By P. Vijian, NNN-Bernama,
New Delhi : As dusk sets in, the Muezzin’s call for prayer silences the otherwise noisy Old Delhi, with routine life in the older part of the city halting for a moment, as faithful Muslims prepare to begin their ablution.
Since Tuesday, when Muslim clerics announced the first day of Ramadan in South Asia, the daily chores have been interrupted in many parts of India, home to nearly 150 million Muslims.
With full devoutness — adhering to their age-old cultures and traditions despite seeping modernisation — Muslims readied themselves for the holy month of Ramadan or popularly know as “Ramzan” in this part of the region.
The bustling activities are at Jama Masjid, the largest and the oldest mosque in India, built by the Mugal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1656, located at Old Delhi or Chandni Chowk, also the heartland of the Muslim community.
As the sun sinks into the city skyline, the well-lit minarets of the mosque brighten the historical landmark as milling crowds overwhelm the narrow lanes, snaking through the cramped choking bazaars to congregate to break their long-day of fast with full religious fervour, a sure testimony of the importance of Ramadan in secular India.
Religion has a special place in India. It gave the world major religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism but at the same time, also an abode to other important religions like Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrians.
India has the largest Muslim population in the world, after Indonesia, and all religious festivals in the Islamic calendar are something cherished by the community.
“Ramzan (Ramadan) is the biggest festival for Muslims in north India. The Muslim community awaits in enthusiasm for this holy month, a month of sacrifices and charity, especially for the poor,” Sirajuddin Qureshi, president of Delhi-based India Islamic Cultural Centre told Bernama.
And he adds:” While the Muslim community celebrates this holy month, non-Muslims like Hindus and Christians also join the ‘iftar’ (breaking of the fast feast).”
It is a practice in India where businessmen, community leaders and politicians, including the prime minister and president, host the ‘iftar’ during Ramadan.
In other parts, such as the Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala — believed to be the first mosque built by the Arabs in 629 AD — which led to the spread of Islam in the southern part of the country, even non-Muslims worship Ramadan.
“Every year, we offer ‘iftar’ to non-Muslims and it is an age-old tradition in Kerala. During ‘iftar’, we interact with them and tell about the secular aspect of Islam, which is pointed at social justice and that is true Islam.
“This is well received by all communities in Kerala,” said Dr P. A. Mohamad Said, president of Cheraman Juma Masjid.
Communal differences evaporate, at least during the holy month, and this is evident in Madurai, a Hindu majority state in south India, where Hindus offer special porridge to their Muslim brethren as a show of piety.
Ramadan festivity mood has begun in South Asia, with nearly 450 million Muslims, despite the rising inflation that hikes up food prices and a wave of political disturbances in the region.
And, in madrasa and mosques, Tarawih prayers and the recital of the Quran continues throughout the nights — unperturbed by outside interferences.