Ramadan (& reading list)
Oct. 11th, 2004 02:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
qatarperegrineLast night I went to the Qatar Center for the Presentation of Islam for an evening lecture on Ramadan. I was very impressed; it was presented both professionally and warmly. It was held in the majlis of the Ladies' Division of QCPI, which is a government-funded organization that teaches Arabic language, Qatari culture and Islamic studies. A majlis, if you missed my previous post on the topic, is the Gulf equivalent of a sitting-room; it is traditionally a fabric tent attached to the front of a house, with cushions or low couches all around the edges (it's rude to sit with your back to someone here) and a carpeted floor. They are where people gathered to drink Arabic coffee and talk. (I'm speaking here of the men's majlis; the women's is inside the house.) Traditionally, your majlis would be open 24/7 and any man could come in and recieve your hospitality. Nowadays, as in the case of QCPI, the "tent" is really a fabric construction inside of a room, complete with air conditioning and electric lights.
After an introduction by the head of the Ladies' Division, a half-hour talk on how & why Muslims fast was given by Hediyah, an American-born Muslimah who teaches in the Islamic studies department. Much of what she said I had heard before, but I really enjoyed listening to hear speak about what Ramadan means to her. It occurred to me as I was listening that although I have spoken to an imam coworker about his faith, I've never spoken with a Muslim woman about what Islam means to her, and it was really interesting to hear. (One of the fortunate results of the generally unfortunate division of the sexes here is that women learn about their faith from other women, not just from men.)
As the anniversary of the revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, Hediyah said, Ramadan is honored by fasting and extra night-time prayers. The "stomach fast" is honored by eating a special light breakfast called suhoor before dawn, refusing all food and drink until sunset, and then breaking the fast with iftar, traditionally dates and water and then a sumptuous meal after evening prayers. In the West if we hear about the fasting of Ramadan, we usually think of fasting from food. Many people here have told me, though, that this is not the only (or even main) fasting of Ramadan. During the holy month, our hearts should fast from anger, our tongues from lying, our ears from listening to gossip, and so on. Losing one's temper breaks the fast just as much as eating or drinking. Hediyah stressed that, of the many ways Islam offers to worship God -- through prayer, through pilgrimage, through almsgiving -- fasting is the most important. Apparently there is a special gate of paradise called Ar-Rayyan (also, coincidentally, the name of the next town over from us) which is only open to people who have fasted. (I'm unclear on this, because it seems like all Muslims, by definition, must fast, and since most everyone going to heaven will be Muslim, the Ar-Rayyan gate will be pretty high-traffic.)
The second talk was by a Qatari woman, Mariam, on the topic "How do the Qatari people spend a Ramadan day?" She began by telling us that Ramadan is thought of as a "dear guest" and anticipated for months. She recalled how, as a child, she would run outside every night to see if she could find the sliver of a crescent moon that would tell her Ramadan was beginning the next day. (The moon has to actually be sighted for Ramadan to begin, although of course these days it can be narrowed down in advance to no more than two possible days.) She talked about all the preparations that go into Ramadan, like baking bread and grinding coffee weeks in advance so that even more time can be devoted to prayer during Ramadan. She talked more about the meals of Ramadan, and what is eaten. Suhoor is supposed to be a very light breakfast -- dates and water are ideal -- but she says Qataris are sometimes faulted for liking to eat too much at suhoor. She usually makes rice, a heavy soup and fried chicken for her husband. (This is eaten at 3 a.m., folks!!) A rural tradition here is for a man called the imsakhad (spelling uncertain) to wander through the village just before dawn, beating a drum and singing a song that means, "Get up, sleepy man! Get up and worship your God!" so that people know to get up and eat. Now, of course, people just set their alarm clocks.
The work day is shortened here in Qatar (the emir just announced the schedule: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.) and people go home to nap until afternoon prayers. After afternoon prayers, Mariam says, fathers help children with their homework while mothers prepare iftar. (Maybe Abu and Umma Beaver, anyway.) As soon as the sun sets people break their fast with something sweet -- dates are best -- and then go to evening prayers. Afterwards they have a big meal, because they have exchanged some of their cooking with several neighbors so there's a great variety of food. She was quick to point out that Ramadan is a great equalizer, and if her husband is away she'll even break her fast with her maid instead. Um, okay. Finally, there's an extra (optional) prayer time called tarawih in the middle of the night, for which people often go to the mosque to participate in the recitation of the Quran. (It's traditional the read the Quran during Ramadan, and it's divided up into 30 sections for that purpose. Some websites call those parts jus, although I haven't heard that term here.)
A couple of Ramadan special days: halfway through is a local celebration called ghiringhow, when children go door to door for nuts, fruit and candy. (I've heard about this from several sources, all of whom have stressed that this is a Qatari culture thing, not a religious thing, but it's always on 15 Ramadan.) The last 10 days of Ramadan are particularly special, and apparently some people spend them at the mosque. Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, falls somewhere in those ten days. Also, in the last few days of Ramadan people give special alms, which purify their fast in case they slipped up. Traditionally dates and rice were sent to the poor; in these uprooted, urban days, families usually give QR15 ($5) per capita instead. And, of course, at the end of Ramadan is a three-day feast called Eid al-Fitr, the biggest holiday in the Muslim world. Everyone wears fancy clothes and henna.
After the talks, we got to sample various iftar sweets the teachers had prepared. They were:
If you're noticing a trend in the above, it's probably the saffron. This would be quite expensive in the U.S.!
Of course, these sweets were served with a choice of Arabic coffee or tea -- in this case thyme tea. I tried the coffee. It was, as I have heard about Arabic coffee, rather strong and earthy.
As we ate we asked questions, both about Ramadan (e.g. "How can I get my patients not to refuse chemotherapy during Ramadan") and about Islam generally ("Can I go in a mosque?") The teachers were very helpful and friendly. I am looking forward to getting their class schedule in January and hope to sign up for one or two of their longer courses.
On my way out I passed a bookshelf of free literature and took two books -- Islam: A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, readable online here and A Brief Look Upon Islam, which doesn't seem to be avaliable online but is put out by the same Riyadh publishing house that publishes most of the Wahhabist literature here. Last night I started reading them and had to remind myself that if I based my opinion of Christianity on pamphlets given out to potential converts, I'd be similarly underwhelmed.
Since I'll also be working shortened hours during Ramadan, I'm hoping to read the Quran like my Muslim coworkers will. If anyone wants to join me, get your Quran ready; Friday night, inshallah, I'll be starting with Surah 1 (Al-Fatinah) and 2 (Al-Baqara) ayat 1-141.
And, in other news, I just updated my reading list again; this weekend I finished Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt. (It was an eclectic weekend.)
After an introduction by the head of the Ladies' Division, a half-hour talk on how & why Muslims fast was given by Hediyah, an American-born Muslimah who teaches in the Islamic studies department. Much of what she said I had heard before, but I really enjoyed listening to hear speak about what Ramadan means to her. It occurred to me as I was listening that although I have spoken to an imam coworker about his faith, I've never spoken with a Muslim woman about what Islam means to her, and it was really interesting to hear. (One of the fortunate results of the generally unfortunate division of the sexes here is that women learn about their faith from other women, not just from men.)
As the anniversary of the revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, Hediyah said, Ramadan is honored by fasting and extra night-time prayers. The "stomach fast" is honored by eating a special light breakfast called suhoor before dawn, refusing all food and drink until sunset, and then breaking the fast with iftar, traditionally dates and water and then a sumptuous meal after evening prayers. In the West if we hear about the fasting of Ramadan, we usually think of fasting from food. Many people here have told me, though, that this is not the only (or even main) fasting of Ramadan. During the holy month, our hearts should fast from anger, our tongues from lying, our ears from listening to gossip, and so on. Losing one's temper breaks the fast just as much as eating or drinking. Hediyah stressed that, of the many ways Islam offers to worship God -- through prayer, through pilgrimage, through almsgiving -- fasting is the most important. Apparently there is a special gate of paradise called Ar-Rayyan (also, coincidentally, the name of the next town over from us) which is only open to people who have fasted. (I'm unclear on this, because it seems like all Muslims, by definition, must fast, and since most everyone going to heaven will be Muslim, the Ar-Rayyan gate will be pretty high-traffic.)
The second talk was by a Qatari woman, Mariam, on the topic "How do the Qatari people spend a Ramadan day?" She began by telling us that Ramadan is thought of as a "dear guest" and anticipated for months. She recalled how, as a child, she would run outside every night to see if she could find the sliver of a crescent moon that would tell her Ramadan was beginning the next day. (The moon has to actually be sighted for Ramadan to begin, although of course these days it can be narrowed down in advance to no more than two possible days.) She talked about all the preparations that go into Ramadan, like baking bread and grinding coffee weeks in advance so that even more time can be devoted to prayer during Ramadan. She talked more about the meals of Ramadan, and what is eaten. Suhoor is supposed to be a very light breakfast -- dates and water are ideal -- but she says Qataris are sometimes faulted for liking to eat too much at suhoor. She usually makes rice, a heavy soup and fried chicken for her husband. (This is eaten at 3 a.m., folks!!) A rural tradition here is for a man called the imsakhad (spelling uncertain) to wander through the village just before dawn, beating a drum and singing a song that means, "Get up, sleepy man! Get up and worship your God!" so that people know to get up and eat. Now, of course, people just set their alarm clocks.
The work day is shortened here in Qatar (the emir just announced the schedule: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.) and people go home to nap until afternoon prayers. After afternoon prayers, Mariam says, fathers help children with their homework while mothers prepare iftar. (Maybe Abu and Umma Beaver, anyway.) As soon as the sun sets people break their fast with something sweet -- dates are best -- and then go to evening prayers. Afterwards they have a big meal, because they have exchanged some of their cooking with several neighbors so there's a great variety of food. She was quick to point out that Ramadan is a great equalizer, and if her husband is away she'll even break her fast with her maid instead. Um, okay. Finally, there's an extra (optional) prayer time called tarawih in the middle of the night, for which people often go to the mosque to participate in the recitation of the Quran. (It's traditional the read the Quran during Ramadan, and it's divided up into 30 sections for that purpose. Some websites call those parts jus, although I haven't heard that term here.)
A couple of Ramadan special days: halfway through is a local celebration called ghiringhow, when children go door to door for nuts, fruit and candy. (I've heard about this from several sources, all of whom have stressed that this is a Qatari culture thing, not a religious thing, but it's always on 15 Ramadan.) The last 10 days of Ramadan are particularly special, and apparently some people spend them at the mosque. Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, falls somewhere in those ten days. Also, in the last few days of Ramadan people give special alms, which purify their fast in case they slipped up. Traditionally dates and rice were sent to the poor; in these uprooted, urban days, families usually give QR15 ($5) per capita instead. And, of course, at the end of Ramadan is a three-day feast called Eid al-Fitr, the biggest holiday in the Muslim world. Everyone wears fancy clothes and henna.
After the talks, we got to sample various iftar sweets the teachers had prepared. They were:
| khabees | Reminded me a little of the topping on a fruit crumble; it's made of semolina, sugar, butter, cardamom and saffron. (Anyone know why it's called "Evil"? Or is it just like calling cheesecake "Sinful"?) |
| sago | Wheat balls with sugar, saffron and butter. |
| 'assedah | Weird paste made of flour, sugar, butter, saffron, cardamom and black pepper. |
| gursan | Miniature deep-fried sugar pancakes. These ones get my vote. |
If you're noticing a trend in the above, it's probably the saffron. This would be quite expensive in the U.S.!
Of course, these sweets were served with a choice of Arabic coffee or tea -- in this case thyme tea. I tried the coffee. It was, as I have heard about Arabic coffee, rather strong and earthy.
As we ate we asked questions, both about Ramadan (e.g. "How can I get my patients not to refuse chemotherapy during Ramadan") and about Islam generally ("Can I go in a mosque?") The teachers were very helpful and friendly. I am looking forward to getting their class schedule in January and hope to sign up for one or two of their longer courses.
On my way out I passed a bookshelf of free literature and took two books -- Islam: A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, readable online here and A Brief Look Upon Islam, which doesn't seem to be avaliable online but is put out by the same Riyadh publishing house that publishes most of the Wahhabist literature here. Last night I started reading them and had to remind myself that if I based my opinion of Christianity on pamphlets given out to potential converts, I'd be similarly underwhelmed.
Since I'll also be working shortened hours during Ramadan, I'm hoping to read the Quran like my Muslim coworkers will. If anyone wants to join me, get your Quran ready; Friday night, inshallah, I'll be starting with Surah 1 (Al-Fatinah) and 2 (Al-Baqara) ayat 1-141.
And, in other news, I just updated my reading list again; this weekend I finished Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt. (It was an eclectic weekend.)
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 07:30 am (UTC)I hope you can take more classes and lectures etc. It sounds like something you'd been hoping for.
Recipes? Pretty please. If this is women teaching women, I'd think it is a reasonable request.(Excuse the sex-role stereotyping here, foobart.)And is Eid pronounced "Ide"?
As in Christianity, one thinks what a beautiful world it would be if we actually lived those ideals at all times and with all peoples.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 12:00 am (UTC)(Methinks I'm going to pay for that one, especially given that qatar cooked a very nice meal last night...:)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 12:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 01:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 07:24 am (UTC)When the gourmet enjoys nothing quite as much as a raw sheep's trachea, it probably should tell you something...
no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 11:31 am (UTC)Hey, apparently I serve a mean duck neck. Nobody defrosts and serves raw duck neck quite this well, she says. Except for the occasions when it doesn't quite defrost in time, and she gets duck necksicle.
Of course she IS a dog, it may be that she's just brown-nosing the hand that feeds her. Or, in her case, black-nosing.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 12:20 am (UTC)They gave us the ingredients for the dishes, but not the relative quantities or directions. I'll try to ask around my Qatari coworkers and see if I can come up with an actual recipe. (I think there was one in the QCPI newsletter, too, but I forget what for.)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 09:24 pm (UTC)By the way, I just came across another source of books for you, in case you haven't seen it before:
http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/
"Free Classic Literature in the Public Domain" including the KJV of the bible, complete Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne, Bram Stoker, Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, and of course the ultimate in figures of great literature, Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Sorry, did I say "great literature"? I meant "dark and stormy literature".
Anyway. Very interesting. Let us know how the other courses go!
no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 12:24 am (UTC)Nice literature site! I've been meaning to read Treasure Island. But who the heck is Edward Bulwer-Lytton? I've never heard of any of the innumerable books listed under his name.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 01:17 am (UTC)"It was a dark and stormy night..."
for more information, see http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/, the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Their byline says "Where WWW means 'Wretched Writers Welcome'."
Reading the Quran
Date: 2004-10-12 05:27 pm (UTC)I might try the Guide later. It's the end of a grading period and not likely to happen right now.
I share the interest in the recipes, should you get ahold of the amounts. Saffron is a bit pricey here, as you mentioned. I love cardamom, though, so those recipes intrigue me the most.
Re: Reading the Quran
Date: 2004-10-12 10:35 pm (UTC)I checked my QCPI newsletter and they included a recipe, although not for any of the sweets I sampled. I'll post it in a separate entry.