Once again it is time to wish our readers a blessed Ramadan. The ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, Ramadan is the month during which the Prophet Muhammad received the revelations from Allah which became the Qur’an.  Ramadan is a time to fast from dawn to sundown, as well as to refrain from smoking, sexual relations, immoral behavior and thoughts. It is a time for increased prayer and spiritual reflection, and for feeding the poor among us. It is a time for charity and a time to give thanks for what we have.

President Barack Obama shared this message this week with American Muslims:

“As Ramadan begins, Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world.  Ramadan is a festive time that is anticipated for months by Muslims everywhere. 

 “Families and communities share the happiness of gathering together for iftar and prayers. Bazaars light up the night in many cities from Rabat to Jakarta.  And here in the United States, Muslim Americans share Ramadan traditions with their neighbors, fellow students, and co-workers. 

“For so many Muslims around the world, Ramadan is also a time of deep reflection and sacrifice. As in other faiths, fasting is used to increase spirituality, discipline, and consciousness of God’s mercy.  It is also a reminder of the importance of reaching out to those less fortunate.  The heartbreaking accounts of lost lives and the images of families and children in Somalia and the Horn of Africa struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and compel us to act.  Now is the time for nations and peoples to come together to avert an even worse catastrophe by offering support and assistance to on-going relief efforts.

 “Times like this remind us of the lesson of all great faiths, including Islam — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  In that spirit, I wish Muslims around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House.” 

The first known iftar at the White House took place more than 200 years ago. It took place on December 9, 1805, and host President Thomas Jefferson’s guest was Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, an envoy from the bey (chieftain) of Tunis, who spent six months in Washington. The context of Mellimelli’s visit to the United States was a tense dispute over piracy on American merchant vessels by the Barbary states and the capture of Tunisian vessels trying to run an American blockade of Tripoli.

Mellimelli arrived during Ramadan, and Jefferson, when he invited the envoy to the president’s house, changed the meal time from the usual hour of 3:30 p.m. to “precisely at sunset” in deference to the man’s religious obligation.

Jefferson’s knowledge of Islam likely came from his legal studies of natural law. In 1765, Jefferson purchased a two-volume English translation of the Qur’an for his personal library, a collection that became, in 1815, the basis of the modern Library of Congress.

This year Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer issued Ramadan greetings to Michigan’s Muslims, as did many other elected officials, including State Rep. George Darany, who serves Dearborn in the Michigan legislature. 

Ramadan Kareem.