Fasting and prayer mark Ramadan

Each night for the past two weeks Qahir Abdur-Rahman, his wife, Mahasin Shamsiddeen, and their children have patiently waited for the sun to set on their Prince George County home so they could eat for the first time since dawn.

Out come the fruits, crackers, soda -- and sometimes even a couple of slices of pizza if their 11-year-old daughter, Tasneem, has her way.

The family, like more than a billion others around the world and about 15,000 in central Virginia, is observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a 1,400-year-old tradition.

The period of fasting and prayer, based on the Islamic lunar calendar, began Aug. 22 this year and runs through Sept. 19. It celebrates the month Muslims believe God began revealing the Quran to Muhammad.

"For us, it's so much of a family time, Shamsiddeen said. "It's something we look forward to doing even though it's a lot of sacrificing and you can get tired."

During the month, families abstain from food, drink and sex during the days, which are longer when the holiday falls in the summer. "It's pretty intense," said Imam Ammar Amonette of the Islamic Center of Virginia.

Tasneem, a student at J.E.J. Moore Middle School, took a stab at fasting a few years ago but was a bit confused as to what it entailed.

"When she was about 6 years old, she came downstairs and told us she was going to fast, too," recalled Shamsiddeen. "She started putting her tennis shoes on and we were like, 'What are you doing?' She said, 'I'm going to fast!' Somehow or other she'd gotten it in her mind that fasting meant to run around the house."

Each night, Muslims break the fast and take part in special prayers, and read or chant parts of the Quran.

Because of the diversity of the Muslim community, foods vary. But many families start with traditional fare of dates, beverages and soups. Then there are appetizers, and sweets later in the night as the faithful get their fill before dawn.

The family of Abdur-Rahman and Shamsiddeen focuses on reading and memorizing chapters of the Quran, and taking lesson from it in self-discipline, manners and generosity. Tasneem once concluded she shouldn't get in trouble during the month because it's a time of peace, Shamsiddeen recalled with a laugh.

"We really try to stay up on our prayers and we go to the mosque each night for the extra prayers," she said.

Imad Damaj, president of The Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs and a Chesterfield County resident, said the holiday has physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions.

"Through the fasting, it promotes patience, self-control, self-reflexivity and discipline," he said. "Overall, Ramadan calls for inner reflection and rethinking the meaning of life and one's place in it."

Tasneem says her classmates ask questions about Ramadan when they see her passing on lunch.

"I say it's a time for us to feel what other people feel like when they don't have food or when they're starving," she said. "That way when we do see someone like that, we can help them."

Giving is another pillar of the tradition.

Through zakat, an obligatory form of charity, Muslims are expected to donate 2.5 percent of their income or savings annually.

"People, because they're feeling what the hungry and needy go through, have to be grateful for what they have, and that we have plenty," Amonette said. "And so we have to give in charity."

Before the month is out, Muslims are also expected to give about $8 a person to the poor so they can celebrate Eid al-Fitr, or the feast of breaking the fast, which caps off the month.

Children get candy and new clothes, and there's a big prayer that takes place, said Amonette, who arranged the Muslim center's celebration at the Arthur Ashe Center this year.

Until then, the center holds prayer services each night during the month. Amonette said between 200 to 300 people typically attend, with more on the weekends.

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .