How We Spend Ramadan

Issue 48 September 2008

In a special feature, we hear the unique stories of how students at Eton College, Muslim prisoners at Wormwood Scrubs in London, and converts from the New Muslims Project in Leicestershire spend their Ramadan.

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Ramadan in Eton College

Monawar Hussain, the imam at Eton College gives us some insight into a very Etonian Ramadan.

Preparations for Ramadan begin in the month of Rajab. My aim throughout is to cultivate a spirit of reflection and inquisitiveness in our boys, so that the fullest meaning of fasting may be comprehended and I pray, realised. Of course central to this is the study of the Qur’an, to develop a broader understanding of the message of the Qur’an as individual believers, as members of a faith community and as global citizens. What values can we draw from this month and how can we concretely apply these in our lives, our communities, in Great Britain and the wider world?  

Last year we developed a special Eton Muslim Class Service. We call it an A, B or C Sunday. This normally takes place in the morning and involves having lessons on Islamic history, theology and the Shariah. These classes are also held for the Jewish, Anglican, Hindu, and Catholic students. We have a space for faith at Eton, which allows all students to explore their religion and identity in an open environment.

For the Muslims, the class offers a rich treasury of verses of the Qur’an, the beautiful names of God and Salawat on the Prophet. So after performing the salah in congregation, we sit in a meditative circle, read together, reflect and on occasion read some of the verses together aloud. This helps to develop a sense of spirituality and we hope to widen this circle so that the broader Etonian community may also join us to experience the Muslim Class service in the future.

Another very moving occasion, again the first at Eton, was the breaking of the fast together with Jewish and Christian Etonians. This symbolised very much Great Britain in the 21st century and the need to utilise this blessed month for the sharing of what it means to be Muslim in contemporary Britain.

There is a real sense of community during Ramadan. It can be challenging of course as there are other lessons and activities that might prevent the boys from breaking fast together. But for many of them, they can wake up for the suhoor meal and heat the food that has been set aside for them by the house master. Prayers are normally performed by the boy themselves. Some of them even pray taraweh in their rooms together, with one of them leading.

At the end of the month, we celebrate Eid in our own distinctive way. We always invite the headmaster and the other tutors and students, which reflects the multi-faith nature here at Eton. After the morning class we gather together to have brunch which is now held at the house of the Head of Divinities.  s the students are away from their own families, we try to recreate a homely atmosphere, which is helped by providing them with samosas, sweet rice, and pakoras!

The wonderful thing about this is how a Jewish or a Hindu student can ask a Muslim student ‘How was your Ramadan?’ w hich opens up dialogue where one can express one’s own faith at the same time as sharing it with others, which always leads to mutual respect. That is the true spirit of an Etonian Ramadan.

Ramadan in Prison

Ibrahim Matr, the Muslim Chaplain at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, gives an inside look at how Muslim prisoners spend Ramadan.

I have been the chaplain at Wormwood Scrubs for about 15 months, and have been in the prison service for three and a half years. I work full time both as a generic chaplain, seeing prisoners regardless of faith, and as a Muslim chaplain. There are 280 Muslim prisoners here in total. The maximum number of prisoners here number at 1270.

The Muslim prisoners look forward to Ramadan very much. They see it as a gift and a blessing. Yet at the  same time as the excitement of welcoming in the month, there is also sadness as they are away from their family and friends. I find that many of the men need support during this time, and they often come to me for advice. My colleagues help me out during Ramada - one or two Muslim chaplains join me when the demand is too much to take on myself alone. That’s true of the chaplaincy team on the whole – we very much work as a team to look after the welfare of the prisoners regardless of faith and background.

Ramadan is about bringing people together, and it happens even in prison. During this month, I notice a huge difference in the men to how they normally are. They are more at peace with themselves, and more accepting. They also become more focused and self-disciplined. Also, numbers at Juma prayers shoot up!

Here at Wormwood Scrubs, the prison goes out of its way to accommodate people of different faith backgrounds. Ten years ago, there wasn’t as much awareness about Ramadan in the prison service as we have today.

Planning for Ramadan comes months before it, so the prison is very well prepared. We gather together a list of the people who will be fasting during the month, so we ask every Muslim prisoner if they want their name down. Occasionally we even get the odd non-Muslim prisoner requesting to fast!

As meal times at the prison run like clockwork, there are provisions made for those fasting. For the pre-dawn or suhoor meal, prisoners are given a breakfast pack which contains dates, extra fruit, and milk. The night staff wake up the prisoners for suhoor, but if that isn’t enough to wake them, they are also each loaned individual alarm clocks. What we try to do is pair upthe Muslim prisoners during Ramadan so that they have someone to pray and eat with before dawn. It also ensures that other non-Muslim prisoners are not disturbed at those early hours.

For iftar, there are special flasks distributed to Muslim prisoners which keep the food warm. As the prisoners would have missed lunch, they are given both lunch and dinner meals.

Prisoners even get involved in the cooking. Some volunteer to assist the kitchen staff. Of course, they are given training, and have to pass health and safety procedures. They really see the cooking as an act of reward and thoroughly enjoy preparing food for their fellow fasters.

We also have extra classes during Ramadan. I hold tafsir, hadith and fiqh circles. The fiqh lessons are quite basic – we learn about the issues around fasting. For some, it will be their first Ramadan, as we do have some people convert to Islam in the prison – about one prisoner a month.

For Eid, when we find out the night before, the message is passed along to all the prisoners, and we inform the night staff. The next day, everyone gets to attend Eid prayers, which are held in a beautiful old Victorian church. After that, we enjoy an Eid feast which is spread out on sheets covering the floor. The food is especially prepared by a local halal restaurant. The breakfast staff at the prison are always welcome to attend, and some actually do join in the gathering.

We get very positive feedback from everyone. Everything goes so smoothly because of the care in preparationbeforehand. Ramadan at Wormwood Scrubs really is different, and the accommodating staff make it as special as possible for the Muslim prisoners.

Ramadan at the New Muslim Project

Ruqaiyah Hibell, administrator of the New Muslims Project based in Leicestershire, shares experiences of converts in the holy month.

The New Muslims Project (NMP) based at Markfield in Leicestershire was established in 1993 to provide support for new converts to Islam and those interested in learning about Islam.

Ramadan is a special time for new Muslims who have to learn how to fast which can be a challenging period for them. Many converts may be the only Muslim in their family and do not experience, for example, the joy of collectively breaking the fast with others that so many of those from Muslim families take for granted. Others may have no-one to share Eid with and therefore fail to experience part of the reward for the personal effort involved in fasting.

As Ramadan commences, the NMP sends out a newsletter entitled Meeting Point to around 2500 converts. It offers practical advice on how to perform Ramadan and details events being held throughout the UK. This may include information on groups providing iftar  meals in different areas of Britain. Meeting Point, therefore, can provide a starting point for communication with the communities of new Muslims and those who wish to meet other Muslims.

Ramadan is a busy month at the project. A group of new Muslims are blessed with the opportunity to spend a week of Ramadan in Turkey, led by the NMP, as the guests of the Dialogue Society. The representation of Islam in the UK can often appear dry and prescriptive. In Turkey, one of the aims of the time spent there is to allow the participants to broaden their understanding of the different ways in which Islam can be interpreted and practised.

A particular highlight of the visit is the taraweh prayers. These are offered in the mosques or in the homes of the Turkish hosts who start the evening by providing Iftar. The Turkish hosts are extremely generous, polite and kind towards their guests. The elderly among the party recall a lovely sense of respect, embodied in Islamic adab, shown to them throughout their time in Turkey.

As Ramadan progresses the NMP puts in place the final preparations for the Ramadan Retreat. This weekend programme is staged during the last ten days of Ramadan and offers converts and their spouses the opportunity to spend three days relaxing in the quiet Leicestershire countryside.

During the day there is an interesting selection of presentations focused on the spiritual dimensions of Ramadan, and prayers, plus time set aside for quiet contemplation along with opportunities for socialising. The participants leave often reporting that they feel spiritually reinvigorated and refreshed to move forward with their lives.

One regular participant stated that the Retreat was for her the highlight of Ramadan. Another described it as an amazing experience from which she gained so much.

During the Eid Open day, converts and their families gather at Markfield to enjoy aday of fun filled activity. It is necessary that families are allowed to spend time togeth erin a pleasurable way and the children in particular perceive Eid as an important Islamic celebration, which is valued not only for its spiritual significance. All sortsof activities are offered from archery, clowns, bouncing castles, pony rides, nasheeds, henna and face painting to party games. After the first Eid Day a sister remarked that the Eid Day, was everything she and her family had been looking for, which was an encouraging start.