Category Archives: Faith

Sukkot – 20 Sept to 27 Sept

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Post contributed by Josh Newman.

The start of the academic year always coincides with a flurry of Jewish festivals. First up are the “Yamim Noraim” (Days of Awe) – often referred to as the High Holydays. They are a period of reflection and repentance that start with Rosh Hashana, the new year (actually one of four Jewish New Years – but that’s a different story!) and end 10 days later with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. “Twice-a-year Jews” are those that go to synagogue only for these events.

Just a few days later, Sukkot (Soo-COT), The Festival of Tabernacles begins. It is a seven-day festival, and one of the three pilgrim festivals where in ancient times of the Temple (the second temple was destroyed in 70CE) people would come to Jerusalem with their harvest offerings.

Sukkot also commemorates the forty years of wandering in the wilderness between the Hebrews leaving Egypt (celebrated at the second harvest/pilgrim festival, Passover) and arriving in the Land of Israel. The third pilgrim festival, Shavuot (sha-voo-OT), takes place seven weeks after Passover and commemorates the revelation on Mount Sinai, when it is said that God gave Moses the Oral Law and the Written Law (Torah.)

Three sided temporary structure with a wooden frame, draped material for walls, paper bunting and a bale of hay as a seat inside it. Tall corn stalks are woven into the walls.

A sukkah (Image: PJLibrary)

While the Hebrews travelled through the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, they used temporary housing, or sukkahs. So on Sukkot Jews build temporary tents, with no more than 3 walls. Often these are constructed against a house, like a temporary conservatory. Often people hang seasonal fruit and vegetables from the roof, which itself must not be fully covered – you are supposed to be able to see the start through the roof.  The tradition is to eat meals and offer hospitality in the sukkah, and even to sleep in it.

The other tradition is to shake a Lulav (a branch from a date palm tree, held with a myrtle and willow branch) and Etrog (an aromatic citrus fruit that looks like an oversized lemon.) Shaking these four species in all directions (North, South, East, West, Heaven and Earth) is a way to ask for rain and a good climate for growing and harvesting food.

a lulav is a branch from a date palm tree, held with a myrtle and willow branch, and an etrog is a citrus fruit like an oversized green lemon

Lulav and Etrog (Image: Public Domain / Wikipedia)

Two years ago during Sukkot when Rabbi Jeffrey Newman (my father) was arrested for taking part in an Extinction Rebellion protest, he was holding the lulav and etrog as a reminder of our responsibility as guardians of the earth.

Rabbi Jeffrey Newman holding lulav and etrog wearing a tallit, a prayer shawl and kippah, skull cap with XR logo on it being arrested by police

Rabbi Jeffrey Newman (Image: PA)

Sukkot is a 7 day festival (although Orthodox communities outside Israel observe 8 days) and is followed the very next day by one of the most joyous Jewish festivals – Simchat Torah (Rejoicing the Torah) where Jews celebrate finishing reading the Torah, and restarting the year-long cycle of reading the entire scroll.

For Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Simchat Torah – and indeed just about all Jewish holydays, the main greeting is “Chag Same’ach” – Happy Holiday!

Eid-ul-Adha – Eid Mubarak

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A post contributed by Hasan Gilani about Eid-ul-Adha (Eid of sacrifice) which takes place on Tue, 20th July in 2021.

There are two key Eid’s (Celebration Festivals) in Islam: Eid-ul-Fitr, which signifies the completion of the Holy Month of Ramadan (which was celebrated in May this year); and Eid-ul-Adha, the greater Eid, which follows the completion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, at the time of Qurbani (sacrifice).

Eid al-Adha literally translates as “Feast of the Sacrifice”. This is because it honours the famous story of the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim – known in the Christian Old Testament as Abraham – to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. Eid ul-Adha celebrates the time when Ibrahim had a dream which he believed was a message from Allah asking him to sacrifice his son Isma’il as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey Allah and spare his son. At the very point of sacrifice, Allah replaced Ismail with a ram, which was to be slaughtered in place of his son. This command from Allah was a test of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness and commitment to obey his Lord’s command, without question. Therefore, Eid-ul-Adha means the festival of sacrifice.

To remember Ibrahim’s story, Muslims ritually sacrifice animals – normally sheep, goat, lamb, cow or a camel – on Eid al-Adha. A third of the meat is consumed by the family who perform the sacrifice and the rest is given to the poor.

The purpose of sacrifice in Eid al-Adha is not about shedding of blood just to satisfy God. It is about sacrificing something a Muslim loves in order to advance the festival’s message. It is also about donating to the poor and sharing meat with them as they usually don’t have access to meat throughout the year. Not all Muslims sacrifice an animal themselves. They can buy special meat from shops and donate that. Or they can donate money to charities that give special meat to others. Muslims also give money to charity so that poor people can celebrate too.

All these ways honour the story of Ibrahim. Taking care of others is a very important part of being a Muslim.

Eid ul-Adha is a public holiday in Muslim countries. In 2021, Eid ul-Adha will begin on the evening of Monday 19 July and end on the evening of Friday 23 July.

Muslims wish each other as Eid Mubarak (which means have a blessed Eid) on Eid days.

Ramadhan Kareem – 30 days of Ramadhan part 3

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In addition to our recent post about Ramadhan we are releasing posts to recognise the three categories of blessing over the 30 days of Ramadhan. Post contributed by Hasan Gilani.

Days 20-30

This is called Nijaat, meaning ‘salvation.’ These are also known as the Days of Seeking Refuge. This final stage of the month is about seeking sanctuary from the fires of Hell. Fasting itself is said to be a shield from Hellfire that’s as effective as any physical shield used in battle.

And the dua for this part of the month is…

‘O Almighty Allah, save me from the fire of Hell.’

These last ten days of Ramadhan are very significant as they are when Laylat al-Qadr takes place. Variously translated as Night of Power, Night of Destiny and other names, it commemorates the night when the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Although the prophet did not mention a specific date for the Night of Power, he did say to “seek it in the last 10 days on the odd nights.”

So Laylat al-Qadr is thought to fall on one of the odd-numbered nights in the final ten days of Ramadhan.

Many Muslims take part in the practice of Itikaf, which means staying in the mosque for several days and devoting themselves to secluded worship, away from the distraction of all worldly affairs.

Ramadhan Kareem celebration image of two hot cups for coffee and a bowl of dates shown against a golden background with a crescent moon on the top-right of the image

Easter for Orthodox Christians

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Post contributed by Fr Ian Wallis, Faith & Spirituality Advisor, Orthodox Church

Easter is more properly known as ‘Pascha’ in the Orthodox Church because the early Church used languages – e.g. Aramaic, Greek, Latin – where ‘pascha’ was the accepted translation of the Hebrew word, ‘pesach’ (= ‘passover’) and the conservative nature of the Church has kept the use of this term.

‘Pascha’ survives in English usage as an adjective, as in a ‘Paschal Candle’, which in many Western churches is a special candle that is blessed at Easter, and then subsequently plays a part in the rite of baptism.

The apostolic preaching interprets the death and resurrection of Christ as a new passover for humanity: ‘For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’ (1Corinthians 5, 7,8 AV)

The date of Passover/Pesach (as computed by Jewish authorities) was also instrumental in determining the date of the Christian feast of Pascha: the churches were agreed about this although they did not all celebrate Pascha on the Sunday following Pesach.

When the rabbinic authorities (towards the end of the second century CE) established a new way of computing the date of Pesach – one that specifically disregarded the date of the spring equinox – many Christians questioned the propriety of computing the date of Pascha using a revised date of Pesach i.e. a date computed by a method that was not in use at the time of Christ.

As the Church did not have an agreed method for computing the date of Pascha, it fell to its meeting (known subsequently as the ‘First Ecumenical Council’) at Nicea in 325 CE to decide (amongst other things!) two key elements in the method, as follows:

  • Pascha should be celebrated on the same Sunday by all churches;
  • And the Sunday of Pascha must be the first after the full moon following the spring equinox.

In more recent centuries, the different dates for Easter/Pascha in the Church came about when the Church in the West adopted the New Style/Gregorian Calendar; and the difference arises specifically in fixing the date of the spring equinox, which is a more astronomically correct calculation underlying the Gregorian Calendar. The whole Orthodox Church keeps to the Old Style/Julian Calendar (when computing the date of Pascha) and employs – what has been referred to as – a ‘notional equinox’.

Even before the Gregorian Calendar was adopted, the Church’s forms of worship in the West had developed along different lines from those to be found in the East; and although the basic structure of the eucharist and other services is similar, the style of the ceremonial used in the Orthodox Church is markedly different from that in the Western Church.

Ikon showing Christ in the centre of the image, Adam is shown on his right and Eve is shown on his left, he is surrounded by the diciples and rocks to show Christ's resurrection and emergence from the cave

A traditional ikon for Pascha representing Christ’s resurrection

Outside of church, Orthodox Christians celebrate Pascha in accordance with a variety of local traditions, mainly to do with those foods that should have been abstained from in the Lenten fast, such as eggs, cheese and meat. ‘Pascha’ is also the name given in Russian usage to a special form of cheesecake, which is a key element of their Paschal breakfast.

Ramadhan Kareem – 30 days of Ramadhan part 2

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In addition to our recent post about Ramadhan we are releasing posts to recognise the three categories of blessing over the 30 days of Ramadhan. Post contributed by Hasan Gilani.

Days 10-20

The second set of 10 days is called Maghfirah, meaning ‘forgiveness.’ So these are also known as the Days of Forgiveness.

This is the time when Muslims ask for forgiveness and peace from Allah.

They should apologise for all their mistakes, change their ways and forgive those who have done them wrong.

The dua for this Ashra is:

‘I ask forgiveness of my sins from Allah who is my Lord and I turn towards Him.’

Ramadhan Kareem image showing a golden coffee pot, a bowl of dates, coffee cups and a decorative crescent moon against a golden background

Ramadan Kareem – 30 days of Ramadhan

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In addition to our recent post about Ramadhan we are releasing posts to recognise the three categories of blessing over the 30 days of Ramadhan. Post contributed by Hasan Gilani.

Days 0-10

The first ten days of Ramadhan are also known as the Days of Mercy. This is called Rehmat, meaning ‘mercy of Allah.’

This is the time when Muslims seek mercy and blessings from Allah.

The dua for this part of the month is:

‘O My Lord forgive and have Mercy and you are the best of Merciful.’

In line with these prayers and the meaning of this Ashra (10 days), Muslims display mercy through acts of charity, by treating others well and helping people whenever they can.

A crescent moon symbol with lanterns and stars hangind from it is shown on a purple night sky background with the words Ramadan Kareem

Ramadhan – 13th April to 13th May

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Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar.

Featuring contributions from: Dr Hasan Gilani, Najiya Slimani, Fiona MacNeill (ed.)

About Ramadhan

Ramadhan1 is the ninth month of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar. The exact dates of Ramadhan vary every year. This is because Islam uses a calendar based on the cycles of the Moon. The lunar year being shorter and each month having 29 or 30 days only, Ramadhan moves forward every year. This year in the UK, Ramadhan will begin on Tuesday 13 April. Since many Muslims still like to rely on the moonsighting to determine the beginning of the month of Ramadhan, there may be a difference of a day in various parts of the world when Ramadhan begins. Across the globe, from approximately 13th April until 13th May 2021, close to one billion people will be observing Ramadhan.

Fasting during Ramadhan is one of the 5 pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity and performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. It is an act of deep personal worship and an exercise in self-restraint. Muslims should not engage in cursing, fighting, or gossiping. It is seen as a way to physically and spiritually de-toxify. It is the month in which the Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH2).

Muslims fast (no eating or drinking) between dawn and sunset. This is called Sawm/Syaam (fasting). For Muslims, it is a very beneficial act of worship as it teaches self-discipline, gratefulness for the bounties they enjoy and reminds them of the suffering of the less fortunate. Muslims often donate to charities during the month.

To prepare for the fast, Muslims eat what is commonly called ‘Suhoor’; a pre-dawn meal of power foods to get them through the day.

Can Muslims be exempt from fasting?

Pregnant and menstruating women, elderly people, those who are ill, have to take ingested medication or those that are travelling do not have to fast. Children are not expected to fast until they reach puberty.

Complex infographic poster with several sections. Repeats information outlined in text graphically.

Source: MyUS.com

Practices and Observances

Muslims use this opportunity to make extra spiritual efforts and try to give up bad habits. It is a special season for prayer, charity and good deeds.

Many Muslims try to read the whole of the Qur’an at least once during Ramadan. They will also attend special night prayers (Taraweeh) in Mosques during which the Qur’an is read.

Some Muslims take this opportunity to perform Umra (optional pilgrimage to Makkah KSA3) and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina (KSA) and spend as many days/night as possible for worship and spiritualty.

Hundreds of people sit at long tables eating a Iftar dinner

An Iftar dinner at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

They will also try to get together with family and friends (wherever possible) especially on the occasion of breaking the fast and have a collective meal at sunset by preparing and sharing various dishes. They will also help people in need by setting a Ramadan Table wherever people of all religions are welcome to share Iftar4 (break the fast at sunset). Iftar dishes can be very colourful and rich and prepared with care, however most Muslims will traditionally break the fast with a few dates and milk or water before going for anything between the traditional Harira (Moroccan soup) in North Africa to Samosas and Bajias (Pakoras/Bhajees) in the Asian continent alongside many local savouries and sweet drinks and dishes.

Large crowds of people in rows stand outside Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi India during Eid

Jama Masjid of Delhi, one of the largest mosques in India during Eid.

How to respectfully recognise Ramadhan

Many Muslims are accepting and welcoming of others around them who are not observing Ramadhan and it is OK to eat or drink next to someone who is fasting. Muslims welcome questions about Ramadhan.

It is always good practice to greet and express good wishes at this time of the year, whether just before Ramadhan or in the first few days of the month. Muslims do culturally exchange best wishes and congratulate each other by saying “Ramadan Kareem / Happy Ramadan!”

In general Muslims don’t expect any “special treatment” during fasting as they are religiously encouraged to incorporate fasting in their normal daily activities, however it is good practice to ask Muslims colleagues if they need work to be adapted to their “focus hours”. They will highly appreciate it and it will boost collaboration at work.

At the time of Eid, saying “Eid Mubarak” is a good way of congratulating Muslims on the occasion of Eidul-Fitr.

Remember that not all Muslims fast (for medical reasons for example) so if you see a Muslim not fasting, avoid asking them in public.

Celebration illustration showing a latern at night hanging above a skyline of mosque onion domes

An example of a Ramadan Kareem image for Muslims to send via social media.

Comparative Theology

Quran says: “O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil)”.

In other religions, there are various forms of fasting, as fasting is widely recognised as a practice for spiritual purification, increasing awareness, or self-discipline. In Islam, fasting is an act of worship, whereby a Muslim draws closer to God by abandoning food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset.

Jews observe ten days of repentance starting with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and ending with Yom Kippur. Check out the recent Talk it out blog post about Passover/Pesach for more information about Judaism.

Lent is a forty-day period of fasting which is observed by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and the Orthodox Church. Read the recent Talk it out blog post about fasting for Orthodox Christians.

How do Muslims mark the end of Ramadan?

Laylat al-Qadr  – The Night of Power/Destiny

The final 10 days of Ramadhan are marked by lots of worship as Muslims seek to have their prayers answered on “Laylat al-Qadr” (The Night of Power/Decree) which is considered the holiest night of the year for Muslims and can fall on any ‘odd’ numbered day within the last 10 days. This night commemorates the night that the Qur’an (the literal word of God which was relayed to humanity through the Prophet) was first revealed by Allah (God) to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) through the angel Gabriel. It is believed to have taken place on one of the final 10 nights of Ramadan in 610 CE, though the exact night is not specified in the Qur’an. This night is believed to be a night whereby good deeds are multiplied. (The night of Laylat al-Qadr is better than 1000 months as stated in the Qur’an).

The observance of Laylat al-Qadr holds additional significance to Muslims as a night in which the angels descend to earth leading to a night of peace, forgiveness, blessings and divine guidance (qadar) until dawn. It is commemorated with solemnity, devotion and prayer. Some observers spend the final 10 days in the mosque in retreat (I’tikaf).

Eid ul-Fitr – Festival of Breaking the Fast

Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of a month of fasting from dawn to sunset, as well as spiritual reflection and prayer. The day starts with morning prayers, wearing best attire and a big meal is usually the main event, but there’s lots of ways other people celebrate too.

Eid ul-Fitr is the festival day, one of the most important, similar to how important Christmas is for Christians.

Gifts can be exchanged, especially to young children who receive clothes and money.

A celebratory illustration for Eid showing a plate of food next to a lantern with the night sky and a mosque in the background of the image

An example of an image for social media celebrating Eid.

Further reading

Resources and events

Many mosques will remain open this year during Ramadan for prayers. They will continue to observe safety guidance by wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.

Every year, Muslims break their fast together in the mosque and share dishes. This year they will get together to break the fast with something light and pray together but without sharing food. They will then have the full meal in their homes with their families.

However, the night prayers will be shorter than usual. Many online programs take place to allow people to take part in various religious activities and lectures from home. Many Mosques in Sussex will have daily Zoom activities.

Any Questions?

Members of the network have said that they are happy to answer questions from the university community about Ramadhan. Please submit your question using the comments area below or contact Fiona MacNeill via teams/email (internal questions from staff/students only).

  1. Arabic: رَمَضَان , also spelled Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan or Ramathan. ↩
  2. Peace be upon him. A phrase attached to holy figures in Islam. See this page of Wikipedia for information. ↩
  3. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ↩
  4. Also known as ftoor ↩
  5. Egyptian Islamic advisory, justiciary and governmental body. For information see this Wikipedia page. ↩
  6. News and blogging site based in Amman, Jordan. ↩

Fasting for Orthodox Christians

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Contributed by: Fr Ian Wallis, Faith & Spirituality Adviser, Orthodox Church

The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is a body with a long history, and a wide geographical spread. It should, therefore, not be at all surprising that there are (and always have been) differences of practice within it; and that applies as much to the practice of fasting, as it does to the practices of prayer, and worship, that accompany it: what is said here about fasting can only be taken as a general guide.

‘Fasting’ is commonly understood as going without food for a limited period of time, but the Orthodox Church more usually employs the term (in the church calendar) as days when Christians should abstain from certain types of food and drink: this means that on ‘Fast Days’ it is customarily understood that meat and fish (including any sea creature with a backbone) should not be eaten, neither should eggs and dairy products, nor olive oil (other vegetable oils are often substituted) and wine (usually understood as including all alcoholic beverages) should not be consumed.

However, the Gospel teaches Christians that fasting should be done in secret (Matthew 6:16-18) it is better to break the fast than to draw attention to the fact that you are fasting. In particular, when eating with people who are not keeping the fast, Christians are encouraged to be careful to eat what they are given, and also to provide for others a choice of food i.e. no one should be forced to fast.

In Britain, there is a long history of Catholic practice, and substituting fish for meat on Fridays is a well-known custom. However, the Orthodox Christian wider form of abstention (outlined above) is not so well-known, and neither is its extension to include most Wednesdays throughout the year. Similarly, Lent (or the ‘Great Fast’) is relatively wellknown as a period of abstention in preparation for Easter (or ‘Pascha’) but not the fast before Christmas (or the ‘Nativity’) sometimes called the ‘Philip Fast’ (because it starts on 15th November, which is the day following St Philip’s Day). Even less well-known are the fasts in the summer: one before the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (29th June) and one before the Dormition (or Falling-Asleep) of the Most Blessed Virgin (15th August). The Orthodox Church’s calendar tells us when these fasts begin and end (including a number of days not mentioned here) and also those ‘Fast Days’ when fish, wine or oil are allowed.

The Gospel teaches Christians that fasting together with prayer can be of great effect (Matthew 17:21) and the change of diet is offered as a help to prayer. Prayer can be understood as a way of releasing our spirit to love others: if you have loved and served your family, your friends, your neighbours, and your enemies, you have kept the fast.

Birds eye view of a glass of water a crucifix and a slice of break

Photo by Kamil Szumotalski on Unsplash

Holy Week Blog: Easter Sunday

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Today is the final day of our daily blog posts for Holy Week

Thank you for joining us and we hope that you have found these posts helpful and informative.

Contributed by Christian members of the Faith and Spirituality Team.

As soon as the Sabbath was over, at dawn, the women gathered to return to Jesus’ tomb with the intention of anointing his body and wrapping it in a shroud. But when they got to the tomb, they discovered it had been opened. Jesus was not there! The accounts of this discovery vary in the different gospels. Mark tells us the women saw a young man dressed in white, who told them to go tell the disciples that Jesus had been raised from the dead and they were terrified; Matthew’s gospel tells us first an angel appeared to the women and then Jesus himself, telling them to go tell the disciples. In Luke’s two men appear to the women and tell them to go tell the others and much later Jesus appears to them all; and in John’s gospel there is quite a bit of toing and froing, with Mary Magdalene first discovering the empty tomb, returning to get two disciples to have a look. They can’t figure it out and leave. Then as she stands weeping at the tomb, Jesus appears to her. What actually happened we will never know. But in the days to follow, in various ways, people thought they saw him and they seemed to know that Jesus was still with them; and in this knowledge their sorrow turned to joy and they knew they were forgiven for the ways they had let Jesus down. You can read these accounts in the final chapters of each of the gospels.

Christians today believe the resurrection of Jesus was all about the power of love. Jesus lived a life of complete love and his continuing presence in the lives of those who follow him reveals that love is so powerful nothing can defeat it, even death. Resurrection also points to a basic principle of life: good can come out of even the most tragic of circumstances. Dawn follows even the darkest of nights.

In churches, Christians will celebrate with singing, music, shouts of “Christ is risen! Alleluia!” and with joy unbounded! From the Iona Community’s Stages on the Way:

A Prayer for Easter Day

Lord God,
Early in the morning
when the world was young,
you made life in all its beauty and terror;
you gave birth to all that we know.
Hallowed be your name.

Early in the morning,
when the world least expected it,
a newborn child crying in a cradle
announced that you had come among us,
that you were one of us.
Hallowed be your name.

Early in the morning,
surrounded by respectable liars,
religious leaders,
anxious statesmen
and silent friends,
you accepted the penalty for doing good:
you shouldered and suffered the cross.
Hallowed be your name.

Early in the morning,
a voice in a graveyard
and footsteps in the dew
proved that you had risen,
that you had come back to those and for those
who had forgotten, denied and destroyed you.
Hallowed be your name.

This morning
in the multi-coloured company
of your church on earth and in heaven,
we celebrate your creation, your life,
your death and resurrection,
and your love for us and all the world.

So we pray,
Bring new life,
where we are worn and tired;
New love,
where we have turned hard-hearted;
Forgiveness,
where we feel hurt and where we have wounded;
And the joy and freedom of your Spirit,
where we are prisoners of ourselves.

Thank you God,
that dawn comes after darkest night
and we can begin again. Alleluia!
Amen

Painting of Jesus tomb at dawn. Mary Magdeleine is shown in awe at finding the tomb empty and only emitting light. Trees are shown in the background. Painting by Shirley J. Veater

Easter Dawn II. Painting by Shirley J. Veater

The material from Iona comes from Stages on the Way, 1998. Copyright(c) WGRG, Iona community, Glasgow Scotland. wilgooselscotland. Reproduced with permission.

Artworks by Shirley Veater used with grateful thanks. www.shirleyveaterdesigns.co.uk