Letter from the Editor
John L. Esposito, Editor in Chief
One of the most renowned scholars in the field of Islamic studies in the United States, Editor in Chief John L. Esposito provides a regular commentary for visitors to the site. These letters discuss topics pertaining to this resource and the Islamic world, developments on the site and other issues.
Dear Reader,
This year Ramadan began on September 1 and ended on September 30. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims exercise physical and spiritual discipline: controlling desires, performing good works for the poor and less fortunate, and devoting more time and attention to prayer and reflection on our human frailty and dependence on God. No food, no drink, no sex, and no smoking-from dawn to dusk for a whole month! Inspiring, awesome, or crazy? In our secular, materialistic world, some see religious fasting as extreme or even harmful. Yet many of us live in a society in which rigorous dieting and exercise to stay in shape and maintain a "to-die-for" body, is a celebrated multibillion-dollar industry.
Surprisingly, even many Muslims who are not particularly observant during the rest of the year choose to participate in this communal fast. Every night family and friends come together to share a meal at dusk to break their fast. Many go to a nearby mosque to participate in the discipline of reciting the Qurʾan, which is read in its entirety during this special month. When my wife and I first traveled in the Muslim world in the early 1970s, I was struck by a scroll that I purchased in Damascus, which depicted the entire Qurʾan divided into thirty sections. I was surprised to learn that this division reflected the practice of reciting a different Qurʾanic section each night during Ramadan. Qurʾanic recitation is meant to transform the person reciting-just as it transformed Muḥammad from a Meccan businessman to the prophet of a major world faith. Muḥammad was called to be a prophet and received the first revelation during the month of Ramadan: "Ramadan is the month in which the Qurʾan was sent down, as a guide to mankind, also clear signs for guidance and judgment between right and wrong. So every one of you who is present [at his home] during that month should spend it in fasting" (2:185).
But Ramadan and the month of ḥajj (pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia), which follows Ramadan, have a symbolism and significance that transcends the individual believer. Just as the Five Pillars are the common denominator of Muslim belief and practice, the observance of Ramadan and the ḥajj reflect the unity and universality of the global Islamic community. However different Muslims may be-religiously (Sunnī or Shīʿī), nationally, ethnically, or racially-observance during the month of Ramadan unites individuals, families, and societies across the world.
It might seem strange to speak of celebration and joy rather than suffering and endurance when talking about fasting, but many Muslims look forward to Ramadan. It is a time for family and communal gatherings, a time to go "home" to share the experience. Some non-Muslims are surprised by the ebb and flow of Ramadan's severe fasting from sunrise to sunset alternating with the breaking of the fast during evening celebrations in which families, friends, and neighbors come together to enjoy generous meals, special desserts, and socializing late into the night.
The month of Ramadan, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is also the time when Muslims fulfill another Pillar, almsgiving (zakāt), the Pillar that, as the saying goes, gains Muslims entrance to heaven. Social justice-concern for the poor, orphans, widows and their families-is a major Qurʾanic theme. The Qurʾan condemns those who say people are meant to be poor and should be left to their own fate because God wills it. Just as Christianity requires tithing, Islam requires its followers to help less fortunate members of the community, but unlike tithing, which is based on a percentage of one's income, zakāt is a wealth tax, requiring one to give 2.5% of all one's liquid assets each year. Zakāt is not viewed as voluntary or as charity.In Islam, the true owner of things is not man but God, and zakāt is a required sharing of the wealth that one has received as a trust from God.
But how does zakāt work in practice? Many give their zakāt to less fortunate family members or those in their local community. Others, often those with considerable wealth, distribute their zakāt more broadly for philanthropic projects such as the building of mosques, libraries, and clinics; scholarships for students; assistance for medical care; and social services. Thus, it is not uncommon for Muslim fundraisers to approach wealthy Muslims at home and overseas during Ramadan for financial support for their projects.
Ramadan ends with one of the two major Islamic feasts (ʿīds), the Festival of Breaking the Fast, ʿĪd al-Fiṭr. Family members often come from far and wide to visit and celebrate together for several days or even weeks. The celebration resembles Christmas or Hanukkah in its religious joyfulness, special celebrations, and gift-giving. Ramadan is followed by the season of the pilgrimage (ḥajj) to Mecca. Every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to make this pilgrimage at least once, becoming a pilgrim totally at God's service. Every year, more than two million believers, representing a tremendous diversity of cultures and languages and symbolizing the unity and universality of Islam, travel to the holy city of Mecca to perform the rituals of the ḥajj.
John L. Esposito
Editor in Chief
Oxford Islamic Studies Online
October 2008
