Ramadan is Coming

Today is the 20^th of Sha’aban in the UAE. On the 29^th, the Moon Sighting Committee will go out and look for the moon. If they see it, Ramadan has begun and will probably last for 30 days; if they do not see it, Ramadan will start the following night and will probably last for 29 days. Since the start of Ramadan depends on each country’s Moon Sighting Committee, Ramadan can differ by a day or two between different countries.

Farook told me a story about the Moon Sighting Committee. In a country that he did not name, the Ruler offered US$1,000 to the first person who saw the moon. A man came in on the 29^th of Sha’aban just after sunset and claimed the award. He came back an hour later, and said he was also the first person to see a second moon, and to claim a second award.

When I first came to the UAE, there was to be an iftar presentation about Ramadan to explain its meaning to non-Muslims, and I paid the admission fee. Iftar is the meal eaten at sunset during Ramadan.

Devout Muslims fast during Ramadan. Islamic fasting means no food, no water, and no smoking from about one hour before sunrise until sunset, but, once the sun sets, Muslims eat the iftar meal, which is an important part of the day during Ramadan.

At a typical public iftar, the food is set out a little before sunset, and all the persons at the iftar fill their plates and set them on the table, so they can begin eating the minute the muezzin announces sunset.

Finally, at the iftar presentation I attended, the muezzin began chanting, everyone began eating and drinking water and fruit juices, and a man stood up on the podium. He announced that Ramadan is a time for family, so the scheduled speaker, in accordance with Ramadan tradition, was spending iftar with his family and would not be able to attend our presentation and explain Ramadan.