In The Middle

of Ramadan
by: Sharif
Elmusa
Prepared:
Karol V. Alcazar
Languages and Literature Department
Ramadan
It is celebrated as the month
It is a holy month of fasting,
during which Muhammad Each day during Ramadan,
introspection and prayer for
received the initial Muslims do not eat or drink
Muslims, the followers of
revelations of the Quran, the from sunrise to sunset.
Islam.
holy book for Muslims.

The end of Ramadan is

They are also supposed to celebrated with a three-day
avoid impure thoughts and festival known as Eid al-Fitr,
bad behavior. one of Islam’s major
holidays.
Islam at a Glance

Muslims believe that around 610

Islam is the world’s second
Countries with the largest Muslim A.D. a man named Muhammad
largest religion after Christianity
populations include Indonesia,  (c.570-632) from the Arabian
and has more than 1 billion
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, city of Mecca started receiving
followers. It originated in Arabia
Egypt, Turkey and Iran. revelations from God, or Allah,
and has spread all over the world.
via the angel Gabriel. 

The revelations were collected

Muslims believe there is one all-
into a 114-chapter holy book In Arabic, Islam means
knowing God, and people can
known as the Quran (or Koran), “submission” or “surrender” (to
achieve salvation by following his
which Muslims believe contains God).
commandments.
the exact words of God.
5 Pillars of Islam

1.Shahada - Faith

2. Salat - Pray five times a day

3. Zakat - give support to the needy

4. Sawm – Fasting during Ramadan

5. Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca

 Hegemony: leadership and dominance,
especially by one country.

Muezzin: a man who calls Muslims to

prayer from the minaret of mosque.
Definition of
Terms
Stratagem: a plan to outwit an enemy.

Oasis: a fertile spot in a desert.

In the Middle of Ramadan
In this city where men and women
exchange passions in secret;
in the middle of the month of Ramadan,
the month of fasting and feasting,
of the body's hegemony,
I went to meet my lover
at the conclusive hour,
when the day completes its last fable
and solar force gives way
to lunar stratagem
and the breeze feels
In the Middle of Ramadan
like it has touched the river
and the plea of the muezzin
and the blast of the cannon
grant us a break
from pleasing the Lord
and proclaim this world as ours;
when the gatekeeper of her building
fastens his eyes
on the bread spread with blessings
In the Middle of Ramadan
fastens them on the dates,
dark and potent, like coffee,
reassuring as the oasis--then
I slipped through the gate
straight to her doorbell,
my hunger in full flower
and she opened the door,
tender from the wait.
Sharif Elmusa
 Scholar

Poet

Translator
Sharif Elmusa
Professor: Politics on Environment

Environmentalist
 Born in 1947 in the village of Al-Abbasiya -
10 miles from the port city of Jaffa,
Palestinian-American

Sharif S.
Elmusa He grew up in a refugee camp on the outskirts
of the ancient town of Jericho but has vivid
recollections of hearing about his home village
as a child. "Our parents didn't read us 1,001
Nights," he recalls. "For us, Palestine was the
legend."
 Elmusa left Jericho first to study civil
engineering in Egypt, traveled to the
United States, where he attended the
MIT, receiving a doctorate in regional
development
Sharif S.
Elmusa
In addition to continuing his work as a
poet in the city, he served as a free-lance
author, Senior Fulbright Fellow, and
senior research fellow at the Institute for
Palestine Studies.
 "I like to think of my writing more as
a form of painting with words,"

"Writing poetry is not just an art, it's a

Sharif S. continuous exercise of an existential
Elmusa need."

Elmusa's poems are rich in imagery,

and draw on elements of
impressionism and surrealism
 Other Works:

Flawed Landscape: Poems 1987-2008

Sharif S.
Elmusa Grape Leaves: A Century of Arab-American Poetry

Culture and the Natural Environment: Ancient and Modern

Middle Eastern Texts and The Burden of Resources: Oil and
Water in the Gulf and the Nile Basin
Points for Discussion

Decode Decode symbols and figurative language used in the text.

Explicate Explicate lines/stanzas that show imagery

Defy cultural and religious practices, beliefs and conventions in the period of Ramadan
Defy for Muslims vis-à-vis Lenten Season for Christians/Catholics
 Lent is the period of forty days which comes before Easter
in the Christian calendar, traditionally a time of fasting and
reflection. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and begins
with Ash Wednesday.

By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus

Lent Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.
Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.

Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus'

crucifixion by Rome.
Lent in the 21st Century

The Christian churches that observe Lent in the 21st century (and not all do
significantly) use it as a time for prayer and penance.

Only a small number of people today fast for the whole of Lent, although some
maintain the practice on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. 

It is more common these days for believers to surrender a particular vice such as
favourite foods or smoking. Whatever the sacrifice it is a reflection of Jesus'
deprivation in the wilderness and a test of self-discipline.
 • https://imeu.org/article/sharif-s.-elmusa-poet-and-environme
ntal-scholar?fbclid=IwAR1ARgYIzGgF2hzYUzLj202twn1
5xkDl5L9qUmaturbDcBJBgQFvvzuGrjY
• https://www.jadaliyya.com/Author/3355?fbclid=IwAR3pkh
bHjqTViOIsqLgce10PxtXqfo25RRaWMadhUE_wHUsyNH
References SPMWMJLTo
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ramadan
• https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-res
ources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-one/the-five-pillars-of-i
slam
• http://www.moondance.org/2004/water04/poetry/poem5.htm
l
• https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/ramadan
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holyda
ys/lent_1.shtml#:~:text=Lent%20is%20the%20period%20of
%2040%20days%20which%20comes%20before,the%20des