How can you explain Ramadan?
Al Mulla: Ramadan is the month where we are fasting for the sake of Allah. It was not only for Muslims, it was for also Christians, the Jewish, they have the fasting too. We believe it is one God, it is the same God, He revealed the message to Moses, and then the same for Jesus, and the same God revealed the message to Mohammed. Peace be upon them all. It was there before.
Ahmed: The main verse of the Qur’an that talks about fasting says that we have to fast because it was prescribed upon those that were before us. So there were generations before us, like the Jews and the Christians, who were commanded to fast as well. This verse carries on and says, ‘so you may become of god conscious’. So it’s not just that you have to fast, there’s a link in that verse to becoming god conscious. The easiest translation is something like to become of the pious people. So it’s, you know, a month of discipline, of reading the Qur’an, of family and of charity.

When do people fast during Ramadan?
Al Mulla: It’s not a full day. It’s starting from dawn till sunset. So the fasting is in the morning time, so when the sun sets we break the fast. We normally have two meals in Ramadan, the breaking the fast meal, and the suhoor meal, which is before dawn. We wake up early before dawn and eat something to give us strength to continue. So you can say there’s one meal deleted in the day – in a normal day we eat three meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, but in Ramadan we only eat two meals, breakfast and, you could say, dinner.

Why fast?
Ahmed: There’s a saying of Prophet Mohammed which is that sometimes a person may gain only hunger and thirst and may gain nothing else from the fast. The lesson to learn from this saying is that actually more things are important. It’s not just the abstentation of food and drink and marital relations, it’s the things that go with that. The things that go with the development of the character, things that go with trying to grow closer to God, trying to grow closer to other people. It’s about the improvement of your moral behaviour and your moral character.

The dates and times of Ramadan move around – how do you know when everything starts?
Ahmed: It’s done historically by looking at the sun (and moon), however, now because of the advancements of technology, we have astronomical calculations, so we actually can calculate many years in advance. There’s computations in iPhones, so we have an app for that.

Other than fasting, what else goes on during Ramadan?
Al Mulla: We believe that the month of Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. Most Muslims are reading the Qur’an more in Ramadan – they have to finish it cover to cover, one time at least, but some people finish it two or three times. It’s over 600 pages. But reading the Qur’an is not an obligation, the only obligation is fasting.

What about charity – there’s an emphasis on giving this time of year, why is that?
Ahmed: Charity is very important. People give openly during the month. We have charitable obligations as well, for example at the end we pay this money duty to the poor in the community. We have something specific that’s just for Ramadan. We look for the poor in our community, it should be in our own community first, and we make sure they have enough to celebrate this day (Eid Al Fitr). We have to complete this financial obligation before Eid, before the end of the month. We have rulings on what that is, and they’re linked to food. So we’re supposed to give a weight of a different kind of food. So we give you the dates or the barley etc.

Why so much giving during Ramadan?
Al Mulla: Most Muslims, they give at Ramadan. Because we believe in Ramadan everything is doubled. If I’m giving one riyal in Ramadan, it’s like giving a thousand, or more than a thousand.

Are there any other restrictions during Ramadan?
Al Mulla: You’re not supposed to get angry when you’re fasting. In Ramadan it’s like if you are fasting and doing this, it’s like you didn’t get anything. In Ramadan it’s like a month of training, so we train ourselves
to be patient, while I’m driving someone is coming left and right, just be patient, don’t become angry. So if people succeed in the month like this, they can continue it for the rest of the year.

Is Ramadan just for Muslims or can expats get involved too?
Ahmed: Expats can [get involved]. They’re more than welcome, and what you’ll find is that lots of houses are open, and lots of people who have associations with Muslims will be invited to an iftar, be it in
someone’s house or at a restaurant or workplaces close to them.

What’s the best part of Ramadan for you?
Al Mullah: The family. Families here are connected throughout the year, but in Ramadan it’s a lot more. All the family will sit together every day to break fast, it’s not like within the normal months, the normal day, we will sit two times per week, three times per week, but in Ramadan it’s different.
Ahmed: The whole community feels different – every interaction is different. There’s this festivity about it, it’s one of the hardest time of the months, you’re going without food, without drink, you’re tired because of the extra effort we have to put in with some of the religious elements, but there’s a feeling that is indescribable. You’re part of the community, there’s this natural buzz about it, people enjoy themselves, it’s very difficult to describe. But everyone has this feeling that Ramadan is here, and we’re striving for the sake of Allah. It’s something that is very beautiful, but difficult to explain.
More info from Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre (4425 0250). See www.fanar.gov.qa for info