As the sun set last Friday evening at the Baton Rouge central mosque, Mesjid ar-Rahman, I took my place in the prayer line.
Mesjid ar-Rahman, literally translated, means the Mosque of Mercy – and on this night, the first night of the holy month, it seemed an entirely appropriate name.
It was the first iftar of Ramadan 2012, the first breaking of the fast.
The air was alive with a sort of meditative tension, a weary goodwill.
As the hall filled with hundreds of people from every corner of the earth, I took note.
The brothers from West Africa were there, in their bright sapphire robes and matching skull caps. They were joined by Arabs in bleach white thobes and Pakistani men in ankle length trousers and thin, hastily wound turbans.
The Americans were amongst them, myself included, in a motley mix of jeans and polo shirts and purple-and-gold baseball caps turned backward so the bill wouldn’t get in the way when your forehead hits the ground in prayer.
It is Ramadan, and a sense of camaraderie – a brotherhood of humanity which knows no bounds or borders – overwhelms old grudges and prejudices.
Debts are forgiven and feuding friends and family are reconciled.
To Muslims, Ramadan is both a trial and celebration – an annual renewal of faith.
For the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, it is a 30-day sunup to sundown fast – in which all food, water, cigarettes and sex are forbidden.
The daytime fast is broken as the sun sets, and is supplemented with night-long prayers and meditations. It is said that the blessing for any righteous deed done during the month is multiplied many times over – a tradition which commands a heavy emphasis on charity and giving during the holy month.
Ramadan celebrates the time in which the Muslim prophet Muhammad received his revelation, known as the Noble Qur’an, and it serves to remind the Muslim community, the Ummah, of the deprivation felt by those whose lives are a constant struggle – a daily and unceasing fast.
The month not only serves to build empathy, but to also steel within the devout a determination to avoid pettiness, wickedness and temptation in the coming year – the idea being that if one can keep himself from water, the very essence of life, he can keep himself from cheating, lying and harming others.
Ramadan is broken into three sections of ten days, each section taking on a different spiritual emphasis.
The first third of Ramadan, the first 10 days, carry a focus on the mercy of God towards his creation.
The second ten days revolve around God, Allah in Arabic and his capacity for forgiveness.
In the last 10 days of Ramadan – the third revolving around salvation – Muslims expectantly await Laylat al-Qadr, the night of power (most commonly celebrated on the 27th night of the month), believed to coincide with the night on which the Qur’an was first given to Muhammad over 1,433 years ago.
During the last 10 days, nightly prayers run until sun up, and many people follow the tradition of the Prophet by sleeping in the mosque.
As the 30 days run their course and the new moon is sighted, signifying the end of Ramadan, charity is given widely and freely in the form of Zakat al-Fitr, a mandatory concession made on behalf of the poor and impoverished in the community.
Preparations are made for Eid al-Fitr, the feast which will fall on the first day of Shawwal, the month which directly follows Ramadan, according to the Muslim calendar.
Enshallah, God willing, the Eid will serve as a culmination of the entire month’s struggle, and all of the focus and concentration – all of the devotion turned into a sort of refining fire of worship and self-improvement – will decompress and for the first time in 30 days, Muslims worldwide will relax.
Whether you’re fasting or not, I would like to wish everyone a happy holidays and a Ramadan Mubarak, a blessed month.
Nicholas Pierce is a 22-year old history senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nabdulpierc.
 
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