‘Eid Mubarak

‘Eid Mubarak as an unusually bloody Ramadan comes to an end.  I wish my Muslim readers a joyous ‘Eid al-Fitr, and let us remember that the attacks in Istanbul, in Dhaka, in Baghdad, in Jidda, in Qatif, and in Medina were all in Muslim cities, and many were aimed at purely Muslim targets.

Ramadan Karim!

Wishing a blessed Ramadan to all my Muslim readers!

On Eve of Ramadan, ISIS Declares Ramadan :"Month of Conquest"

With Ramadan only a couple of days away, ISIS has called for stepped-up attacks in the West, calling Ramadan 'the month of conquest and jihad," In recent years, violence has marked the holy month. So, it may be time for a rerun of my post from last year on the history of fighting during Ramadan, going back to the Prophet's Battle at Badr. Here's that post:

 God  gave you victory at Badr when you were weak; fear God and perhaps you will be grateful.

       

  When you said to the Believers, "Is it not enough that God reinforced you with three thousand angels sent down?

           —Holy Qur'an, Sura 3 (Al ‘Imran), 123

It is proving to be another violent Ramadan, with violent jihadi attacks in Kuwait and Sousse and Grenoble, and today's assassination in Cairo. Ramadan is meant to be a month of peace and reconciliation, and warring Muslim states have sometimes held cease-fires during Ramadan, but in  fact there is no outright prohibition on fighting during Ramadan, a fact jihadists use to step up violence in what they see as a holy war against those they see as enemies, even their fellow Muslims.

The precedent lay in the very earliest years of Islam, just two years after the Prophet's hijra from Mecca to Medina. In AH 2 (AD 634), the Prophet Muhammad and his small Muslim forces fought against the more powerful Meccans in their first great battle, at Badr. It is one of the few battles mentioned by name in the Qur'an (above), which attributes the victory to Divine intervention. The traditional date of Badr is the 17th of Ramadan, AH 2.

Nor was Badr that unusual. Saladin's defeat of the Crusaders at Hattin in 1187 was also in Ramadan, and in Muslim tradition is said to have taken place the morning after the Laylat al-Qadr. (See the link for explanation.)

Less than a century later in 1260, the Mamluks finally stopped the Mongol invasion of the Middle East at another Battle in Galilee, at ‘Ain Jalut, fought in Ramadan.

On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. The crossing of the Suez Canal may be remembered for taking place on Yom Kippur, but it was also the 10th of Ramadan. A code name for the Canal crossing was, in fact, Operation Badr. One of Egypt's satellite cities near Cairo is named 10th of Ramadan.

And during the Iran-Iraq War Iran even named an offensive which it launched in Ramadan the Ramadan Offensive.

Most Muslims would prefer not to fight in Ramadan, but there are numerous precedents, and in recent years jihadist terror violence has often spiked in Ramadan.

‘Id Mubarak wa Sa‘id!

May peace and happiness embrace my Muslim readers and the Muslim world among the blessings of ‘Id al-Fitr. ‘Id Mubarak wa Sa‘id!

The Battle of Badr and the Precedent for Fighting in Ramadan

 God  gave you victory at Badr when you were weak; fear God and perhaps you will be grateful.

         

  When you said to the Believers, "Is it not enough that God reinforced you with three thousand angels sent down?

           —Holy Qur'an, Sura 3 (Al ‘Imran), 123

It is proving to be another violent Ramadan, with violent jihadi attacks in Kuwait and Souuse and Grenoble, and today's assassination in Cairo. Ramadan is meant to be a month of peace and reconciliation, and warring Muslim states have sometimes held cease-fires during Ramadan, but in  fact there is no outright prohibition on fighting during Ramadan, a fact jihadists use to step up violence in what they see as a holy war against those they see as enemies, even their fellow Muslims.

The precedent lay in the very earliest years of Islam, just two years after the Prophet's hijra from Mecca to Medina. In AH 2 (AD 634), the Prophet Muhammad and his small Muslim forces fought against the more powerful Meccans in their first great battle, at Badr. It is one of the few battles mentioned by name in the Qur'an (above), which attributes the victory to Divine intervention. The traditional date of Badr is the 17th of Ramadan, AH 2.

Nor was Badr that unusual. Saladin's defeat of the Crusaders at Hattin in 1187 was also in Ramadan, and in Muslim tradition is said to have taken place the morning after the Laylat al-Qadr. (See the link for explanation.)

Less than a century later in 1260, the Mamluks finally stopped the Mongol invasion of the Middle East at another Battle in Galilee, at ‘Ain Jalut, fought in Ramadan.

On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. The crossing of the Suez Canal may be remembered for taking place on Yom Kippur, but it was also the 10th of Ramadan. A code name for the Canal crossing was, in fact, Operation Badr. One of Egypt's satellite cities near Cairo is named 10th of Ramadan.

And during the Iran-Iraq War Iran even named an offensive which it launched in Ramadan the Ramadan Offensive.

Most Muslims would prefer not to fight in Ramadan, but there are numerous precedents, and in recent years jihadist terror violence has often spiked in Ramadan.

This Store's Marketing Department Could Use Some Diversity Training

I'm not sure where this photo was taken, but I don't think they have the right target demographic.

Ramadan Karim

Ramadan will begin at sundown tonight and the fast will begin at dawn tomorrow in the US and most Middle Eastern countries that follow the Saudi determination. Ramadan Mubarak wa Ramadan Karim to my Muslim readers.

As Ramadan Approaches, UK Muslims Discuss Fasting Hours

Ramadan starts this week, very close to the longest day of the year, and a debate that arises from time to time has cropped up again, as one British Muslim scholar suggests following Mecca times for Ramadan in northern Europe, where the days can be extremely long in summer. Something similar is practiced by Muslims north of the Arctic circle, where the sun never sets in high summer, and was also the case for the Saudi astronaut aboard the space shuttle some years back, when sunsets were about 90 minutes apart in orbit.

‘Id al- Fitr Greetings

Though the usual astronomical issues mean the end of Ramadan will vary from country to country, most Muslims in the United States and the Middle East consider Monday to be the first day of Shawwal, which means the Ramadan fast ends at sundown today.‘Id al-Fitr greetings to my Muslim readers.

Lameen Souag Analyzes a Ramadan Greeting

Algerian linguist Lameen Souag has a dialect post for Ramadan: "Grammatically analysing "Sahha Ramdankoum!," a standard Algerian Ramadan greeting.

Sahha is the Arabic word for health, and the meaning of the greeting isn't that obscure, but he's a linguist, remember, and he's speculating on whether it's functioning as a noun, a verb, or something else here. For those of you who always wanted to diagram sentences in Arabic dialects, this is he post you've been waiting for. It was also his way of passing Ramadan greetings to his readers, of course.

A Glimmer of Good News: Cairo Synagogue Hosts Ramadan Iftar

So much is depressing right now, here's something that isn't: Cairo's last synagogue has hosted  a Ramadan Iftar meal sponsored by the Egyptian Alliance for Minorities. This photo alone speaks volumes:

Gestures will not end war and intolerance, but they do show hope. It takes a long time for water to erode a Grand Canyon, but here is a promising drop.

Video below: among the speakers are Magda Haroun, head of Cairo's tiny Jewish community, a member of the Amazigh Movement in Egypt, and an Azhari sheikh from a group called Azharis for a Civil Society.  (The English report quotes Haroun as saying "We are all Egyptians," which she does, but note that in her Arabic clip she also mentions Shi‘ites and Baha'is along with other minorities.

The Fanus Lanterns of Ramadan: Folklore and Tradition

Cairo Fawanis Sellers, Early 20th Century

The rapid descent of the region into the lower circles of hell makes it easy to neglect the  social and cultural and historical mission we claim for this blog. I'm particularly remiss this year in Ramadan posts, a third of the way into the holy month.

The Fanus, (also Fanous or Fanoos, Arabic plural fawanis:   
فوانيس, فانوس رمضان ), while primarily Egyptian in its origins, has spread beyond the Valley of the Nile: it is a Ramadan lantern, usually lit by a candle, modeled loosely on a mosque lamp and used to light streets, mosques, balconies and homes during Ramadan.

The word itself is clearly from Greek phanos (φανός, a torch or lantern), perhaps directly or via Coptic which has many loan words from Greek.

Modern Fawanis

Inexpensive and cheaply-made fawanis are often made from scrap metal, and as a 2011 AP story noted, the traditional trade is dying in Egypt, replaced by an influx of Chinese copies:

As a symbol, the fanoos is somewhat similar to a Christmas tree or a menorah. It is hung on balconies during Ramadan and takes the center of dinner tables when families gather to break-fast together.

The history of the fanoos in Egypt stretches back to the Fatimid Empire, which ruled large swaths of the Muslim world from Cairo starting in the 10th century. But, after nearly a century, the future of the Egyptian fanoos is under threat.

Less than a dozen fanoos makers remain in Cairo, as cheap Chinese imports and decades of government corruption have made plying their trade nearly impossible.

“Our great-grandfathers did this work, but our kids won’t,” said Rida Ashour, who stopped making the fanoos about 10 years ago.

Also see this 2009 Al-Ahram Weekly  story, "Lights of Faith."

Mention of the fanus also gives me an excellent reason to refer to my own post from Ramadan 2012: "'Wahawi ya Wahawi Eyaha': Is it an Ancient Egyptian Chant?" This is a traditional chant sung while lighting the fanus lamps at sundown during Ramadan. As my post notes, traditions says this is an Ancient Egyptian chant, and it has no clear meaning in Arabic. In Ancient Egyptian snd Coptic it may mean something like "Welcome, Moon." "Eyaha" is suggestive: iah is "moon" in Coptic, which could be relevant to Ramadan, obviously, though older traditions associate it with the Pharaoh Ahmose ("born of the Moon").(And note the knowledgeable comment on the original post.)

It's interesting that the earlier quote on Fawanis attributes the modern tradition to the early Fatimids, though of course Ancient Egyptians had lanterns,while my link on Wahawi ya Wahawi also attributes the chant to the Fatimid era, despite suggesting Ancient Egyptian origin. Regular readers may recall that many folk etymologies of the ubiquitous Egyptian term أحا (aḥa, a7a), widely considered profane though no one knows why, also attribute its etymology (for various incompatible reasons) to the Fatimids. What is it about the Fatimids that attracts so much folkloric accreditation?

Yes, of course, they founded Cairo (the walled city with its current name), but Fustat and other town were already there. Why is Egypt's only Shi‘ite dynasty credited with so much folkloric tradition?

At times I wish The Middle East Journal wasn't devoted just to the post 1945 Middle East, but it is. Why are the Fatimids so popular as a folk origin for customs ranging from religious rites to profanity  (if أحا  is even profane)?  Comments and suggestions are welcome.

But if you haven't read my 2013 post you may have no idea what Wahawi ya Wahawi Eyaha sounds like. Here it is, from a modern song, embedded in Arabic: Wahawi is accented on the first syllable Unlikely in Arabic) .Eyaha tends to sound like Eyoha.:

 

Two Interesting Posts at Arabizi

 It's been a while since I'd checked in at the Arabizi blog, and I want to link to two recent posts:

• ""Scorching hot like the heat of the sun on stone!” The etymological origins of the word ‘Ramadan’" Obviously, I'm a few days late on this one, but it's cool (or, given the etymology provided, perhaps warm).

• "UAE Steps Up Bid to Preserve Arabic: A Way Forward?". The latest contribution to the "is Arabic dying?" debate.

‘Id al-Fitr Greetings

‘Id al-Fitr greetings to my Muslim readers around the world as the sun sets on Ramadan.

Ramadan: The Month and the Book

This post is old news to all my Muslim readers, but it occurs to me that it may not be so well known among non-Muslims, and may be worth discussing briefly: the important links between the month of Ramadan and the Qur'an, which plays a central role in the ritual of the month of fasting.

Muslims believe that the first revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad took place during the month of Ramadan,  on a night the Book itself calls the Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power of Night of Destiny. The Qur'an says this of it:

We have revealed this [Qur'an] on the Night of Power.
And what will explain to you what is the Night of Power?
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
Therein come down the Angels and the spirit
By God's permission, on every errand:
Peace! This until the rise of morn!

— Qur'an, Sura 97 (Al-Qadr)
A. Yusuf Ali translation

As I noted in an earlier Ramadan post on Laylat al-Qadr, it is believed to fall in the last ten days of the month, on an odd-numbered night, but the exact date is unknown (though some Shi‘ites observe it on the 23rd), so most Muslims mark the last ten days as a group.

But the Qur'an is part of the entire month's observance. I live just down the road from one of the biggest mosques in Northern Virginia, and each night since Ramadan began, the local police have been out directing traffic due to the numbers of people going to the mosque at night. These Ramadan prayers, known as Tarawih, are not obligatory, but are considered strongly recommended as the Prophet himself performed them. In conjunction with the prayers, it is customary to recite one juz', or thirtieth part, of the Qur'an. Most copies of the Qur'an show the text divided into 30 parts, so that the entire book is read by the end of Ramadan. Although the Qur'an is, of course, read throughout the year, its links with Ramadan are particularly deep,

Some Ramadan Nostalgia: Coffee for King Farouq's Iftar

Some Ramadan nostalgia: the servants prepare the coffee for King Farouq's guests for Iftar at the palace in the 1940s, from this site.

Tisha B'Av and Ramadan

I'm a few hours late with this since the Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av, marking the fall of both the first and second temples, ended at sundown. Belated wishes to Jewish readers; for the history of the day see my 2009 Tisha B'Av post. This encouraging thought has been making the rounds on social media: (the Muslim is dressed in ihram for the hajj, rather than Ramadan, but the thought's a noble one):

A Couple of Ramadan Footnotes

There is, of course, much more to Ramadan than just soap operas. Here are a couple of aspects:

• Abu Dhabi's The National looks at the tradition of the midfa‘ al-Iftar, the cannon fired at sundown to announce the breaking of the fast. Despite cell phones, public address systems (and the ambient noise of traffic), and other technology, many places, apparently including Abu Dhabi, still cling to the traditional cannon.

• Al Arabiya reports on the tendency to overindulge when it comes time to break the fast: "Dozens hospitalized in Qatar after overeating during Ramadan." (And yes, I recognize it's Al Arabiya writing about Qatar, home of rival Al Jazeera, and there may be a subtext there.)

I've Been Neglecting the Important Stuff: This Year's Ramadan Soaps

Egyptian politics has been so front and center lately that I realize I've neglected to say anything about one of the most important issues in the Arab world during Ramadan: the month-long soap opera-style TV series that dominate Arab TV during the month of fasting. Egypt and Syria crank out dozens that are viewed throughout the Arab world (the Levant, the Gulf, etc.), and despite a coup in the first and a civil war in the second, they have not neglected their publics. (For background, see my post around this time last year.) Besides soap operas, there is a category of shows known as fawazir Ramadan, musical extravaganzas so called because they often involve riddles or fawazir.

Daily News Egypt offers a review of the Egyptian selection this year (though many are multinational and also seen elsewhere) in "Ramadan's Series, Only for the Brave": there's one about a belly dancer (as the reviewer notes, "Nothing says spirituality more than the inside of nightclubs"), one about young girls marrying older men, and the like. Ahram Online notes the Egyptian offerings have many with political themes.

Elsewhere, the other country known for producing and exporting Arabic Ramadan soap series, Syria, managed to produce the usual series despite the fact that a full scale civil war is under way. Also see here for another report on Syria. And another Syrian soap actually filmed in the UAE, recreating Damascus in Abu Dhabi for this year.

Also, Al-Bawaba has a slideshow about series that nearly were axed due to incompatibility with the holy month.

In recent years, Turkish soap operas have also been extremely popular in the Arab world, though some Arab actresses are complaining they're providing unfair competition.

Ramadan Karim

Ramadan begins at sundown. Ramadan Mubarak to all my Muslim readers, and may it be a month of mercy and reconciliation in so many deeply divided countries in our region.