Ramadan fasting as ordained in the Quran, its purpose of attaining salvation, and how to use new moon times to determine the start and end of the fast in 2000, including the Night of Power. An article draws on Dr. Scott Peck's four tools of discipline, relating delayed gratification, responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing to the Quran.
Ramadan is the month during
which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear
teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall
fast therein. Those who are ill or traveling may substitute the same number
of other days. God wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you
may fulfill your obligations, and to glorify God for guiding you, and
to express your appreciation. (2:185)
Ramadan is the ninth lunar month in the Islamic calendar. Muslims all
over the world fast every day of this month from dawn to the sunset. During
fasting, they abstain from eating, drinking and sexual encounter as ordained
by God in the Quran:
…You may eat and drink
until the white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark
thread of night at dawn. Then, you shall fast until sunset. Sexual intercourse
is prohibited if you decide to retreat to the masjid (during the last
ten days of Ramadan). These are God’s laws; you shall not transgress
them. God thus clarifies His revelations for the people, that they may
attain salvation. ()
Fasting is known to be beneficial to the health and provides a break
in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence. However, in our emphasis
on refraining from food, drink, and marital relations during
the daylight hours, we should not forget many
other important aspects of this sacred time. Perhaps, it would help us
to remember not only the outward act of fasting, but also its underlying
purpose:
O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it
was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation. (2:183)
Specific days (are designated for fasting); if one is
ill or traveling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those
who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor
person for each day of breaking the fast. If one volunteers (more righteous
works), it is better. But fasting is the best for you, if you only knew.
(2:184)
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Discipline
I have extracted the subject of this article mainly from a book
by the famous Psychologist, Dr. Scott Peck, MD entitled, The
Road Less Traveled. This was on the best sellers’ list
of books about ten years ago. I enjoyed reading it at that time,
but as is usually the case, many of its salient features were forgotten
or never registered in my mind. Recently I noticed my daughter was
reading this book, and so I browsed through it and it had a very
profound effect on me.
Most of Dr. Peck’s observations are already mentioned in
the Holy Koran (Quran). I will try to point them out to the best
of my knowledge and ability. According to Dr. Peck, life is difficult
and this is a great truth. Life is a series of problems that most
of us moan about, instead of trying to solve.
Discipline is the basic set of tools we require to solve life’s
problems. Without discipline, we can solve nothing; but with some
discipline, we can solve many problems with God’s help. For
example, as a submitter (Muslim), we discipline ourselves by trying
to observe God’s commandments in our daily lives.
What makes life difficult is that the process of confronting and
solving
problems is a painful one. Yet it is
in this whole process of meeting and solving problems that life
has its meaning. Problems create our courage and our wisdom. It
is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually.
When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we challenge
and encourage the human capacity to solve problems. Just as in school
we deliberately set problems for our children to solve.
It is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that
we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt,
instruct. It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear
problems, but to actually welcome the pain of problems.” As
it is said, no pain, no gain.
Did we not show him the two paths? He should choose
the difficult path. (90:10-11)
Most of us are not so wise. Because of the pain involved in confronting
problems, almost all of us to a greater or lesser degree attempt
to avoid problems. We procrastinate, hoping they will go away. We
ignore them, forget them and pretend they do not exist.
Discipline is the basic set of tools we require to solve life’s
problems. These tools are techniques by which we experience the
pain of problems in such a way as to work through them and solve
them successfully, learning and growing in the process.
There are four tools of discipline:
delaying of gratification and pleasure
acceptance of responsibility
dedication to truth and reality
balancing.
These are simple tools and almost all
children are adept in the use of them
by the age of ten. Yet presidents and kings will often forget to
use them to their own downfall. The problem lies not in the complexity
of these tools, but in the will to use them. For they are tools
with which pain is confronted rather that avoided.
Delaying of Gratification
The first of the tools of discipline is delaying gratification.
This is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in
such a way as to enhance the pleasure by experiencing the pain first
and getting it over with. This means we should always do our difficult
task first and then do the easy or the pleasant task next. We always
want our children to do their homework first, before they are allowed
to watch TV. Another example of delaying gratification is a student
who takes the time and effort to finish school and college first,
before he or she can get a good job and reap the fruits of his or
her labor.
Good discipline requires time—time to pay attention to our
children and loved ones; time to learn and time to solve problems.
It is said that if we take the time to concentrate, we can solve
many of the problems that seem difficult to us at first.
Responsibility
The second tool of discipline is responsibility. We cannot
solve life’s problems except by solving them. This statement
may seem self evident, yet it is beyond the understanding of much
of the human race. This is because we must accept responsibility
for a problem before we can solve it. We cannot solve a problem
by saying it is not a problem. But many seek to avoid the pain of
the problem by saying
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Discipline
to themselves, “this problem was caused by other people,
or by social circumstances beyond my control and therefore it is
up to other people or society to solve this problem for me. It is
not really my personal problem.” The extent to which people
will go psychologically to avoid assuming responsibility
for personal problems, while always sad, is sometime ludicrous.
God mentions in the Holy Koran that we are responsible for our
deeds and actions in this world and that we should not expect any
intercession in the hereafter. This means that God wants us to be
responsible for our problems in this world, and wants us to solve
them by seeking His guidance and help.
Dedication to Truth and Reality
The third tool of discipline is dedication to truth and reality.
This needs to be employed continuously if we wish to keep our lives
healthy and our spirits growing. Truth is reality. The
more clearly we see the reality of the world, the better equipped
we are to deal with the world. Our view of reality is like a map
with which we negotiate the terrain of life. If the map is true
and accurate, we will know where we are and if we have decided where
we want to go, we will know how to get there. If the map is false
and inaccurate, we will be lost.
This is the truth from your Lord; do not harbor
any doubt (2:147, 3:60)
They said, "O our people, we have heard a book
that was revealed after Moses, and confirms the previous scriptures.
It guides to the truth; to the right path. (46:30)
While this is obvious, most people choose
to ignore it. They ignore it because our route to reality is not
easy. First of all we have to make an effort. The more effort we
make to appreciate and perceive reality, the larger and more accurate
our map will be.
But many do not want to make this effort. Some stop making it
by the end of adolescence. Their maps are small and sketchy, their
view of the world narrow and misleading. By the end of the middle
age, most people have given up the effort. They feel certain that
their maps are complete and correct. Only a relatively fortunate
few continue until the moment of death expanding the mystery of
reality, ever enlarging and refining and redefining their understanding
of the world and what is true.
We have given you the truth, but most of you hate
the truth. (43:78)
The world itself is constantly changing. Our vantage point from
which we view the world is rapidly changing. When we have children
to care for, the world looks different from when we had none. When
we are poor, the world looks different from when we are rich. We
are daily bombarded with new information as to the nature of reality.
O people, God's promise is the truth; therefore,
do not be distracted by this lowly life. Do not be diverted from
God by mere illusions. (35:5)
In the Holy Koran, God wants us to seek His guidance to the right
path or map.
Guide us in the right path; the path of those whom
You have blessed, not of those who have deserved wrath, nor the
strayers. (1:7)
A practicing Muslim invokes God’s guidance many times daily.
Our problem in the morning may not be the same as in the afternoon
or evening or night. Accordingly God in His wisdom has asked us
to seek His guidance to the right path through the Salat prayers—five
times daily.
Balancing
The fourth and final discipline is balancing. By this time it seems
that the exercise of discipline is not only a demanding, but also
a complex task requiring both flexibility and judgment. We should
try to be completely honest. We must assume total responsibility
for ourselves. We must be organized and efficient. To live wisely,
we must daily delay gratification and keep an eye on the
future.
Yet to live joyously, discipline itself, must be disciplined.
The type of discipline required to discipline is what Dr. Peck calls
balancing. For example, God mentions in the Holy Koran that we should
not be excessive and extravagant while giving the due alms to the
people (17:26). Thus God cautions us against extremism. Balancing
is the discipline that gives us flexibility. Extraordinary flexibility
and judgment is required for successful living in all spheres of
our daily life.
…The best enlightment indeed is what God recommends
for you… (4:58)
Amin Zayosh
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Ramadan
Thus in order to attain salvation, we should refrain from any behavior
that may jeopardize the rewards from fasting. We should take advantage
of this month to purify our souls further by concentrated worship, reading
of the Quran more often, giving charity, and doing good deeds.
Ramadan This Year
The new moon times to be used for determining the beginning and ending
of Ramadan are given below for GMT (Greenwich Mean Time, also called
Universal Time).
11:12 P.M. November 25, 2000
5:22 P.M. December 25, 2000
This information is taken from U.S. Naval Observatory’s web site
under Astronomical Applications at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/data/
The actual time for each time zone is relative to GMT. For example, Tucson
is seven hours behind GMT. Thus when, for example, it is 10 P.M. according
to GMT, it is 3 P.M. in Tucson.
How do we know when to start fasting?
To determine when fasting in Ramadan begins in your area, adjust the
first “new moon” time given above for your time zone (depending
on the time difference between your area and GMT). If the new moon time
for the month of Ramadan is before the sunset, one starts fasting the
next day at dawn (fajr). However, if the new moon time is actually past
the sunset, then that particular night is considered to belong to the
last day of the previous month (Sha’ban). Therefore, even if the
new moon time may fall before the dawn, the first day of Ramadan does
not start until the next sunset. Thus one starts fasting at dawn following
this sunset.
How do we know when to end fasting?
To determine when fasting in Ramadan ends in your area, adjust the second
“new moon” time given above for your time zone. If this new
moon time for the month following Ramadan (the month of Shawwal) is before
the sunset, one ends fasting at that sunset because the next day will
be the first day of
Shawwal. If the new moon time is past the
sunset one must fast the next day also since that day will belong to Ramadan.
Based on the above information, the first day of Ramadan for Tucson
is November 26, the last day is December 25. This will be true for the
States in Mountain and Pacific Time Zone, and west of it.
The Night of Power (or Destiny)
The Night of Power (Layl-al-Qadr) is the night in which the Quran was
revealed to Prophet Muhammad. It is the 27th night of Ramadan. God describes
this night as better than a thousand months. During that night, the angels
and the Spirit descend therein, by God’s leave, to carry out every
command (97:1-5).
The Night of Power starts at the sunset of 26th day of Ramadan corresponding
to the 27th night. It ends at the down of the following morning.
Note: Like last year, there will be a gathering of
Submitters again in (San Francisco) Bay area for the Night of Power to
commemorate God all night long (Ed.)
About this work
Kind
Document
Author
International Community of Submitters
Publisher
International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson