Introduction
Among the several festivities and fasting regimes of Muslims, Ramadan, the ninth lunar month, is of great significance. The fast is observed from dawn (fajr, the first prayer that must be offered) till sunset (maghrib- fourth obligatory prayer) throughout the month without a single drop of water along with the prayer regimes of this month are varied in different sects of Muslims- the shiya and the sunnis. Even within these sects, the subsects follow a different pattern related to food and prayers. Fasting is observed in remembrance of the Holy Quran being revealed to Prophet Muhammad for the first time (Kassam & Robinson, 2014).
Based on the calendar followed by each Muslim sect, and the dates of Ramadan month gradually change every year and coincide with various seasons making the severity of fast easy to hard. Ramadan-ul-Moazzam cycles through the calendar year approximately once every 30 years, by shifting by roughly eleven days per year. The number of hours of roza during winter Ramadan is less compared to the summer months when the sun sets after a longer duration. Similarly the time of Sehri and Iftaar shifts on the basis of dawn and dusk timing respectively (Gharagozlou & Naar, 2022).1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Pregnant and nursing women are permitted to break the fast if they fear it would be dangerous for them or for their babies if they fast. However, compensatory fast are to be kept after Ramadan for the missed fasts (Bahammam, 2016).
Rationale
Food habits reflect socioeconomic level and cultural identity in the ways chosen for selecting, cooking, and serving food, and all of these elements also have an impact on the general pattern of consumption (Nambiar, 2021).
Alavi Bohras, a nano-minority community, is a sub-sect of Ismaili Shia Muslims. The Misri lunar calendar, followed by the Alavi Bohras, also known as the Hijri calendar, was established in the Misr by Imam Moiz. They follow the calendar for all religious festivals, Bara Wafat (Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi), death anniversary of eminent people and missionaries while, feast on occasions of Eid-ul-Fitra, Eid-ul-Adha, baby shower, marriage and misaaq an oath taking ceremony performed by the spiritual head for the individuals of 14-15 years age or just before marriage to denote that individuals shall remain true to the Alavi culture.10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Objective
The present study is focused on documenting the customs, food culture, and prayer patterns of Alavi Bohras of Vadodara city, India, using ethnographic research methodology, during the holy month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam-ul-Moazzam when their holy book Quran was revealed by the angles of Gods or farishta.
Materials and Methods
Study Population: The Alavi Bohra population, settled in Vadodara city, Gujarat, India. Of the 8000 Alavi Bohras around the world, nearly 6500 people reside in Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
Time frame of the study: Data for the current study on the ninth month of the Alavi calendar Ramadan-ul-Moazzam-ul-Moazzam of Hijri Year 1443 was collected from the period 2nd April – 2st May 2022.
Ethnographic research Methods: Ethnographic research can provide valuable insights into people and how they live, also allows researchers to document a society or group of people. People around the world can then benefit from that knowledge. It provides a different way to collect data about social structures and the way people interact with one another (Mathur, 2021).
Ethnographic research in the present study was conducted engaging the royals, community leaders and at-Taiyebaat Committee members as the key informants and over 120 women of Alavi Bohra Community. Qualitataive research methodologies such as narratives, concept testing, direct observations, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to understand the ethnography of food and culture of Alavi Bohra Muslims which were supported by photographs of the Iftaar and Sehri, which are the major meals during the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam. Further concept testing was done of information gathered using various methods and the verbatim of the respondents were recorded and further interpreted.
The ethnographic research conducted to understand the culture was more of an art than science. The cultures and cultural phenomena of this community was not easy to quantify and this interpretation has been done as per the researcher’s discretion and understanding.14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Table 1
Ethnographic Methods used in the study
Result and Discussion
Overview of the Alavi Bohra community in Vadodara city
Vadodara is the cultural capital of Gujarat, located in the West of India. Vadodara has remained the seat of the Alavi Bohras heads for 328 years. In Vadodara, Alavi Bohras have 4 mosques, 4 community halls, 4 mausoleums in which there are tombs- grave (quboor) of Alavi da’i. They also have a sectarian religious school named as Madrasah Taiyebiyah. Badri Mohalla, Fakhri Mohalla, Mughalwada, Pratapnagar, Panigate, Taiwada and Fatehgunj are the key areas of Vadodara city inhabited by Alavi Bohra Muslims.
Community leadership: Alavi Bohra Community, since 7 June 2015, is under the spiritual guidance and leadership of 45th Dai muṭlaq, Saiyedna Haatim Zakiyuddin saheb.
As per the narratives of the community head of the at-Taiyebaat Alavi Bohra community, this community has migrated from Yemen and had settled previously in Ahmedabad and then shifted to Vadodara, Western Gujarat of India.
The Alavi mosque and Alavi calendar: The Alavi Bohra Noorani Masjid mosque is situated in Badri Mohalla. The concept testing of the narratives revealed that the Alavi Bohra have their own calendar, known as the Alavi Misri lunar calendar, which is followed by every Alavi Bohra member even though he has migrated to another city or country. The days which are marked Navaaru on the calendar are not considered auspicious and no good events or functions are conducted on this day. It is available online for the community, and has a converter which converts Islamic date to English calendar. It is religiously referred to for offering prayers. The current study was done in the hijri year (H.Y.) 1443 year as per the Alavi Misri calendar, which is equivalent to 2021-2022 of the English calendar.
According to the Alavi Misri calendar, which is 354 days, and has 12 Islamic months, the Ramadan-ul-Moazzam is the ninth month and has a special significance in terms of spirituality, control of sense organs and hunger.
The 12 months as per the Misri lunar calendar of Alavi Bohras are:
Language spoken and written: Alavi Bohras read, write and speak an Arabicized form of Gujarati language, called Lisaan ud-Da'wat il-'Alaviyah (LDA) i.e. (blended with Arabic vocabulary), an amalgamation of Arabic, Urdu and Persian words and written in Arabic script. All the correspondence, orders and documentary affairs of Alavi Bohras are exclusively carried out in Lisaan ud-Da'wat il-'Alaviyah. Religious sermons and congregational lectures during the prayers are held in LDA.
Clothing: A white turban (paghdi), is worn by members of the Royal family, including Da’i and his close friends, assembly members, and dignitaries. The turban symbolizes distinction, individuality, and respect. Da’i and his deputy (ma’zoon) may be identified by the little bit of golden fabric that is visible on the front of their turbans. White kurta-pyjama, and a unique headgear made of white-silver-golden thread known as topi are the traditional clothing for men of the Alavi Bohra community. Women wear rida, which is a full body full-body veil, that covers them from head to toe. There is no rule about its colour and design. The upper (pardi) and bottom (ghaghro) sections of a traditional rida are adorned with laces and worn together, for all religious and social events. Rida is part of the social life and distinctive identity of every Bohri woman.
Food Beliefs and practices of the Alavi Bohra community: The answers about the food belief were gathered through the quantitative research included the subjects’ views, past experiences and also an understanding of the culture or societal norms which were gathered by listening to what its members had to say.
Thaal Jaman: The unique concept of eating in one big plate of thaal is common. The Thaal jaman i.e. food /meal (jaman) is devoured from a single plate (thaal) by a group of 7-8 people sitting on the floor, beginning by tasting a pinch of salt. The Maa’edah (Food) – meals are consumed together sitting on the floor at home or in Jamaat-khana community hall. It is considered that sociability increases among community members as they sit together and eat from thaal.
There are rules/ etiquettes of eating in a ‘thaal’ some of which are –
Ramadan-ul-Moazzam celebrations by the Alavi Bohra community
Though Ramadan-ul-Moazzam is a holy month celebrated by all Muslims, the Alavi Bohra community has a distinctive custom of celebrating this month which is the ninth month in the Alavi Misri calendar.
Pre- Ramdan celebrations- Shabaan-ul-kareem: This is a distinctive custom of the Alavi Bohras which is not a regular feature by other muslims such as Sunni muslims. This is the night of innocence, which is the 15 day of the month Shabaan-ul-kareem (eighth month of lunar calendar), and was in the month of Feb- April in the year 2021-2022 is celebrated as badi raat or Lailat al-Bara by this community. This is the night of the full moon preceding the beginning of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam, when sins are forgiven and fates are determined for the year ahead and when mosques are illuminated and special sweets such as suji ka halwa (ghee based semolina sweet) are prepared at home and are distributed to the poor and the family members.
Special days of Ramadan: The 30 days of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam-ul-Moazzam are divided into three parts of 10 days each. A part of 10 days is known as dasko of which first 10 days of mercy (pehlo dasko rehmat no), second 10 days of seeking forgiveness (bijo dasko istighfar no) and last 10 days for protection from hell (tijo dasko jahannum thi chhutvano).
Of the 30 days, five days are considered very important for prayers and charity. These are the 16th day of the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam-ul-Moazzam which is also known as pehla washek; the 18th day known as bija washek; the 20 th day known as the tija washek; the 21st day and 22nd day known as the layla-tul-qadr.
Prayers in the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam: During these days, the prayers are elaborate and good wishes are considered as holy nights where the prayers are heard by Allah, following which best wishes are bestowed to all community members for good health and being. Long prayer sessions are conducted at the mosque and attended by both men and women (unlike the Sunni Muslim women who are not allowed on the mosque).
There are two types of namaz (prayers) – Obligatory (farz) and supererogatory (nafel). To offer any namaz wudu is done before prayer, timings are on the basis of sun and its position in the sky. The difference between the prayers of Sunni and Shia is that, Zohr - Asr namaz and Maghrib-Isha namaz are combined and offered, while sunni Muslims offer all five obligatory namaz at different times post azaan. Azaan is a call for prayer.
Nisf-ul-layl is an additional prayer offered by the people of Alavi Bohra Community around midnight during the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam. Whereas other sects of Muslims offer Taraweeh as an additional prayer during the 30 days of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam fasting and, concept of zakat -fitra.
Month of enlightening your life rather than extending it – Ramadan-ul-Moazzam, considered as a month that washes away the dirt of evil, laziness, ignorance and wicked thinking. A rejuvenating tonic of love, harmony, friendship and brotherhood for the people. A month to help the needy and poor monetarily. A month that cures all the illnesses of the body with the help of fasting.
Table 2
Prayer schedule for month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam-ul-moazzam
The Figure 3 explains the timing, wherein namaz prayer is offered during the day. The 24 hours of a day are divided into 4 parts –
Sunrise to Zawal (zawal is around 12 pm when sun is overhead and at its peak) no prayers in this part.
Zawal to Sunset (Zohr and Asr).
Sunset to Midnight (Maghrib and Isha).
Sleep pattern during Ramadan-ul-Moazzam: During the Ramadan-ul-Moazzam month, sleep pattern is affected. The following chart displays the diurnal activities. People sleep only for 2.5-3 hours at a stretch twice to thrice in a day i.e. before going and after coming back from midnight prayer of nisf-ul-layl (9:00pm to 11:30 pm) (1:30 am to 3am). Month of enlightening your life rather than extending it – Ramadan-ul-Moazzam, considered as a month that washes away the dirt of evil, laziness, ignorance.
Charity during Ramadan: The obligatory charity to be given during the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam is known as zakaat-ul-fitr. It is to be given by anyone who possesses a day's and night's worth of food. It consists of one meal unit of the most common staple food of the country, which can be rice, wheat or dates or raisins. It is to be given to poor and needy Muslim so as to ensure that there is no person without food or hungry on the day of Eid. If it appears that giving money instead of staple food stuff will be more beneficial to the poor, it is permissible to pay the value of zakaat-ul-fitr in money of one meal unit, which is equivalent to approximately 3 kg of food stuff. A Muslim must pay zakaat-ul-fitr for himself and all the persons he is legally bound to support, such as his wife and children. It is recommended to pay it even on behalf of an unborn child. In case of Alavi Bohra Muslims, the zakaat-ul-fitr is given to the spiritual head –Dai.
Food Pattern during Ramadan-ul-Moazzam: The time table to be followed for the time of Sehri and Iftaar is accessed through the Alavi Bohra calendar. As Ramadan-ul-Moazzam is a month of time restricted fasting for Muslims, the time of Sehri and Iftaar are followed.
Sehri / Suhoor / Sihori
Sehri is the pre-dawn meal usually consumed 90 minutes before fajr the first obligatory prayer during the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam. Some of the most common items consumed in Iftaar are as follows:
After eating the Sehri meal, people make niyyat (intention) to fast by reciting the specific prayer. Sehri is followed by offering the obligatory namaz of Fajr.
Iftaar
Iftaar is the evening meal consumed during the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam. The Azaan for Maghrib prayer at the sunset signals the time to break the day long fast.
Before beginning to eat the specific prayer is recited followed by their traditional practice – before starting any meal, a pinch of salt is tasted followed by dates, (Khajoor) is the first food eaten when the long day’s fast is broken during the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam. As per the tradition three dates are consumed together, to follow the Prophet Muhammad who broke his fast with three dates. The date’s high sugar content makes it an ideal food for the body after hours of staying without any food or water, supplying the necessary rush of energy while being easy on the empty stomach. Seasonal fruits are also consumed daily and are also kept at the entrance of mosques for the fasting people.
Alavi Bohra food has a regional influence of Gujarati cuisine, the delicacies prepared using ingredients easily available for example dhokla - a spongy fermented savory made with gram flour - is a famous Gujarati dish famous Gujarati dish is consumed for Iftaar, tuver dal (red gram dal) staple of Gujarat is incorporated in stuffing of samosa.
On Eid, Muslims are not allowed to fast, and are involved in a special prayer at Eidgah and visit family and friends. Eid is celebrated for three days.
Eid-al-Fitra: It is a day of festivity and rejoicing. It is celebrated on the first day of the lunar month of Shawwaal-ul-Mukarram, marking the end of the month-long fasting. On Eid-al-Fitra, Muslims wear the best of clothes they have and consume a special delicacy known as Sheer Khurma. Children receive Eiddi (money) from elders and relatives. Sheer Khurma and other delicacies are exchanged with neighbours and relatives. Alavi Bohras had a community meal Eid at Jamatkhana a place where community people gather and eat food on various occasions. On 2nd May 2022 community meal of Sheer Khurma, Chicken fry and Paan (betel leaf) was served at Jamatkhana of Noorani Masjid.
Sheer Khurma is the most common traditional delicacy served on occasion of Eid-al-Fitra. Blanched and peeled almonds are used, as used by great grandmothers because of the unpleasant mouthfeel, colour and taste the almond peel may cause.
Table 3
Sheer Khurma Recipe of Alavi Bohras and its approximate nutritional value
Table 4
Comparison -Ramadan-ul-Moazzam and Eid of Alavi Bohra and other sub-sects of Islam
Discussion
The present study has highlighted that the Alavi Bohra community have a significant difference in the celebration of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam, which are seen in the customs followed during namaz (prayer pattern), sehri (pre-dawn meal) and iftaar (evening meal). Ever since their migration in India and settlement in Western India, which is a hub of several Muslim communities.
Ethnographic research helps researchers better understand a culture or society. There are some challenges to ethnographic research, such as time and communication barriers. A researcher's interpretation of the data may be biased by their subject's culture or language barrier. Ethnography can also give researchers a more holistic view of how cultures function (Mathur, 2021).
In a prospective cohort study among schooling Ghanaian adolescents who fasted during Ramadan, fasting was characterized by marked changes in usual food patterns, increased dietary diversity and significant body weight loss (Ali & Abizari, 2018).
During Ramadan there is a basic ritual pattern in Jayagiri. People start the day at about three o’clock in the morning with the meal called suhoor, after which they are prohibited to eat or drink until sunset at about six o’clock, when the fast is broken (buka puasa). The local mosques offer opportunities to join in Ramadan prayers, and they also organize study groups for reading the Koran, but not everyone performs these religious duties. Some people attend the prayers, most perform at least part of the fasting month, but there is a wide variety in religious practice (Hellman, 2008).
Prayer in Islam is one of the pillars that a Muslim must perform five times a day. So, there are unlimited prayers the Muslim may perform, especially in Ramadan. However, in the fasting month, most Muslims perform more than five prayers and worship to increase the rewards (Saad, 2021).
“Taraweeh” the special prayer in Ramadan is performed after 8:00 pm for approximately one hour. Hence there is more physical exercise in this prayer, which causes tranquility & stress relaxation to the person performing it (Pathan & Patil, 2015).
This study suggests that Ramadan has a positive impact on the holistic health of Muslims. The Iftaar program played a role in improving the wellbeing of participants. The key findings of this study related to the improvement of spirituality, physical health and nutrition during Ramadan (Ibrahim, 2018).
Early in the morning it was time for the first sehri meal. Imsak, the moment when the fast starts, was scheduled for exactly 3:56 a.m., and family members assembled in the living room an hour before. The beginning of the first day of fasting was honored by serving variety of foods; there were rice, vegetables, chicken, meat, cakes, and tea. As the month progressed and the meal became routine, the food became simpler (Hellman, 2008).
Regarding the first food eaten to break the fast the food item varies from place to place and from sect-to-sect. Dates (khajoor) are preferred for breaking the fast considering not only their nutritional value but it is also considered to be a Sunnah (a practice that used to be followed by Prophet Muhammad PBUH). Some people eat plain dates, while others eat them with yoghurt or cheese, notably a handmade curd known as yiggit. The date (khajoor) is a staple of the diet of Gulf Arabs, used in both savoury and sweet recipes. Date syrup is used to make the jellab drink, which is sold on the street with crushed ice and pine nuts and golden raisins as garnish. In the Levant, people break their fast with apricot leather juice, fattoush - a mixed herb and bread salad, and/or lentil soup. In Maghreb, soup is the first thing people eat after sunset, whereas in Indonesia they break their fast with buka puasa, sweet snacks and drinks known as takjil (Helou, 2018).
For Alavi Bohra desserts are called mithaas and the savoury dishes kharaas. Gol sherbet, a lemonade in which jaggery replaces sugar, and is garnished with tukmuria (basil) seeds and especially relished during Ramadan.
Sambusa stuffed with vegetables or meat are found across the Middle East and are a cousin of the South Asian samosa. In Yemen, they are a much-loved tradition. Fatta, meaning crushed or crumbs, is a sort of bread soup made with pieces of the Yemeni bread bits mixed with meat broth and cooked vegetables making it soggy and mushy. Fatta can also be made as a dessert with sweet ingredients including dates and honey (Barrington, 2021).
Muslims practicing Islamic Intermittent Fasting enjoy various health benefits, including weight loss, reduced insulin resistance, blood glucose, and blood pressure, improved lipid profile, prevention of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, protection against neurodegeneration, and diminished inflammation. Islamic Intermittent Fasting could also improve health span and extend life span (Pakkir et al., 2018).
Little is known with any certainty about the clinical problems during the fast of Ramadan. As perhaps 400 million people fast during Ramadan the topic deserves more thorough scientific attention (Rashed, 1992).
Therefore, many more such ethnographic studies with a special emphasis on food culture needs documentation from regional and religion diaspora.
Conclusion
An anthropological approach to document the food culture of Alavi Bohra Muslims during the month of Ramadan-ul-Moazzam depicts distinctiveness with an influence of regional Gujarati cuisine. Traditional customs and practices are well-preserved in Sehri and Iftaar meal in terms of meal time, pattern and type as well as worshiping during Ramadan-ul-Moazzam.
Declarations
All the authors contributed to the idea and overall construction of this manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgment
We thank the heads, clerics, and the entire Alavi Bohra Community for their support and cooperation.