Egypt's Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa provides Nashwa Abdel-Tawab with the deeper connotations of the holy month Egypt's Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa provides Nashwa Abdel-Tawab with the deeper connotations of the holy month Following the sighting of the new moon on Monday, His Eminence Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the grand mufti of Egypt, announced the start of Ramadan. Gracing the nation as of Tuesday, the holy month was preceded by a particularly busy time for Gomaa, leaving him even more preoccupied with humanitarian, educational and ecclesiastical commitments than usual. Despite his busy schedule, Gomaa offered generously of himself, making time for this interview after his official office hours. As he navigated his way from the office, to a lesson he was giving at a mosque, and then to his home, he was a constant source of intense religious knowledge, combined with wit and humour, and a keen sense of the country's problems. Was fasting introduced by Islam? In the Holy Qur'an it is ordained, " Ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may attain piety." (2:183)The phrase "as it was prescribed for those before you" indicates it being part of older religions, though the many different sects of Jews and Christians practised it in different ways. In the Qur'an, Mariam [the Virgin Mary], for example, is told, "and if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (God) the most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being'" (19:26). In an Old Testament story, Zakariya refrains from talking for the sake of God. What is the theological significance of fasting? Fasting is connected with faith, which is why it has been called the secret [rite of] worship. When a human being willingly gives up pleasures that can be had in secret, this is evidence of the strength of that human being's belief that God can see his every action, whether secret or manifest. No doubt conducting that belief strengthens faith in God. Fasting is a route to taqwa (piety), a course of training rather than an injunction to deprivation. To be deprived of your daily habits is only a means to the noble end of piety -- to being saved from God's punishment and winning the rewards of His favour. Fasting trains the soul to sacrifice some of its needs by way of bending to the divine will, which will by default move you away from evil to good. How is the fast connected with the Qur'an? It is a time for purification -- worship, reading of the Qur'an, acts of charity and individual reflection. The month is materially connected to the Qur'an, which is the book of guidance -- a network of divine manifestations, rather than a direct line of speech as is found in the Torah or the Bible. It's because of the way it incorporates such a network of commands, prohibitions, relations, situations and historical narratives that the Qur'an was thought by early Muslims to resemble the universe. Revelation and the material world are the Muslim's two sources of knowledge. Those who depend on revelation alone are like someone trying to walk on one leg; and the same is true of those who study the material world and ignore revelation. Both are required for living a balanced life. This is why there is no contradiction between religion and science; the clash that took place in the history of Europe between religious stipulations and scientific discoveries has no trace in Islam, in which science acts to invoke faith, and religion in its core remains an affirmation of knowledge. And Ramadan, to get back to the original point, is a kind of banquet of the Qur'an, when Muslims read and listen to, and pray with, and reflect on the Qur'an. In this way, human beings begin the process of thinking, which is an Islamic obligation. A Muslim who reflects on the Qur'an is able to understand, talk to, and contain the Other; he submits to God when confronted by people's differences and struggles -- and he is thus not easily annoyed or impatient. Ramadan is prime time for these exercises. What else makes Ramadan special? The little hardships endured during fasting bring to mind the needy -- because at some level we share in their suffering. Fasting is a form of worship that involves breaking life's routine -- including so much that we take for granted. Whether spiritually or physically, by the end of the month you are no longer the same person. Fasting will strengthen your will, for it involves giving up largely harmful but unceasing habits. Ramadan is also a month of benevolence: a lot of people prefer to pay their annual zakat (a prescribed percentage of income set aside for the poor by Muslim law) at the end of Ramadan; and people come to each other's aid in another sense too, by encouraging charity, piety and righteousness. When you are surrounded by good behaviour, it's easy to follow suit -- and you end up wanting to compete. Worship in all its forms, whether prescribed or not, abounds: dhikr (invocation), sadaqa (voluntary charity), tarawih (extended evening prayers only practised during the holy month) and family gatherings, which tend to be forgotten for much of the year. The Prophet's companions report that he, a most generous man, was even more generous during Ramadan. For many the month is an opportunity to treat their parents well, resolve their own conflicts and make peace among those around them who might be hostile to or in conflict with each other; it is also an excellent time for performing the omra (a visit -- as opposed to a hajj or pilgrimage -- to the holy Kaaba, which can be performed at any time during the year); the Prophet encouraged us to undertake the omra in Ramadan by saying, "A omra in Ramadan is like a hajj with me." But you are in effect describing an ideal. What about the fact that millions of Muslims who fast each year remain as far as ever from the right path? What about spending the month in front of the TV or in "Ramadan tents"? We have to distinguish between religion and religiosity. I am describing what the Islamic community should be like, and those of us who have managed it have entered the circle of light. There is no denying that, the religious attitude notwithstanding, wrong is all around us. But it is religion that determines religiosity, and not the other way around. It is the yardstick that distinguishes right from wrong. People who believe in the religion and fail to adopt the religious attitude have had the wrong education or upbringing. And by the same token, there are those who adopt the attitude, but fail to be righteous: they abide by the rites of worship or maintain the look -- growing a beard, for example -- or else undertake jobs like preaching, when all the while they are a far cry from the right example, from the moral standpoint of most people, whether religious, or Muslim, or not. The reason behind this is a confusion of priorities -- once again, as a result of faulty education. As for television and festive tents, it is not haram (forbidden by Muslim law), but neither are they favourable since they are removed from the essential purpose of the holy month.
