The local Muslim community in Newark, Delaware, gave people of all faiths a taste of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in a virtual event held last week.
The event, part of TNP’s monthly “Knowing Newark” series, was hosted by Muslims at the Masjid Isa ibe-e_Maryam mosque to showcase the iftar, or breaking of the Ramadan fast.
“It humbles you. It slows down life and allows you to reflect and think about things other than food,” Veronika Matulova, a convert to Islam, said at the zoom event, Newark Post Online reported.
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Naveed Baqir, a founder of the Tarbiyah Islamic School on Old Baltimore Pike, said that fasting shows how Islam values moderation.
“Islam is the religion of the middle. We do not go to extreme, you find a middle ground,” said Baqir.
“For 30 days, we will not eat or drink anything, and we will exercise the best behavior in our daily lives, but we are allowed to drink from sunset to about an hour or so before sunrise.
“Not only are we allowed, we are actually encouraged to get up. You are not getting the full reward of the fast, if you don’t get up and have that few bites before sunrise.”
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Fasting, Prayer & Qur’an
The group was joined by State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, the first Muslim elected to the Delaware General Assembly. She mentioned how Muslims pray five times a day, but during Ramadan, there is an additional evening prayer.
“We still have our responsibilities, but we have these added things that we’re working on,” Wilson-Anton said.
“Reading the Qur’an more, trying to focus on spirituality instead of the worldly things that we are often caught up in.”
Baqir live-streamed a prayer from the Masjid Isa Ibn-e-Maryam mosque, located next to the Tarbiyah School, to end the event.
“This month is a time of prayer and contemplation, which is needed in our neighborhoods and in our lives more than ever,” Newark Mayor Jerry Clifton said in a proclamation marking the first day of Ramadan.