The Long Fast
Most people may have heard that the Mahometans have to fast some time every day for a whole month, until the sun has sunk below the horizon, but the Mahometan…
From: 1844 C.E. To: 1888 C.E.
Location: Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Memoirs of an Arabian Princess: An Autobiography by Emily Ruete, 1888.
Most people may have heard that the Mahometans have to fast some time every day for a whole month, until the sun has sunk below the horizon, but the Mahometan fasting is not like that of the Roman Catholics, which is very easy in comparison. Every Moslim fasts himself and makes his children do so after their twelfth year. My mother being very devout, I had to keep the month of the Rumdan (thus pronounced by us, and not as it is here generally, Ramadan) from the time when I was nine years old.
It is indeed no easy matter for a child of that age to eat and drink nothing whatever for fourteen hours and a half every day. Thirst being much more trying in the tropics than hunger, and having very little conception of religious duties at that age, I admit I more than once quenched my thirst secretly with water. When questioned by my mother, I ruefully confessed my sin, and was only forgiven after promising not to trespass again. The rules are so strict, that it is even considered wrong to swallow the saliva, and for the first few days I was in such a drooping state, that I was sent away to sleep, to get over the time.
The beginning of the fast is signalled at four o'clock in the morning by firing from the ship; from that very moment you cease eating, you put down the cup untouched that you were about to raise to your lips. After these shots no grown-up person in sound health touches either meat or drink; people sleep, however, a good deal during the day, to enable them to enjoy the pleasures of the table at night.
The sun sets at six o'clock; at half-past six, after prayers, the fast is broken. Beautiful fruit and cool water are taken as first refreshment, and then the whole family meets, and with every conceivable variety of delicacies makes up for lost time.
During the month of Rumdan, the Arab completely puts aside his ordinary simple habits, and devotes himself completely to sumptuous feasting.
On the whole, it is a very social time—hymns are sung throughout the evenings and nights, stories are told, while eating and drinking go on uninterruptedly. At midnight a gun gives the signal for those who have gone to sleep, to get up for the night meal (Suhur), which is taken between three and four in the morning, and even the little children who have been put to bed at ten o'clock, are roused to take part in it. The Suhur is generally served to all persons separately in their own rooms.
In this manner the whole month is passed. Fainting fits occur frequently at its commencement, and people grow visibly thin and slender—but gradually they get more accustomed to this mode of life, and they sleep less in the daytime than they did at first.
The fast is kept very strictly, and the head of the house keeps his slaves to it, especially those engaged in the household and the personal attendants. An exception is only made with slaves working on the plantations, who, having for the most part no religion at all, are at liberty to fast or not.
Children and all invalids are dispensed, of course, but the latter have to make up, after recovery, for the days missed, by an equal number of unbroken fastings in the course of the year. The same rule is valid for people travelling at this time.
The fasting season is not meant to be a mere probation to the outer man—it is intended to be a time of serious reflection to the devout Mahometan. He endeavours to discover his own deficiencies, and prays for forgiveness of his sins, in the same way as a good Christian spends Lent and the Holy Week. Even dangerous beasts are spared during this holy time, and every one endeavours to do as much good as he can. Thus the Riundan is intended to be, as far as possible, a time of “Peace on earth, and goodwill towards men." Those who may at all other times lead a heedless life, are in this month's rigid service of their Lord brought nearer and raised to Him.
The traditional hospitality of the Arab never shows itself more than in this period, when it is considered a religious duty. All those who have a family or a household of their own, entertain as many strangers as they can find, often without inquiring their names. They request the warden of the mosque they habitually attend to send them a certain number of poor to their evening meals. The persons invited are not necessarily poor people, they are often rich men of high rank, who, being strangers in the place, have no home of their own during this holy season, and the true and hospitable Arab is only too happy to supply this want. No one considers it derogatory to be entertained by a man poorer than himself, nor would he in that case think of offering to pay for the hospitality received. Selfishness cannot become a national sin where such principles prevail. Happy those nations where charity is practised as a sacred duty.
The Rumdan is in some respects like Christmastime. A great many presents are distributed on the first day of the following month, Schewal, which is one of the great feast days of the Mahometans. These presents consist but rarely of ladies' fancy work; in general they are articles purchased ready made. The best business is done by goldsmiths and jewellers—nearly all of these are Hindoos and Banyans, and they are without exception the most mendacious crew. They are, however, very clever workmen, and have succeeded in driving all the Arab goldsmiths out of the field. They have plenty to do before the feast; they get more orders than they can execute, but undertake them nevertheless. To insure our orders being executed in time, we had to send a couple of armed slaves to the workshop to watch our work being done, and to prevent other orders being finished first.
These may seem rather strong measures, but we had no choice else. One of my sisters first suggested this expedient.
The presents most preferred consisted of arms. To European ladies it may sound odd that a woman makes a present of weapons to her husband, her brother, her son, or her bridegroom. But it must be remembered that these are not ordinary arms, but perfect gems of workmanship, and Arabs do not mind paying fabulous sums for them—when they are intended as presents.
Many other things are bestowed besides jewels and arms, such as beautiful horses, white riding donkeys, and—it will shock the civilized European to hear it—even slaves!
The last week of the Rumdan is spent with great preparations in every household for this feast, and as the first day of Schewal draws nearer, there is much bustling in getting the presents and everything else ready in time. The night of the twenty-seventh day is considered the most holy one, it being the "night of value," in which Mhamed received the Kurȃn from heaven. The prayers on this particular night are uttered with the full conviction of their being granted.
On the last day of the month, the twenty-ninth or thirtieth (our months have only twenty-nine or thirty days, and our year three hundred and fifty-five days), all try to be the first to discover the new moon. In our country only scholars are initiated into the use of the almanacs—but on this occasion its prognostications alone would not avail, as the new moon must be clearly seen before the fast can be said to be at an end—a discovery which is rarely retarded by clouds in our deep blue southern vault.
Opera and field-glasses are passed from hand to hand—friends and acquaintances from a long distance send to get the loan of one for a short time. Keen- eyed men are sent up to the roof of the fort (a remnant of the Portuguese dominion) and to the mastheads of our ships to signal the first approach of the silvery crook.
The greatest excitement always prevailed in our palace. Forgetting that a shot fired off on board the ships right in front of us could hardly have passed unnoticed some one cries out every now and then, “There's the signal," "Hark!" all of which of course are false alarms, till at last a crash shakes our building from roof to basement, and immediately on that follow cries of joy from every soul in the town, with the words, "Id mbarak" (a happy feast to you). People on distant plantations despatch mounted messengers into the town to learn and bring back the longed-for news, or they send slaves up into high trees to watch the horizon; but should any false alarm cause the fast to be broken before its lawful termination, then the shortcoming must be made up, which is a harder trial while it lasts than the whole month put together.
Ruete, Emily. Memoirs of an Arabian Princess: An Autobiography. D. Appleton & Company, 1888.
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