Muslims long for the month of Ramadan to turn to their spirituality and to renew their connection with God. This month has been given much importance and significance in Islam.
The revelation of the Holy Qur’an was in this month. The night of Power is also in Ramadan and observing this night in prayer is pronounced to be equivalent to voluntary worship for a thousand months. And of course, fasting during the day without any food or drink is the primary act of worship in Ramadan.
While Ramadan is the appropriate time to focus on one’s spirituality, it also offers another timely opportunity to focus on and heal social wounds as the hearts soften with the arrival of this lofty guest.
We have a tremendous load of work to do on social cohesion in South Africa and should utilise every opportunity to heal one heart at a time. Ramadan offers one such opportunity.
The fast-breaking dinner (iftar) that Muslims have at the sunset after fasting the whole day, offers a special moment for contemplation and introspection. On the one hand we can contemplate on all the bounties that we are blessed with and on the other hand we can share our food with others to form and grow bonds of friendship.
Turquoise Harmony Institute (THI), an NGO which promotes dialogue across differences, has been hosting iftar dinners since its establishment in 2006. These are dinner events in Ramadan to which people of all backgrounds are invited where strangers became friends by discovering that which unites them.
THI has been established by a group of volunteers who are inspired by the philosophy of Hizmet (Selfless Service) advocated by Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Muslim scholar. Gulen’s philosophy finds expression in projects and organisations in many parts of the world.
He calls for enriching the iftars with abundance of guests and not necessarily by variety of dishes.
Gulen invites people who dedicate themselves to such a selfless service to “open your heart as wide as you can that your heart becomes wide like an ocean”.
“Become inspired with faith and love for others. Let there be no soul that you do not extend a hand or you are not concerned about.”
Heeding to this call, THI volunteers engage in initiatives and projects that touch the lives of those around them. Iftars during Ramadan in different parts of South Africa are such initiatives. People of different faiths and persuasions gather around a meal and engage in warm conversation.
Sometimes a new friendship blossoms and other times existing friends reunite to refresh their bonds and renew their commitment to shared values and ideals.
THI volunteers have taken iftar meals project a step further by inviting guests to their homes for iftar. Many families who met through these occasions became friends and continue their friendship. Such friendships also emerge into common positive action which is commonly referred to as dialogue of action.
Sharing an iftar meal breaks down barriers.The participants educate each other on their respective faiths and traditions and explore what unites them as people living on the same land. Most importantly they discover each other’s humanity which, Gulen calls the most comprehensive common ground for us all.
Father George Francis Daniel, Archbishop Emeritus of Pretoria, shared at a THI iftar dinner that they found Muslim dialogue partners when they were invited to an iftar by THI at a time they were contemplating how to reach out to Muslims.
A simple act of inviting one to a dinner may open doors to long-lasting friendships and collaboration.
As people of all faith traditions would agree, at the core of their teachings is to promote values such as peace, love and compassion. Yet these traditions get to be judged according to adverse acts of their adherents. One’s best gets to be compared with the other’s worst.
Proactive positive action by followers of faiths can dispel such misjudgements. Inviting “the other” to an iftar can be such an act and go a long way in demonstrating the compassion and generosity that faith inspires.
Positive action by people of faith is an efficient way of countering the misinformation and disinformation about their traditions which are barriers for peaceful coexistence. Breaking bred together can dismantle barriers and build bridges instead.
At the heart of these efforts lie the idea of promoting a culture of dialogue which is a two-way process and different to debate. In dialogue, everyone learns and gets closer to each other. Through dialogue we can tackle prejudices one at a time.
Ramadan offers an occasion to come together as people of a diverse nation and explore each other’s humanity through dialogue. Inviting others to an iftar is not just an external act of generosity to share food but it is also an invitation into a spiritual space.
Spirituality offers another dimension to interact with others. Ramadan, being a primarily spiritual time invites us to share our physical and spiritual blessings. While sharing our food we also open our hearts to each other.
Dr Aydin Inal is a Western Cape Regional Director of Turquoise Harmony Institute.
The Star