I understand. Believe me, if there was an election for President of the Blogosphere I would be pandering to every group possible. My ambitions to rule with an iron fist are well known. In the abscence of such an elected office I don't understand what "motivation" has to do with a story about my real life experience.
Mathematiker said:
Yep. Here is the tapestry that hangs over my bed.
razib said:
If only blogging were so simple :)
Hammer & Sickel said:
p.s.: I'm assuming you did it intentionally...
Dude, if I had posted a story about my first Christmas and how I opened presents under the tree, would you have posted a link to facts about the Spanish Inquisition? Have some common sense man.
Nacheez said,
Any place I have ever lived (and I have lived many places), I always belong. If you hear a longing in any of my writings it is always for the same thing.
epoch said:
Thanks epoch. I am glad someone caught that :)
To everyone else, thank you for the very kind words!
The kebabs in India are mutton - goat meat.
mutton is usually meant to be sheep. so did you mean goat, or do you know it was mutton and didn't know that it was sheep, or do they simply assume goat and sheep are interchangeable in india so you are right on both counts?
i can eat mutton (sheep), but i HATE goat meat. there is a difference.
"mutton is usually meant to be sheep. so did you mean goat, or do you know it was mutton and didn't know that it was sheep, or do they simply assume goat and sheep are interchangeable in india so you are right on both counts?"
You are right. I just meant broadly within the Indian context - I think they do not differentiate between goat and sheep meat when the term mutton is used, I can be wrong though.
technogeek is right about using beef amongst poorer population.
During my visits to India, I tend to be a vegetarian there for most part so I am not up on finer points.
Razib and Kush: In my experience when Indian Muslims say mutton they generally mean goat meat
In my experience when Indian Muslims say mutton they generally mean goat meat
this makes sense. there was a lot more of this stank shit at dinner parties thrown by brown muslims that i choose to remember, and not nearly as much lamb as i'd have wanted.
Harsh words Razib -- :-) Personally I'd take goat over lamb in desi food any day...
mebee you put so much curry on that you can't taste the flavor of tendon, gristle and cartilage.
umair said
razib replied
personally there's nothing that sets the juices flowing, causes a thin layer of anticipatory perspiration to form on the brow and sends the tongue to rapture as well as a nice juicy slab of tofu. highly recommended for your next weekend feast. due to overwhelming demand we'll restrict 16 kilos to the individual. operators are standing by.
I suppose that I should take this story for the way it was intended: as a story of a person profound spiritual experience in a foreign culture. But I cannot because that is not how this story affects me. It just doesn't resonate with me in that way. The last paragraph ruins it. I find this story deeply disturbing and it makes me wonder how strong any of us are withstand the pressures of mindless conformity.
I keep coming back to these passages
Why should someone raised outside of a culture feel this overwhelming need to conform? Why should someone feel a greater need to belong to a people he has only been around for three days - a people who do not love him - than a need to preserve the culture of his mother who carried him for nine months or the rest of his family who do love him. Is this personality trait unique to Abhi or something all of us would feel if we were faced with a monoculture?
I don't think the issue here has anything really to do with Islam but really about monoculture and the stifling pressure to conform. Actually, the image that came to mind when I read the last paragraph was of a Nuremburg rally. Of everyone wearing uniforms and marching in step to the drummer and the individual is completely destroyed. When faced with that situation, we would feel the need to blend in, and worse, we might like it. We might like the illusion that everyone wants what we want and we want what everyone else wants until it slowly dawns on us that the concept of wanting dies in a world without choices.
If I visit a foreign culture (and I will be traveling to one in a couple of months) I would like to appreciate all that there is experience there but I also would want to keep my self apart enough to respectfully observe but not feel the pressure to participate in their traditions. If I want to participate, that one thing, but I don't want to feel obliged. I want to be able to respect them and for them to respect me as I am.
Why must we feel that we must be like others to be brothers. Can't I be like me and believe in what I believe and you be like you and believe in what you believe and we can still be brothers?
Why must we feel that we must be like others to be brothers. Can't I be like me and believe in what I believe and you be like you and believe in what you believe and we can still be brothers?
there's plenty of stuff in the social psychology and cognitive science literature to address your question, no point in mooting it here. as an "out" and vocal atheist of muslim cultural origin who spent his adolescence in a predominantly mormon and evangelical christian small town i think i can buck the trend decently, but i got to say, you better be real fucking cool and self-assured. like me :)
Michael your whole thesis is misinformed. I do not believe in religion. I have stated that before on many entries. I reflexively shun all organized religious dogma, including the dogma of Islam and that of my "mother who carried me". I certainly wasn't "conforming," and the idea that I could be brainwashed is preposterous. I am much more likely to be the washer of brains.
I am me. I walk my own path and it is one that nobody else treads upon.
Mahayana Buddhism beieves in the concept of bodhisattvas. A person who aspires to eventually become a bodhisattva knows that he has failed if he alone attains enlightenment. It is only when humanity as a collective reaches Nirvana that the journey of a bodhisattva is complete. I seek to know my fellow man and to learn from him. In order to do that I have to belong to the moment body and soul. That doesn't mean that I become trapped in the moment or lose my individuality or my beliefs. In a sense you are accusing me of selling out my true beliefs to fit in. In reality I used my experience to strengthen my own beliefs.
Abhi, thanks for deleting that post! No sarcasm this time. Apparently, I was reading about Sikh history in some article and after finishing that I came across your post. So naturally bad things happened. Anyway, I will save my findings for another post!
Happy Ramazan and Happy Navaratri.
Harsh words Razib -- :-) Personally I'd take goat over lamb in desi food any day...
Say it, brother. I'm a goat lover too.
Er, wait. I mean I enjoy Goat meat. Er, eating it, I mean. The meat, that is. Nothing more...
Anyway, I recall family members telling me that in India, poor Muslims ate beef while rich ones ate goat. Seemed bizarre, as beef is usually a high status meat -- higher than goat at least. But this comment by technophobicgeek explains it
Beef is really cheap in India, I believe, coz of low demand.
I really enjoyed your description of Ramzaan. I hope we can all search and experience the beauty of every religion in a similar way.
By the way, Happy Navarathri to all!
yaamini
since the topic is religion, thought that i would share this beautiful quote by linus pauling, the nobel prize awardee in chemistry and peace.
"all religions are not equal, some are much worse than others"
how true.
Abhi:
I don't doubt that you were deeply affected by your experience but like Michael H., I am skeptical about the worth of the 'knowledge' you've gleaned. Your citation of the experiences of a Bodhisattva only obscures the issue and is question-begging to boot since many argue that Bodhisattva-hood is an incoherent notion (read, e.g., the Dvaitin critique 'Jewel Necklace of Argument' aimed at Advaita Vedanta but also applicable to many strains of Buddhism etc.).
SepiaMutiny is, of course, not a philosophy blog but I don't think it pedantic to point out that you are using 'know' in a rather loose sense. I would be interested in an elaboration of just how your experience constitutes 'knowledge' in any coherent sense.
Kumar
An evocative & moving tale. Thank you for sharing.