Muslim fast of Ramadan begins today

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- With the first ray of dawn this morning came the start of

the Muslim fast of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during whichMuslims

abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from the break of

dawn to sunset.

Through the fast, Muslims hope to learn discipline, self-restraint and

generosity.

For the Pierstorff family of Costa Mesa, it is an exciting and spiritual

time.

“It’s incredible,” said 25-year-old Ahmed Pierstorff. “You go through an

entire year doing things right and more often than not doing wrong -- and

[Ramadan] gives you a chance to right those wrongs through willful

abstinence.”

Through that abstinence, he said, senses are heightened.

“You become so much more aware of how even the most benign things can

lead to impurity. You become so aware of the importance of being able to

have a meal,” Pierstorff said.

Besides the fasting -- one of the “five pillars” of Islam, along with

declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca --

Muslims abstain from intimate relations as well as curtail their speech

during this time.

“A lot of what gets people in trouble is their tongue, through idle

conversation, backbiting and gossip,” he said. “So we make sure the

things we say are good and wholesome.”

The month of Ramadan begins with the sight of the new moon in the ninth

month of the lunar calendar. The next dawn begins the fasting.

“At one time, a thread was placed in the east. As soon as you can see it

-- it’s dawn,” said Ahmed’s father, Don. “Once you can no longer see it,

it’s sunset.”

During Ramadan, the fast is traditionally broken with dates, water and

bread, Don Pierstorff said. In his family, a feast often follows the

traditional fare.

At the end of Ramadan begins Eid ul-Fitr, or the festival of

fast-breaking. It is a time of relaxation and celebration, in which

presents are exchanged.

As the father of seven children ranging in ages from 11 to 42, Don

Pierstorff said it is impossible for the whole family to be together. But

during this month, they try to pray together, he said.

Don Pierstorff was not always Muslim. He became interested in Islam in

1970 when he was working on his doctorate at USC. He was teaching

rhetoric and linguistics at the American Language Institute, where the

students in the English as a Second Language program were primarily from

Arabic countries.

Don Pierstorff said he felt he could better teach the students if he

could reach them on a cultural level.

“As I started reading, I realized that this was for me,” he said.

After that, his children were raised in the Islamic traditions. Ahmed

Pierstorff, however, said he has consciously been a Muslim for about four

years.

“So my first [Ramadan] seemed like a punishment. Now it is such an

incredible cleansing,” he said. “You become acutely aware of how fallible

we are -- how much we take for granted.”