Huda
Al-Jafari from Iraq says that the short du`aa’s recited in Ramadan can be
found in a book entitled Mafatih Al-Jinan (Keys of the Heavens). Most of the
du`aa’s are recited on the nights of 19, 21, and 23, which are the main Qadr7
nights in Shia Islam.
On
the night of Laylat Al-Qadr, Fatema Mawji, a 19-year-old Khoja, goes to the
mosque for a`maal8. She says that these include, “Two prayer units, special
tasbih9 and du`aa’s. I also try to do
du`aa’ jawshan kabir and, in sha’ Allah, stay up during the night to complete 100
rak`ahs.”10
Zainab
Chagani adds:
There
is a series of a`maal. First is a ghusl11 before sunset, then two prayer units
in which Surat Al-Ikhlas [112] is recited seven times after Surat Al-Hamd
[Al-Fatihah]. After Prayer, we say: “Astaghfirullah wa atubu’ ilayh”12
70 times. Then open the holy Qur’an and recite a du`aa’. Then we place
the holy Qur‘an on our heads and recite two du`aa’s. We recite three
other du`aa’s and do ziyarat al-Imam Husayn13 (peace and blessings be upon
him). We also recite the Surahs Al-`Ankabut [29], Ar-Rum [30], and Ad-Dukhan
[44]. We try to recite Surat Al-Qadr [97] one thousand times, then the du`aa’ of the 12th imam,
du`aa’ al-tawbah, du`aa’ al-makharim
al-akhlaq and munajat al-Imam `Ali (peace and blessings be upon him).
These
a`maal were advised by Imam Ja`afar As-Sadiq14 (peace and blessings be upon him).
Special
Food in Ramadan
I
asked the sisters what special food they eat in Ramadan. Some of them said that
they don’t eat any particular food, apart from, of course, dates. Sahur, the
meal before fasting, which is known as sahar in Farsi and seheri in Gujurati,
might be just a cereal and dates. I visited the Islamic Centre in Maida Vale for
Laylat Al-Qadr. This center is funded by the Iranian government and is decorated
inside in the traditional Iranian style. When they served sahur, it was a kind
of porridge, which one can have with salt or sugar, and, of course, black tea
was also on offer.
Zainab
Al-Hilli from Iraq says that for iftar, her family has lentil soup after they
break their fast with dates, “which is very mustahhab [recommended],” she
adds. Then they eat traditional food such as rice and Iraqi curries:
The
variety of Iraqi curries is endless. Their main ingredients are water,
tomato paste, potatoes, mince meat, or other meats or chicken, different
vegetables depending on the type of curry, lemon, salt and pepper, and
spices, but they are hardly ever hot! Another example of a popular dish is
called timen bagilla or bean rice. It’s basically rice that is mixed with
dill weed and green beans and served with chicken. There is also a popular
spinach soup with crushed rice. It’s so nice!
Martyrdom
of Imam `Ali
|
|
|
Twelver Shia Muslims sharing a meal at the Jaffaria Islamic Centre in London.
|
One
very important day in Ramadan is that of the martyrdom of Imam `Ali. Imam `Ali
was martyred on Ramadan 21, and this day is remembered with lectures about his
life given in different Islamic centers. Zainab Chagani says, “On the 19th and
21st of Ramadan we wear black to express our grief and also mourn through majlis15, tears and
ma’tam16. We do Qur’an khaani
and du`aa’ al-iftitah as
usual, but we also try to refrain from laughter.” Huda Al-Jafari gives an
outline of the types of majlis that are given during this period:
On
the date of Imam `Ali’s death, we attend programs that remind us of him as
a person, a leader, and an imam. We remember what he stood for and why he
was killed and-most importantly-we discuss how to be better Muslims in order
to continue his path towards guiding people to Islam and the Sunnah of the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
I
have seen ma’tam at the Islamic Centre. Brothers and sisters gather separately
to hear recitations and expressions of grief and they lightly tap their chests
with their right hands, but none of the blades or whips which people commonly
associate with ma’tam-thanks, as usual, to the media. The death of the Prophet
is also remembered in the Shia Islamic calendar.
In
London: What is the difference?
Finally,
I asked the sisters how Ramadan in London differs from Ramadan in Muslim
countries. Huda gave an insightful reply:
Generally
speaking, our Ramadan differs in the sense that most Muslims in the West are
alone when they fast. In Muslim countries everyone is fasting at the same
time and you can notice many differences: The restaurants and most shops are
closed during fasting hours and there are more people in the mosques. In
some countries, the timetable changes completely; schools and work start
after people break their fast! On `Eid, Muslims gather for Prayer with
relatives, friends, and family. Many Muslims in the West will have to go to
work on `Eid and they don't have that many relatives.
Zainab
Al-Hilli has experienced Ramadan in Syria and she looks forward to spending it
in Iraq, where the rest of her family are:
Ramadan
in an Arabic and Muslim country is something else; you feel more spiritual and
more involved with Ramadan, not to mention that you can feel its atmosphere, in
which all Muslims unite. Also in Iraq we are with our families more often and we
are able to visit our imams’ shrines throughout the holy month.
Aisha
R. Masterton holds a BA in Japanese language and literature and an MA in
Comparative East Asian and African Literature from the School of Oriental and
African Studies (SOAS) in London. She is currently working on a PhD on Islamic
mystical and philosophical influences in West African literature. You can
contact her at ahabrasul@yahoo.co.uk
[1]
Twelver Shias acknowledge the spiritual authority of twelve imams after the
Prophet, beginning with `Ali. Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim include reports in
which the Prophet refers to twelve leaders from the Quraysh who would come
after him.
[2]
Sahur,
sahar, or sehri
is the light breakfast that Muslims eat before dawn. Sahar
literally means “the time before daybreak.” The Prophet strongly
recommended that Muslims eat something before the fast begins.
[3]
Iftar is the
meal that Muslims eat when they break their fast.
[4]
Zainab says that “Qur’an
khaani is when everyone sits around in a circle and reads some
Qur’an each in order to finish one unit of the holy Qur’an every night,
and they correct each other’s mistakes in the recitation.”
[5]
Ma`sum means
“protected.” In the Islamic sense, it means to be protected from
committing sins. Al-Bukhari has a report in which the Prophet said, in
reference to certain leaders: “Al-Ma`sum
is the one whom Allah protects.” The fourteen ma`sumin include the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),
his daughter Fatimah (peace and blessings be upon her) and the twelve imams
(peace and blessings be upon them).
[6]
Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan (peace and blessings be upon him) is the name of the
twelfth imam. He went into occultation at the age of five, so he was no
longer visible to the people, but he continued to give guidance through four
chosen representatives for another 64 years. He is the Mahdi, the leader who
will return at the end of time to spread peace and justice.
[7]
Laylat Al-Qadr means “the Night of Power” in which the Qur’an was
revealed. It could be any of the last ten odd-numbered nights of Ramadan.
[8]
A`maal are
religion actions, such as praying and making du`aa’.
[9]
Tasbih means
“glorification of Allah.” A tasbih
is made up of a short phrase, such as “subhan Allah” (glory to Allah)
repeated 100 or 1,000 times.
[10]
A rak`ah is a
unit of the ritual Prayer, consisting of reciting certain parts of the
Qur’an, bowing, and prostrating.
[11]
Ghusl is a
ritual shower of purification in which a special intention for purification
is made, and then the head, the right side, and left side of the body are
washed thoroughly.
[12]
“I ask forgiveness of Allah and I repent to Him.”
[13]
This is the ritual greeting given to Imam Husayn (peace and blessings be
upon him) when Muslims make a visit (ziyara) to his grave. The ritual greeting is
recited in Ramadan.
[14]
He is the sixth imam. The Sunni imam, Abu Hanifa, studied under him. He
consolidated Shia teachings into a school of thought.
[15]
A majlis is a
meeting of a large group who listen to a lecture and discuss religious
issues.
[16]
Ma’tam
is the ritual expression of grief that Shias carry out on the
anniversaries of the deaths of important figures. Some have gone so far as
to hit themselves with blades tied on strings, but the more common practice
is to tap the chest with the right hand.
