RAMADAN MUBARAK 1439 (II)
“But his name is Paul! Is he fasting also?” My friend’s ten-year old son was wondering about the Instagram pictures of France and Manchester United footballer Paul Pogba at the Holy Ka’aba in Mecca where he is performing Umra this Ramadan. The little boy, and many adults besides, do not know much about ‘international’ Islam. […]
“But his name is Paul! Is he fasting also?”
My friend’s ten-year old son was wondering about the Instagram pictures of France and Manchester United footballer Paul Pogba at the Holy Ka’aba in Mecca where he is performing Umra this Ramadan. The little boy, and many adults besides, do not know much about ‘international’ Islam. Most Muslim communities without exposure to the outside still think they are the only Muslims – apart from the Arabs, that is. So they expect every next Muslim to be a Muhammad, an Ali, an Aisha. Five years ago (Ramadan 1434) on this very page we narrated the Hajj of Nicolas Anelka and Frank Ribery.
So I told my friend’s son that Paul Pogba is as Muslim as any Abubakar or Umar. In fact, born Muslim. I proceeded then to give the young chap a lecture on international Islam, and how things are not as they appear. The piece today is a continuation of that lecture; that Islam is beyond Kano and Abuja, beyond Nigeria, beyond Africa. And only during Ramadan does this all add up.
“And Mo is fasting today too!”
This boy of ten, thanks to global media, is more aware of Liverpool FC than Kano Pillars, and he already knows there is a certain UEFA Champions League final tonight between a certain Real Madrid and, yes, a Liverpool. So he wonders whether Egypt and Liverpool player Mo Salah will be fasting today, being such a big day in his playing career.
First, Mo means Mohammed, as in Mo Farah, Mo Ibrahim, Mo and more. So, on Mo the footballer who is playing today in Kiev, Ukraine, I got the answer for the boy from the website aboutislam.net. Indeed, Mo is fasting today. And though it may not be a big deal to many of us, to our young, impressionable Muslim children, here and elsewhere, it is big deal. And his fasting, and letting the world know, is a big PR for Ramadan and Islam, at least in the West.
The aboutislam.net story runs: “Liverpool star Mohamed Salah will be abstaining from food and drink for long hours before the epic Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kiev, as he maintains his Ramadan fasting. The 25-year-old is a devout Muslim and has been abstaining from food and drink since Ramadan began on May 16…Salah has been a critical part of Liverpool’s success this season, scoring 44 goals since joining the club from Roma.
“Sunset in Kiev is expected to be around 30 minutes before kick-off [today] Saturday, allowing the Egyptian to refuel ahead of the Champions League final. It’s reported that the fast ‘will not affect’ Salah in the Ukraine capital as he looks to add to his 44 goals in all competitions this season…
“Hailing from a Muslim-majority country, Salah is a devout Muslim who often prostrates to God on the field after scoring goals – a trend in sports that Egyptian players have started since 2006 during the African Cup of Nations in Egypt- hence nicknamed the ‘Prostrating Pharaohs’.
“Earlier this year, the traveling Liverpool fans in the streets of a Portuguese city in midweek struck up a new chant to the tune of the 90s hit ‘Good Enough’ by Dodgy with the line: ’If he scores another few, then I’ll be Muslim too!’
“A recent report by Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) found that the success of Liverpool Muslim star Mohamed Salah has significantly decreased hate and race crimes in the English Premier League…”
My friend’s ten-year old is so happy to hear this.
“In Iceland, 22 Hour Fast”
Then I told him that this Ramadan, Muslims in Iceland will fast for almost 22 hours every day. To explain it simply to him, I said they will be fasting from Subh prayer to almost another Subh prayer. They will only have enough time to combine Iftar and Sahur, and then proceed to yet another Fast. The story is also on aboutislam.net:
“…for Muslims in Iceland, the holy fasting month can be a real challenge. Going by the local time in Reykjavik, the Fast will be almost 22 hours, says Karim Askari, executive director of the Islamic Foundation of Iceland told CNBC on May 23.
“…as Hijri year arrives 11 days earlier than the last one in respect to the Gregorian Calendar, its Hijri lunar months are cycling Ramadan through the seasons. In Muslim countries near or on the equator, such as Indonesia and Nigeria, this movement makes little difference to the daylight hours critical to observe the fast. But for those observing Ramadan in the world’s most northern and southern countries, near the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, the issue is a bit challenging especially during the summers when there is nearly no night and in winters when there is nearly no daylight.
“In Iceland where Muslims are close to the North Pole, the summer’s sun sets at midnight and returns two hours later. This year, Icelandic Muslims fast for the longest time on earth – 21 hours 51 minutes – with the sun setting at 11:57 p.m. on the final night of Ramadan on June 14…
“Two mosques in Iceland’s capital city Reykjavik have agreed to follow local dawn and dusk times to decide when they should break their fast. Other mosques and organizations in other Icelandic cities have chosen to follow the times of other European countries with proper daytimes…
“What may seem like extreme conditions to some is a blessing in disguise for Askari and Muslims. He is adamant that fasting in the tolerable cold is easier than doing so in the humid and hot summers of Asia and Africa…
“According to the 2010 estimation of Pew Research Center, Muslims represented roughly 0.2% of Iceland’s population which has a sum of 350,710 individuals. The Qur’an was first translated into Icelandic in 1993, with a corrected edition in 2003.
The earliest mention of Iceland in Muslim sources originates in the works of the medieval Muslim geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi (1099-1165/66) in his famous Tabula Rogeriana, which mentions Iceland’s location in the North Sea…”
“NECO, Ramadan, Exams”
Many of our children are writing exams during this Ramadan, at university or NECO in secondary schools. A student (apparently from a Western country) asked a scholar on aboutislam.net whether he should suspend fasting until after exams. The alim replied:
“Exams in Ramadan will undoubtedly be difficult, but your burden should be seen as a testament to Allah’s mercy and His will to ensure that you in particular bring out your true potential and capability to succeed.
“It was in the month of Ramadan that Badr and Tabuk took place, when the Prophet asked his men to forsake their lives for Islam. More than 1400 years later, there are still men, women and children throughout the world today who will fast while having no shelter or access to healthcare and are being persecuted for testifying to the Oneness of Allah…Many will not know whether they will live to see their families at the end of the day and yet they do not see Ramadan as an added struggle…
“The month of Ramadan is the most blessed of all months. When the exams are finished and have been sent away for marking, remember that as a Muslim you still have left in your arsenal your most powerful weapon for your success – du’a.”
May Allah make it easy for us all. And may the fasting Mo score, to make that ten-year old doubly happy. A sha ruwa lafiya.