The evening of Monday, April 12, marks the beginning of Ramadan in the United States. Ramadan is an Islamic holy month when Muslims may not eat or drink from morning until night. Muslims celebrate Ramadan as the month in which the prophet Muhammad received the first of the revelations that make up the Qur’ān, the holy book of Islam.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year. Because the Islamic calendar is based on cycles of the moon—rather than the sun, like the Western Gregorian calendar—Ramadan does not fall at the same time each year. This year, Ramadan began the evening of April 12 and ends on the evening of May 12.

The term Ramadan comes from the word Ramz, meaning great heat or burning. Ramadan is believed to cleanse a person of sins. Muslims are supposed to seek forgiveness from God during this month.

All Muslims must fast if they have reached puberty and are of sound mind. Exceptions are made for some groups, such as the sick, the elderly, pregnant women, and travelers. Those who are able, however, must make up the missed fast days at a later time. A Muslim who deliberately breaks the fast must atone by fasting for two months or feeding the poor.

Fasting begins at dawn and lasts until sunset. During this time, Muslims cannot eat food or drink beverages. The daily fast is broken by a light meal called the iftar, followed by the evening prayer.

Fasting helps Muslims to experience and apply many teachings from the Qur’ān in their daily lives. Such teachings include compassion, self-control, and spiritual reflection. Fasting also teaches Muslims to sympathize with those who are less fortunate.

The nights during Ramadan are devoted to special prayers and to recitations from the Qur’ān. During the last 10 days, some Muslims seclude themselves in a mosque to devote time to prayer and religious contemplation. A mosque is a building used for Muslim worship. The end of Ramadan is celebrated by a great festival called Īd al-Fitr.

Like so many events this year, Ramadan might look different than in years past. In many places, efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Such efforts often include social distancing, meant to limit contact among people and thus the spread of germs. But, limiting the spread of germs doesn’t mean you can’t observe Ramadan!

One socially distant way to participate in Ramadan is to attend virtual prayer sessions. You can also learn about Islamic art. You might not be able to build a fantastic mosque on your kitchen table. But you can use clay to replicate craftworkers’ detailed carved wood patterns. In Islamic art, wood has been used for doors, boxes, ceilings, panels, prayer niches, and pulpits. Woodworkers often carved elaborate inserts into a plain geometrical framework of star designs. However you choose to observe, we hope you have a safe and spiritual Ramadan!

April 17, 2018

Today, World Book extends Arab American Heritage Month to Canada, where the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto is featuring an exhibition called The World of the Fatimids. The Fatimids, often written as  Fātimids, were a dominant Arab culture that ruled much of northern Africa and parts of the Middle East from A.D. 909 to 1171. The World of the Fatimids exhibition, which began in March 2018 and runs through early July, features rare items of art and luxury, as well as a program of films and lectures that concentrates on the culture’s influence on Cairo, the erstwhile Fātimid capital and current capital of Egypt.

This carved ivory oliphant (hunter’s horn) is part of The World of the Fatimids exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Ontario. Credit: © The Aga Khan Museum

The Fātimid dynasty was a line of Muslim rulers who claimed descent from Fātimah, a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, and her husband, Alī ibn Abī Tālib, a cousin of the Prophet. The dynasty and its followers belonged to the Shī`ah branch of Islam and to a sect called the Seveners. In 909, they gained control over land that had been held by the larger group of rival Sunni Muslims and rose to power in north Africa. At various times, the Fātimid empire included Sicily, Syria, and parts of Arabia and Palestine.

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From the 900′s to 1171, the Fātimids ruled an empire that covered North Africa and much of the Middle East.  Credit: WORLD BOOK map

For many years, the Fātimids made their capitals in what are now the cities of Al Qayrawan and Al Mahdiyah, Tunisia. But after winning control of Egypt in 969, they founded a new capital, Al-Qahirah (Cairo). There, they built many beautiful buildings and established al-Azhar University. Today, this university is one of the oldest in the world and the most influential religious school in Islam. The Fātimids also established great libraries in Cairo and in Tripoli, Lebanon.

The Fātimid rulers were good leaders, but internal conflict eventually broke the dynasty apart. Members of the court struggled for power in the 1160′s, and Nūr al-Dīn, a Syrian leader, became involved. The last Cairo ruler asked Nūr al-Dīn for protection against an invasion in 1168. Nūr al-Dīn sent a strong force that included Saladin, a great warrior who overthrew the Fātimid dynasty in 1171. Today, Shī`ites (followers of Shī`ah Islam) who remain loyal to the Fātimid dynasty are known as Ismā`īlīs (Ismailis).

Aga Khan is the title of the Ismā`īlī imām (spiritual leader). Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum, a creation of the Aga Khan Development Network run by Aga Khan IV (1936-…), opened in 2014. The museum houses collections of Islamic art and heritage and shares formal gardens and a park with the Ismaili Centre Toronto.

September 14, 2016

Since last weekend, nearly 2 million Muslims have descended on Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the 2016 hajj, an annual holy pilgrimage (it ends tomorrow). The hajj (Arabic for pilgrimage) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, formal acts of worship that provide the framework for a Muslim’s life. The Qur’ān, the holy book of Islam, commands all Muslims to make a hajj at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able to do so. According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics, the 2016 hajj truly was a global event. Of the 1.86 million pilgrims who attended, more than 70 percent came from beyond Saudi Arabia. The 2016 hajj also was notable for increased security and crowd-control measures after a stampede in 2015 killed more than 700 people. Such measures included the deployment of security personnel, the installation of hundreds of new surveillance cameras, and the distribution of electronic identification bracelets containing pilgrims’ personal data.

Muslims pray at the Kaaba in Mecca’s Great Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Credit: © Shutterstock

The hajj takes place each year during Dhūl-Hijja, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. It includes several rites that commemorate the trials and sacrifices of the prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar, and their son the prophet Ishmael. During the hajj, pilgrims wear special garments and circle the Kaaba, the most sacred shrine of Islam, seven times. Muslims believe that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kaaba as the first house of worship to God. It is an empty, cube-shaped building in the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca. Muslims all over the world face the direction of the Kaaba every day when they pray. During the hajj, pilgrims also visit Mount Arafat, a site outside of Mecca where the prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon. Another rite involves the gathering and casting of stones at special pillars to symbolize a rejection of Satan, or the Devil.

Muslims visit Mount Arafat, the site of Muhammad’s final sermon, during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Credit: © Hikrcn/Shutterstock

The major Muslim festival of `Īd al-Ad-hā (also spelled Eid al-Adha) coincides with the later part of the hajj. The name of the festival means Feast of the Sacrifice in Arabic. During `Īd al-Ad-hā, Muslims gather an hour after sunrise in open spaces or in mosques to perform a community prayer. Muslims who can afford it sacrifice an animal, such as a camel, cow, goat, or sheep. The sacrifice honors Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his older son, Ishmael, and God’s decision to substitute a ram instead. The Qur’ān explains that the sacrifice is not an offering of meat to God, but a holy act of sharing food. Those who sacrifice share with the poor and with their neighbors. During the festival, children receive gifts, and people visit family and friends.

Some Muslims complete the hajj multiple times during their lives. Muslims believe a person who makes such a pilgrimage secures great religious merit. In addition to having religious significance, the hajj has great economic importance for the city of Mecca. The city has some minor industries, but its economy depends on money spent by the great number of pilgrims who visit each year.