Ramadan

by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi, Omar Rayyan (Illustrator)

"Ramadan Mubarak!"

"Have a blessed and happy Ramadan!"

Every year, Muslims all over the world celebrate the coming of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. It was during that month, fourteen centuries ago, that Allah first began revealing the holy book of Islam, the Quran, to Muhammed.

Hakeem and his family observe Ramadan carefully. They do not eat or drink anything during the day. Instead they get together before dawn to share a special meal called Suhur. After sundown, they break their fast by eating a big family meal called Iftar.

But Ramadan is more than a month for fasting. It is also a time for Hakeem to reflect on his actions, give to charity, and pray at his mosque--a time for him to celebrate his faith, Islam.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Religion, Islam, Childrens, Cultural, Middle Grade

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

Suhaib Hamid Ghazi is the author of three previous [to the picture book "Ramadan"] books, which form part of The Prophets of Allah series published by Iqra.' Mr. Ghazi was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and later moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he lived for six years. A recent graduate of the University of Redlands, Mr. Ghazi majored in both Political Science and Business Administration. He now works for American Express Financial Advisers and lives in Skokie, Illinois.

Reviews

[Zana]

Between children's books and trolling Wikipedia for basic knowledge I should have learned in elementary school but didn't, children's books always win.

[Ayman Fadel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is good to introduce a non-Muslim youth audience to fasting during the month of Ramadan. The best part of the book is the illustrations by Omar Rayyan.

I do have several criticisms of the text, some of which could be fixed in a new edition and others which could not.

The biggest problem which a new edition could not fix is the poor use of a fictional narration for a non-fiction text. Goodreads reviewer Jim Marsh wrote:

A non-fiction book that was altered to fit a fictive storyline, the addition of Hakeem and his family seem un-natural. While there are many important bits of information to be gathered from this book, and there are some strikingly beautiful illustrations within, I would have thought a lot more highly of it had they not tried to force these flat, almost anonymous characters in.

There is a helpful glossary at the end.

While there are many important details included, there is some omission and some misinformation. These could be fixed in a second edition.

Omissions/Statements Open to Misinterpretation:

In explaining the lunar calendar, to my mind it is essential to explain that the use of the lunar calendar means that a Muslim, if he/she lives 30 odd years as an adult, will fast Ramadan during all the different temperate zone seasons and that, depending on distance and direction from the equator, the length of day will vary. Now I'm hoping the author could come up with a less technical way of saying that. Perhaps the author could have put the child Hakeem into a specific season, such as North American fall, playing little league basketball after sunset. Then the parent could say something like, "My favorite sport was tennis, and when I began fasting, Ramadan was in the summer months, and I had to start my practice at 6:00 am before it got too hot and I could not play any tournaments." Then, the spouse could be from a sub-tropical country, like northern Nigeria, and she could say something like, "When I wrote to my parents explaining that the day in our city was 15 hours long, they wrote back saying, 'Haɓa, child, that makes no sense!'."
While Muslims may break the fast with a date, there is certainly no requirement to do so, and I'm sure most Muslims break the fast with whatever's available.
The description of the suhur meal is way too vast for the typical household. For example, this morning, I ate a peach, cantaloupe and cheese and drank water, and that was it. I don't think most families wake up one hour in advance to cook a full-blown meal at suhur. A similar point could be made about the description of the meal after sunset. Muslims in different places will eat according to their means and preferences.
The day begins at sunset.
The aya in the Qur'an mentioning the white and black thread is metaphorical, according to the interpreters I've read. I'm worried a reader might think a Muslim is required to have a white and black thread in hand to determine dawn.
There is a little bit of propaganda: "When the slaves were set free, most of them became Muslim themselves and helped to free other slaves."

Inaccuracies

Nobody looks for the moon on the 27th night. Every lunar month is 29 or 30 days. After the 29th day, people look for the moon. If they see it, the previous month ended the day before and they are now in the first night of the new month. Otherwise, the new month begins after the sunset of the day following that night. You never need to "return the next night." Whoever revises this book should become familiar with the rules of yawm al-shakk.
Fasting begins from dawn, not sunrise. This is the difference between the terms fajr and shuruuq.

Despite these inaccuracies, given the paucity of children's literature about Muslims and Islam, this is still good for public libraries and schools.

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[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give this book two stars for illustrations. Otherwise, this is not representing the true fasting of Ramadhan from the Qur’an. The Quran says that fasting was prescribed for us as it was for people of the past. Not one example in the Quran of fasting is from food and drink. Every example is of people abstaining from TALKING. That is what we are to abstain from in Ramadhan. Maryam and Zechariah have fasts from talking. It really doesn’t make sense either in Arabia to abstain from food and drink. People would die and it would be very dangerous. Also the Quranic calendar is solar not lunar. Ramadhan occurs in the autumn equinox every year when day and night are equal. Please check out Brother Mehdi’s YouTube on Islamic fast and calendar… lost truths of Islam is his channel. Thank you

[Jim March · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is filled with fact-based, significant information about the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, known as Ramadan. While Ghazi does a workmanlike job of passing along pertinent details about this holiday, as well as other important aspect of the Muslim faith, he makes a poor effort to turn this into a narrative about a boy named Hakeem and his family. A non-fiction book that was altered to fit a fictive storyline, the addition of Hakeem and his family seem un-natural. While there are many important bits of information to be gathered from this book, and there are some strikingly beautiful illustrations within, I would have thought a lot more highly of it had they not tried to force these flat, almost anonymous characters in.

Appropriate for early grade-school, 1-4. There is no protagonist. There is no non-print format.

[Ladyphase · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an adult, I liked it alot. I read some reviews that were more critical than I am about it. The illustrations are beautiful. There are various details about Islam that have different opinions. It is a children's book, so they have to simplify some things and decide to leave some details out.

As it is, there is too much text and detail for younger children and those with shorter attention spans. Personally, I think Hakeem was a nice touch. Without him, it's just another nonfiction book. I do agree the book is a little "textbook" heavy on details and that can make things dry.

I wonder if we don't expect too much out of a single children's book. I've seen reviews that wanted MORE technical detail. Others complain Hakeem is one dimensional and the book is too long. Can't please everyone.

[Ariel Ortiz]

After reading "Salam: A Muslim-American Boy's Story" and providing your students with an introduction to the faith of Islam, "Ramadan" is an excellent book to zoom in on one of the most important traditions in the faith of Islam. It allows for students to begin to to understand the meaning behind religious traditions and how rituals, such as fasting are used as a means of connecting with whatever higher powers a religious person believes in. If there are any muslim students in your class, this book will also help them to begin to express why their family takes part in ramadan and the meaning behind it for them. "Ramadan" is a great read aloud for conversation around religious practices and ritual.

[Susanna Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had this book to read when I was a child. It is a lovely illustrated story about the blessings of the Ramadan holiday. It explains the belief and traditions through a Muslim family celebration. Beautiful.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this engaging, gracefully written, concise book to all. I love that it was mostly non-fiction, but did include a character with whom the reader could identify to better help us non-Muslims understand. And there's so much to understand, so much that I never learned in my other readings about Ramadan. I have now, for example, a better understanding of why it still counts as fasting, even though feasting happens before and after the day. I love that it does nor propagandize, but actually respectfully compares w/ other religions a bit. Etc. Glossary included.

Caveat that I did find this note in Ayman Fadel's review:

"Nobody looks for the moon on the 27th night. Every lunar month is 29 or 30 days. After the 29th day, people look for the moon. If they see it, the previous month ended the day before and they are now in the first night of the new month. Otherwise, the new month begins after the sunset of the day following that night. You never need to "return the next night." Whoever revises this book should become familiar with the rules of yawm al-shakk.
Fasting begins from dawn, not sunrise. This is the difference between the terms fajr and shuruuq."

Well, both author and reviewer were a bit too free with 'everyone' and 'nobody.' Maybe the author's family looks on the 27th day as a family tradition, perhaps to get used to being up & about after dark. For example.

It's not a perfect book, but I appreciated how much I learned, and how it was so easy and enjoyable to do so.

[Michael Morley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an amazing story about the history of the month of Ramadan, but with beautiful pictures, it shows the reader how happy and exciting Ramadan can be for those who celebrate it. This shows readers how important Ramadan is, and why Muslims have been celebrating it for over 1,400 years. The story follows Hakeem, a young boy who sometimes has difficult times fasting, but it all worth it in the end to be with friends and family that are doing it do. Ramadan shows how important religion is to many cultures and how important it is to pass on their traditions to one another and to their children.

[G Baumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview of Ramadan suitable for upper elementary and early middle school readers.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to read to children if you want them to learn about Ramadan. The illustrations were beautiful.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, not just of the child and his family, but of the Islamic design elements throughout. Terrific introduction to Ramadan for young and old alike.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the comparisons to Christian and Jewish components of faith.

[Luca]

Very pretty watercolor illustrations; intro-level informative for a non-Muslim. I read with a Muslim friend present, and it was nice to be able to ask clarifying or personalizing questions.

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and accessible. I recognize it’s a very brief introduction, but that’s more than a lot of kids ever get to other religions.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book picked up to past the time but saw haters in the comments?????? Clearly people did not understand that Ramadan is about love

[MaryJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely introduction to Ramadan from one family's perspective. I love the borders around the illustrations.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Describes the celebration of the month of Ramadan by an Islamic family and discusses the meaning and importance of this holiday in the Islamic religion.

[Latifa Awad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Non- Fiction/ Culture/ Informational Books

This book explains a holy month of Muslims. The ninth month of the Muslim's calendar, Ramadan. The book gives a lot of details about what Muslims do during this month. In this month Muslims have to fast in the daytime and break their fast in the night. As the book explains, fasting is not the only component in Ramadan. Muslims are also required to give charity and to share food with friends, family, and poor people. The book also states the people that are excluded from fasting and will have to make up the fast later. Throughout the book, different cultures are seen in celebrating Ramadan. Near the end of the book, the author describes how this month is celebrated in different parts of the world. Although people have different languages, different styles of dressing, and look different, they all are celebrating the end of Ramadan. The story is interesting and provides a variety of things to think about. The book includes realistic characters, and the illustrations enhance the story. There is a wide variety of cultural groups shown in the illustrations and all the cultural are represented in a positive manner. The author is Muslim, and this helps give an emic perspective of the Ramadan. The book is good to be included when talking about celebrating different cultural around the world, because Islam is the second largest religion in the world and people from all different cultures observe Ramadan. I would recommend this book for grades 3 and up.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good basic introduction to the Ramadan holiday for readers who know nothing about it. The text is a bit dry, but I enjoyed the description of the midnight feasts with family. Mostly I appreciated the illustrations, which are lovely. Anyone familiar with the Cambridge, MA mosque that can be spied walking from Central Sq. to Inman Sq. should recognize some of the motif details immediately. This is a good book for non-Muslim parents to begin an investigation of how to explain Ramadan to young children. Again, the text is dry, so I don't heartily recommend it for story time. However, the author put in enough to spark questions about Muhammed, Islam and the holiday. Again, it's a solid start to a conversation, but I wouldn't use it just by itself for instruction.

[Cassandra Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was all about the holiday that is celebrated by Muslims, called Ramadan. I found it to not only be multi-cultural but informative and fun as well! I really liked all of the pictures and the glossary that was in the back of the book. I found the glossary very helpful when I was trying to go back and review what I had read. I also really liked how the traditions of Ramadan through the life of a young boy whose family celebrates Ramadan. I think that this would a great book to read to a classroom and help children learn about different cultures.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story describes a young Muslim boy named Hakeem and his experiences during the holiday Ramadan. I think this is a fantastic book because it is very realistic and has engaging illustrations. It gives examples of Arabic terms and describes the diversity of Islam without perpetuating stereotypes. I think it is appropriate for read-alouds, but it is slightly lengthy and would most likely appeal to older children.

[Amanda Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good read for children who are learning about Ramadan or who are learning about different cultures (or their own really). It was a very quick read, I read it in less than 20 minutes.

It is written very 'matter of fact' which is good for the audience it is geared towards (children) and the artwork is fantastic! I would buy a copy of this for the art alone.

Overall it was a pretty good book and a very good basic introduction to Ramadan.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty cool book for children about Ramadan. The writing wasn't too engaging, but I knew almost nothing about this holiday, so it was interesting nonetheless. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful, with stunning borders in a traditional Middle Eastern style framing each illustration. It won a Carter G. Woodson Book Award in 1997.

[Abbi Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a really clear and unbiased explaination of the month of Ramadan. I liked how it follows a child through a typical day during Ramadan, and how the child must fast even if he is very hungry. It also answers questions a child might ask: "Do babies have to fast during Ramadan?" "What if everyone else gets a snack?" This is a great resource!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Thought it was a really nice way to explain Ramadan to kids, esp b/c of the gorgeous watercolor illustrations by Omar Rayyan. School Library Journal recommends it be paired with another book I've read called "Magrid Fasts for Ramadan" (Clarion, 1996).

[GoldenjoyBazyll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a boy named Hakeem and his family and how they celebrate Ramadan. The book explains how Muslim families follow the lunar calendar, what are thier customs and meanings of those customs during Ramadan. It is a very nice book to include in any children's library!

[Laura]

This book talks about Ramadan, the holiest month in the Muslim lunar year. It gives some background information about Islam and then goes on to explain the holy month. The story refers back to a boy named Hakeem and his family to illustrate what is typically done during Ramadan.

[Rose Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great resource for teachers to introduce Muslim/Islam culture. It is well put together and has a glossary at the end. It is done from a boy in a family who is celebrating Ramadan. It is helpful in understanding this culture.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since we are in the month of Ramadan I figured I needed to know more. All I knew was no eating from Sun up to Sun down. I really enjoyed it! The pictures are interesting and informative! Assalamu alaikum