The celebration of Ramadan in Egypt is very special. It is difficult to imagine where else there is such joy and celebration following the day's fast. During the last week, though, the pre-Ramadan shopping spree seems to have reached new heights. Local markets were crammed with shoppers stocking up on dates and sweet drinks for the end of the day's fast. The streets and public transport were packed with people. In such a frenzy in getting ready for Ramadan, it is easy to miss the point and forget why we are fasting at all. The cultural aspects of Ramadan are important, but they are secondary to what Ramadan is really about. Egypt has bequeathed many traditions, which are now celebrated and used by many others far beyond her borders. The Ramadan lanterns, for example, which have become popular throughout the Muslim world, originated first in Egypt during Fatimid times, when the courtiers of the Sultan set out with lanterns to glimpse the new Moon that would signal the start of Ramadan. Very soon, local people began to put up such lanterns outside their homes to mark the beginning of the holy month and these lanterns then became almost synonymous with Ramadan itself. Another tradition associated with Ramadan is the cannon that sounds at the end of each day's fasting to let the Muslim faithful know that the fast is over. On many television screens across the globe, watched eagerly by millions to tell them when they can take a sip of water or eat their first morsel since before dawn, such a cannon now sounds just before the Call to Prayer. This tradition of firing a cannon began in Cairo's great Citadel, and the actual cannon can still be seen and heard to this day. For Muslim and non-Muslim, one of the places to head for in Ramadan is the area of Al-Hussein in Cairo, home to Al-Azhar Mosque, Al-Hussein Mosque and the bustling magic of the Khan Al-Khalili bazaar. From the end of Tarawiyh Prayers to the start of Fajr Prayers, whole families can be found eating ,drinking and wandering through the alleyways of the brightly coloured market to savour the atmosphere of Ramadan nights in Cairo. The essence of Ramadan, of course, is not about shopping or lanterns or any of the associated fripperies that accompany the holy month. Ramadan is about prayer and about returning to Allah. What a great pity it would be if non-Muslims living in Egypt saw only these cultural practices and believed that they were the most important thing about Ramadan. What would be even worse would be their negative reaction to our long, gloomy faces during the day's fast, thinking that Ramadan is some kind of punishment, rather than a chance to re-start our lives and point ourselves once more in the right direction. The idea of fasting for a whole month is quite alien to most people in the world. Cutting down on food for a while to lose weight is perhaps the nearest they have ever got to fasting. Doing it for God's sake will be quite outside their experience. Muslims know that Ramadan is about far much more than giving up food and drink during the hours of daylight. They know that with the right intention, it is possible to come closer to Allah during this holy month and that it is possible to feel both uplifted and content by the very fasting that seems to others so odd. The first thing to realise is that in Ramadan we fast for Allah's sake alone. This, itself, may come as a very strange idea. Most people, especially those with no religion or belief in God, do things for themselves alone or for the ones they love. In the holy Qur'an we read: “O Ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you As it was prescribed to those before you, That ye may learn piety." 2:183 Ramadan is the month of prayer. It is the month of the holy Qur'an and it is the month when we think about those who are less fortunate than ourselves and thank God for the blessings we take for granted. The very cannon that sounds in the Citadel to end the day's fast can teach us something. It can teach us that there are many people in this world whose fast will not end with the sound of a cannon. On the contrary, many will starve to death because they have nothing to eat. For devout Muslims, Ramadan is a gift. It is not about lanterns or taking iftar in fancy hotels, nor is it about judging others on the way they live their own lives. Ramadan, for them, is a chance to return once more to Allah and to put aside all the distractions that have pulled us down during the last year. Indeed, Ramadan is a chance to let the world know what Islam is really about. The message of Islam is very simple, even though we make it seem so very complicated: it teaches that there is a God, and that God speaks to His Creation. Everything else exists to support that message. By their kindness and thoughtfulness towards others, Muslims have the chance in Ramadan to teach the whole of Egypt this simple message. This year, the celebration of Ramadan in Egypt is all the more special. After all, the upheavals of the last eighteen months the country now has a President, but the future is still far from certain. During these days of Ramadan, all Egyptians have the chance to pause and reflect on what is going on in their country and in their own lives. The media in recent months have portrayed the rise of “Islamism" as some sort of threat to Egypt and her neighbours. To be sure, opportunism and vested interests are a threat, and we have seen plenty of that, but Islam is not a threat to anyone. In fact, if lived properly, Islam is a blessing to any society or any culture. So, amidst all the feasting and the fasting this year, it is important not to forget what Ramadan is about. It is about prayer and putting Almighty God back at the centre of our own lives. If Egyptians can remember that, the country will be on a firm footing. A nation that stops five times a day to pause and pray cannot really have too much to fear. British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, is a lecturer at Al-Azhar University . The author of eight books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com.
