A MONTH OF BLESSINGS
November 14, 2004The Reverend Anne Felton Hines
My first introduction to Ramadan - the holy month of Islam that ends today - came when I was a student chaplain at a women's prison in Washington State. One of the inmates was a young woman in her early 20s; she had incredibly gentle blue eyes that carried a wisdom which seemed out-of-place there. She played guitar and had a lovely voice, singing songs she'd written herself, as well as those written by others. Indeed, the first time I ever heard the song now in our hymnal - I Wish I Could Know How it Feels to be Free - was when she sang it.
But what made me first notice her first was that she wasn't attending meals with the others. When I asked her about this, she said she'd converted recently to Islam; this was the month of Ramadan, and she was fasting. She stuck with it for the entire 30 days - though by the end of my 12 weeks there, she said she was thinking of switching to Unitarian Universalism, as she'd been impressed with what she'd learned about it from me!
I was then in my 3rd year of Seminary, but had taken no courses on Islam. Indeed, at that time - it would have been around 1980 - I don't think there were courses offered on Islam at any of the Seminaries in Berkeley's Graduate Theological Union. The most one could learn about this faith was an overview of it in classes on Comparative Religion.
The following year, I took a "tutorial" on Islam with Dr. Clare Benedicks Fischer. Once a week I'd sit in her office and discuss what I'd read about the religion. But mostly I remember our discussions on Prayer, as the element of Islam that most moved me was their practice of praying five times a day. What was it like, I wondered, to stop what one was doing five prescribed times every day, and pray? How does it feel knowing that people all over the world are doing the very same thing - indeed, that within one's own time zone, thousands of people are reciting the same words at the very same time? It seemed incredibly powerful.
Still, after leaving Seminary, I didn't think much about Islam; nor did Islam play much of a role anywhere in American culture. Despite being the second largest religion in the world, with close to one billion followers, and the third largest in this country, Islam and its Holy Days went pretty much unnoticed.
A colleague of mine in the United Church of Christ, the Rev. Jerry Stinson, wrote a sermon in 1997 - just seven years ago -- in which he said that he'd gone to his trusty Hallmark Complete Book of American Holidays to read up on Ramadan that year, but could find no mention of it - or of any other Muslim holy days. "There were lots of pages about Christian festivals in general," he wrote, "and specific Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox celebrations. There were special days for Judaism. There were chapters on secular holidays: Arbor Day, Memorial Day, Halloween. There was American Indian Day, Robert E. Lee's birthday, National Aviation Day. But no Muslim days of significance. Surely I would find Ramadan in the section on 'Other Holidays at a Glance,'" he went on. "It would be there along with Iowa's Bird Day, or General Pulaski Memorial Day or Huey P. Long's Birthday. But it wasn't there, either."
But I bet that's not true anymore! These days, much is heard about Islam - in large part, I'm afraid, because it is claimed to be the faith of most terrorists around the world. After 9/11, many of UU congregations reached out to Muslims in our communities because we knew they might face hateful acts by non-Muslims - and we were right. But does Islam really call its followers to the kind of horrendous acts we saw on 9/11 and since? Should we be fearing them and paying special attention to their organizations in our war on terrorism?
Today is the last day of Ramadan - the month when Muslims believe that the Prophet Mohammad received the words from God that would later become the Qur'an - the sacred text of Islam. During this time, Muslims throughout the world have been fasting daily from dawn to dusk. In every family, those age 12 and older have been rising before dawn for a light meal, and have not eaten or drunk anything again until after sundown, when the fast is broken with dates and sweet drinks - something that will give a quick energy boost. They might visit with family and friends in the evening, and they recite a special prayer called the "Night Prayer" - usually two to three times longer than daily prayers. Some Muslims spend every night praying during the month of Ramadan. This is, of course, in addition to their regular daytime prayers.
If you took Rev. Mike's class a few years ago on Comparative Religion, you probably learned that Islam is grounded in "Five Pillars" - five basic duties for every Muslim. The first is the daily recitation of the phrase, "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet." The second is prayer, especially at the five stated times each day. Outreach and charity to the most vulnerable in society - in Muhammad's time the widows and orphans, but perhaps today the poor and oppressed of the world - is the third pillar. Fasting during Ramadan is the fourth, and making a Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one's lifetime is the fifth.
However, according to Tajuddin B. Shu'aib, fasting is considered the most important of these five pillars because it's the only one that can't be given what he calls "eye service." The other four pillars can be witnessed by others, but one can fake fasting by sneaking food or drink when no one else is looking! One can't fake fasting with Allah, however; the Eternal cannot be fooled.
Fasting during Ramadan serves many purposes: It reminds Muslims of the suffering of the poor - of those who go hungry unwillingly day and night; it's an opportunity to practice self-control and to cleanse one's body and mind; and it leads to the serenity that comes from spiritual devotion, as well as a sense of oneness with all those others who are also fasting. Any of you who have fasted with others for a political cause or for spiritual discipline knows these benefits as well.
Ramadan is referred to as "the month of blessings," and Muslims look forward to it with eagerness. A Turkish woman living in America described her memory of it back home: "Traditional drummers wake everyone up before dawn," she wrote, "and say poems until a light comes on in the house. When the time for eating is over, a canon is fired. Soon the dawn prayers are heard in the silence of Istanbul from many mosques. The radio and television programs recite the Qur'an during the day, and good advice is given. Just before sundown, long lines of people form outside the bakeries, waiting for the hot pita bread with which to break the fast."
As with Lent in the Christian faith, and the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the Jewish faith, Ramadan invites Muslims to inner reflection. Are they practicing compassion and generosity toward others? Have they been forgiving? Have they been honest in all their dealings? Are they loyal to the teachings of their faith? Have they practiced devotion to their God, and shown gratitude for all God's blessings?
Self-restraint - or "Taqwa" - is another important benefit of fasting during Ramadan. We who love spontaneity can sometimes react negatively to the idea of "self-restraint." But one writer describes "Taqwa" as "the love of good with an eagerness to respond to it; a strong desire to avoid what is evil and harmful."
Islam regards human reason as the "greatest gift of God to humanity." Acknowledging that following the path of "truth, justice and compassion" often involves struggle, and requires much inner strength, one Muslim teacher suggests that, "Islam wants reason to take charge of the ship of life and steer wisely and safely through the stormy and dangerous seas." Fasting for the purpose of self-control deepens the possibility that this will happen.
Ramadan is called "the month of blessings" because it is believed that Allah showers great blessings on all those who keep the fast, and who keep to the spirit of fasting during that time - in other words, who refrain from dishonesty, slander, cruelty or greed. (Muslims are to refrain from such behavior at all times, of course; but it is most imperative during Ramadan.)
Muhammad is said to have told the people that, "During this month, the gates of Paradise will be opened and the gates of Hellfire will be closed. The evil ones will be handcuffed."
He also is reported to have described the time as, "a month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased….(It is) a month in which Allah… sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it,…Allah…boasts about you to His angels."
Which of us could not benefit by incorporating the principles of Ramadan into our life? How might our spiritual journeys deepen if we took them as seriously as do Muslims during their "Month of Blessings?"
Ramadan ends with a 3-day celebration, called Eid el-Fidr; today is the first day of that festival. My son told me yesterday that in college he roomed with some Muslim students, and he always looked forward to Eid el-Fidr, as there were street fairs and an abundance of good food; I imagine his roommates enjoyed it even more!
Literally "the Festival of breaking the fast," Eid el-Fidr is a time when Muslims dress in their finest clothes, trim their homes with lights and other decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with family and friends. There is throughout a sense of generosity and gratitude, as they are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and contributing to their mosques. It is a true Thanksgiving, where Muslims express joy for their health, strength and the opportunities their life has provided them.
Does this sound like the religion of terrorists? How do we reconcile the image of Muslims praying five times a day, fasting for 30 consecutive days, caring for the poor, and practicing reflection and forgiveness, with the image of fanatics shouting "Allah is great!" as they blow up themselves and hundreds of innocent people, including children?
By understanding that they are not practicing true Islam.
Michael Wolfe, an American Muslim author and filmmaker, insists that "terrorists are religious failures who have smeared the good name of a peaceful faith." Those most familiar with the Qur'an point out that, "when a person takes another life unlawfully, it is as if they are killing all humanity." Wolfe says that "no political rhetoric can reverse this moral law."
And in an article in which she poses the question, "Is Islam Violent?" Karen Armstrong writes that Osama bin Laden practices a form of fundamentalist Islam born in the 18th century, which distorts the teachings of Muhammad, who had a policy of non-violence. "The ideology of bin Laden," she writes, "is un-Islamic, because Islam condemns (the kind of) violence, aggression and killing (that he promotes)."
It is true, admits Armstrong, that there are parts of the Qur'an (as there are parts of the Jewish Scriptures) that are violent, but they were written in the context of war, and are always followed up by more peaceful passages. The Islamic extremists - like many Christian extremists - only quote the violent passages, and ignore the more peaceful and compassionate ones.
It is too easy to generalize that all followers of Islam are violent extremists. In spite of the images presented to us by most of the media, let us remember the images of Ramadan - of people with a deep faith in their God forgoing nourishment every day for a month, reflecting on their spiritual journeys, practicing compassion for the poor and oppressed, and forgiving those who have caused them harm. These are the true believers of Islam, and we could learn from them.
In his sermon that I mentioned earlier, Rev. Stinson said that he was challenged by his own faith to love his neighbors, and that he could only love one billion Muslim neighbors if he understood them. "I have to stretch and try to understand behavior and thinking that is sometimes radically different than mine," he said; "but that is what God wants us to do."
For us Unitarian Universalists, it may help to hear the story of Muhammad's spiritual flight from Mecca to Jerusalem: He was welcomed by all the great prophets of the past on the Temple Mount. After preaching to them, he then ascended to the Divine Throne, where he greeted and took advice from Moses, Aaron, Jesus, John the Baptist and Abraham. Says Armstrong, "The prophets all affirm one another's visions and teachings, and receive help from each other; it is a story of religious pluralism"
What can be more Unitarian Universalist than that? What can be more healing for our world than that we all "affirm one another's visions and teachings," and reach across the boundaries to work toward "a world made fair, and all her people one?"
May it be so. Amen.
© 2004 Anne Felton Hines. All rights reserved.
