‘Fasting with intent’
Local Muslims invite community members to Burnsville Mosque for food, fellowship during Ramadan
by Aaron Vehling
Thisweek Newspapers
It looked like a dinner at any church. Kids ran around, shouting excitedly as they played with friends. Their parents stood close by talking with one another, stealing an occasional glance to ensure their children weren’t getting too wild.
Area Muslims gathered for an iftar at the Burnsville Mosque on Highway 13. An iftar is a meal that breaks the day-long fast each evening during the holy month of Ramadan. Photo by Aaron Vehling.
Rows of tables were set and the smell of an impending meal permeated the confines of the religious building.
But the parents (and some of the older kids) had not eaten since dawn; the women wore head scarves of varying colors and design.
Muslims from around the area gather at the Burnsville Mosque for an iftar, a meal and prayer service designed to break the fast Muslims embark on each day during the holy month of Ramadan.
Beginning this year on Aug. 12 and ending around Sept. 9, Ramadan serves as Islam’s holiest month.
“It is a time to reflect and ponder,” said Taslima Khaled of Prior Lake, discussing the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. “It is a time to realize what the meaning of life is in terms of where you’re headed and what you’re doing.”
Healthy adherents refrain from eating or drinking while the sun is up and gather for an iftar every evening as a balance.
Khaled was quick to assert this is not about “starving.”
“It is fasting with intent,” she said. “The key element is to cleanse and purify your mind, soul and body.”
Celebrating Ramadan is one of the five pillars, or required elements, of Islam, said Bahgat Elsagher of Burnsville, organizer of that city’s International Festival. The others are praying five times a day; a belief in one God and Mohammed as his prophet; the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca, if you can afford it); and giving a percentage of your income to the poor.
“You will be asked in the afterlife if you sustained those pillars,” Elsagher said. “We try to teach our kids to do the same thing.”
Part of what makes Ramadan so important to Muslims is not only the aforementioned personal mind-body humility; it is, like Easter for Christians, a time when Islam’s wheels were put into motion.
According to the teachings of Islam, it was during Ramadan that the angel Gabriel (acting as communications liaison for God) revealed the first verses of the Quran to the Prophet Mohammed. And as with Easter, it is also a time for some old-fashioned reconciliation for your sins.
“You purify yourself mentally so that all kinds of jealousy and greediness go away,” said Jamal Syed of Apple Valley, who attended an iftar Tuesday night with his wife and children.
Another important aspect of Ramadan for the Burnsville Mosque attendees, at least, is the opportunity to empathize with the less fortunate.
“It is about realizing how hunger feels and about how you are feeling without food,” Syed said.
Muslims will often feed the poor during Ramadan as part of that process.
Another practice during Ramadan, Elsagher said, is the giving of gifts. He and his wife will give presents to their kids once Ramadan concludes. His wife is a Minnesota-born Catholic and so when Ramadan, whose date changes based on the lunar calendar, falls around Christmastime, his kids are pleased.
Iftar: How it works
As the sun sets, Muslims – and those non-Muslims looking to become more acquainted with the culture – kick off the iftar by consuming some dates and water.
Then the loud, melodic call to prayer begins bellowing out of the speakers. The men move to the front of the prayer space and the women to the back, all kneeling, bowing and praying to the east toward Mecca.
The separation of men and women is not meant as an act of subjugation. It is actually designed to instill modesty, said Afaf Elsagher, Bahgat’s sister. She said that while women cover their head and legs as a requirement, “facial covering is not typical Islam. That is only specific cultures.”
The initial prayer is the opening of the Quran. The air grows more serious as the mosque is filled with the sentiment of humility before God.
Once the prayer session concludes, everyone files into line to be served buffet-style a number of delectable Middle Eastern foods, including fattoush (a salad), hummus, chicken, and beef kofta, a type of meatloaf. Though they have not eaten all day, the people in line do not rush their way to the serving tables. Everything is orderly and everyone is cordial.
Families, friends and neighbors chat while they enjoy their first solid meal all day. This can go on for an hour at least.
What follows is a closing call to prayer.
Microcosm
For proof that Islam, with more than a billion worldwide adherents, is a diverse religion, one need not go much further than the Burnsville Mosque.
As people sat down at tables following the prayer, Muslims from the United States, Bangladesh, Bosnia (Eastern Europe), Somalia, Egypt and elsewhere found some equalization over a solid meal.
Examples of this abounded. A woman named Yasmin attended the iftar with her husband and children. Yasmin is a Savage resident – her children attended District 191 schools. She moved here from Kenya 15 years ago and works at a bank in Burnsville.
Yasmin was happy the Burnsville Mosque opened in 2008.
“We used to drive to Bloomington or Columbia Heights,” she said.
Ali, originally from Libya but who has lived here for decades, attended the iftar with the Elsaghers.
Khaled herself moved to Minnesota 30 years ago from Bangladesh.
“Faith is a commonality that brings together diverse people,” Khaled said.
Like Christianity, there is no single Islam. Two main sects of Islam – the shia and the sunni – dominate different regions of the earth, but at the Burnsville Mosque, Bahgat Elsager said, everyone comes together.
The mosque receives food donations from different sponsors each night for the iftars. Some people will donate money toward the cost of the meals as well.
During the week the numbers vary, but weekend nights see as many as 150 people, according to several mosque members.
Amid the holiest of months for Muslims, the members of the Burnsville Mosque are hoping members of the community will join them for some fellowship and good (free) food. You do not have to be a Muslim.
“Step into the mosque and get to know your neighbors,” said Khaled. “Come meet the parents of the kids your son or daughter are friends with in school.”
E-mail Aaron Vehling at aaron.vehling@ecm-inc.com.
