Fasting and how to fast
The way of fasting in captivity and its problems compared to the time prior to captivity.
Doubtless, to a devout Muslim nothing sounds more pleasurable than fasting in Ramadan. Fasting in a situation where a person is free and independent and means of comfort and peace are provided, cannot be compared to fasting in captivity.
Fasting in captivity
According to the prisoners of the war imposed by Iraq on Iran, perhaps it can be said that the most difficult days during captivity were those o0f the holy month of Ramadan. In this month, the problems of the captives intensified and it would be impossible to bear them unless one had recourse to God. In addition to hunger and thirst, the captives had to endure the problems of captivity and conflict with the Iraqis, and for this reason, they believed that the reward for their fasting would be many times more than the days before their captivity.
Believing that Iranians were formerly fire worshippers and had been converted to Islam by force during the war with the Arabs, the Iraqis did not approve of the fasting of captives and were opposed to this practice to some extent. Therefore, the Iranian officials of each camp, on behalf of all prisoners, sat down to negotiate with the commander of the camp before the start of the holy month of Ramadan in order to convince them.
During the month of Ramadan, the Iraqis used to distribute food among the prisoners at the appointed times, morning, noon and night; Therefore, they had to keep the food rations inside the sanatorium without any heating or cooling devices in the hot weather of Iraq. On the other hand, the amount of food was very small, and the body of the prisoners required the same small amount of food to provide the minimum energy necessary for survival, and it was absolutely a sine qua non to them. On the other hand, the food was of low quality. The food, which was left in the hot and steaming atmosphere of the sanatorium from noon to evening and was not of good quality, was decayed most of the time. By eating that food, the captives would get diarrhea, which could easily kill them.
In such a situation, the prisoners consulted with each other and tried to come up with solutions. Some people believed that fasting was not advisable in that situation, but many people did not agree with this opinion. Making a decision about quitting an obligatory act and that too in the conditions of captivity was not a cinch, and finally, the decision was to continue fasting and endure its hardships.
The excruciating heat of Iraq during Ramadan was very problematic. Thirst came over the fasting prisoners. Sometimes the temperature was so high that people prostrated themselves with their shirts up rolled up and on the cold floor of sanatorium to cool down a bit, or they fanned each other with towels. Sometimes it happened that the fasting prisoner passed out due to the intense heat, so that his friends were forced to fan him together to make him feel a little better, quite undaunted the fasting prisoners would carry on [1]
The rituals of Ramadan during captivity and recommended practices
During the morning prayer, the captives felt very eager and excited about Sahary.
A large table was set in the middle of the hospital and everyone ate breakfast together away from the eyes of the Iraqis. There was always someone on guard, lest the Iraqi soldiers might learn about the secret activities of the captives. If the Iraqi soldiers found out, they would mess up the Sahary and Eftary table. From a few months before the beginning of Ramadan, the captives would spare dehydrated milk, sugar and other food items such as dry bread, which could be stored, and during Ramadan, with their own domestic methods and tools, they would bake sweets and halva ..etc.
The captives said the Grace, the Dawn prayer and the other prayers of Ramadan together. At the time of the Evening call to prayer, while they were quite exhausted, they made the preparations for breaking the fast. They broke their fast with milk or warm water. In order not to provoke the Iraqis, they did the night praying alone and after the Iraqi soldiers went to their posts and the area around the sanatorium became quiet, they did group programs. Most of the nights of Ramadan, the captives kept a vigil saying prayers.[2]
In some camps which were not registered by the Red Cross, such as Tikrit 12 and 16, at first it was a crime to have the Quran, but after a year, especially at the end of 1989, they gave one volume of the Quran to each asylum, but this small number of the Quran did not meet the needs of the prisoners. . They obtained the Quran by consultation or with the help of one or two Iraqi soldiers who cooperated with them from time to time, or the prisoners who had memorized the Quran, wrote the verses on cigarette wrappings or on the cover of detergents .
The situation was a little better in the camps visited by the Red Cross. The prisoners asked the representatives of the Red Cross for the Quran and it was provided to them. In this month, there was hardly any opportunity to recite the Quran. Because there were not enough volumes of the Quran and everyone was willing to access one. Inevitably, they took turns to use the Qurans. During this month, a number of prisoners memorized the entire Qur'an or memorized the verses and chapters that they could. Iraqis were not sensitive to the recital of the Qur'an in a low voice, and many prisoners finished reciting the Qur'an at least once and some several times during the month of Ramadan. During this month, all other classes, including English, were called off, and instead, classes such as Tajweed( the correct or accepted pronunciation) of the Qur'an, rules and ethics, which dealt with spirituality of the captives, were held.
The spiritual effect of fasting on the body and mind of prisoners
The captives became entranced in the nights of Qadr and a strange spiritual connection would be established between them and God, the effects of which would linger in their souls for a long time. The month of Ramadan was the month of self-improvement and purging for the prisoners. Most of them made a vow at the beginning of this month and strove to keep it. In one of the mentioned cases, as quoted from the diary of a captive:
"One of the captives used to dust everyone's shoes and made them tidy before entering the asylum during Ramadan."[1]
Collective praying was a sedative that rendered the prisoners immune to the Iraqis and mitigated their mental and physical pressures. The captives tried to outdo each other in order to endure the torture. They prayers and incantations together and shed tears together. In the Nights of Qadr, along with collective mourning and recital of the Qur'an, spirits were strengthened and a meeting of minds formed as their hearts were filled with patience.[2]
The prisoners tried not to even talk unnecessarily, and as far as possible, tried to abstain from worldly affairs and to get themselves lost into a world of spiritual abstraction. Because of this, conversations and socializing were very limited in this month.[1]
One of the most beautiful manifestations of fasting during captivity was observing the sky and its stars. A few prisoners had seen the night sky. In recent years, given the poor quality of food and the outbreak of diseases, the Iraqis agreed to the proposal of food being cooked by the prisoners themselves, and at night, ten people were selected from each asylum to receive the food from the kitchen. In this way, the opportunity to observe the sky at night was provided to some captives, and many of the captives were more eager to see the night starry sky than popping down to Eftary.[3]
Not only did the captives start fasting before the arrival of Ramadan, but also fasted on Mondays and Thursdays after the end of Ramadan according to Imam Khomeiny`s recommendation. Fasting increased their patience and resistance to such an extent that the Iraqis also realized this little by little, as time went by, they abated their restrictions regarding fasting and somehow relented.[4]
See also
Bibliography
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Abdullahi, Sarafraz (2014). The wound of love Tehran: Payam Azadegan
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ashna, Qadir (2013). familiar times Tehran: Payam Azadegan
- ↑ Khobnejad, Fariborz (2018). Interview. Dated 13 September 2018.
- ↑ Sharifi, Ismail (1378). Transformation in captivity. Prisoners of War Administration Commission, Tehran: Ramin Publishing Cultural Institute
To read more
Khaji, Ali (1391). Description of cages, prisoner of war camps. Tehran: Payam Azadegan.
Dai, Ali (2007). Violation of the rights of Iranian prisoners of war and the international responsibility of the Iraqi government. Tehran: Payam Azadegan.
Zikriai, Maryam Sadat (2014). Is it possible to escape from here? Diary of Ali Ahedinejad, second chapter. Tehran: Aminan.
Semnan Province LCs Headquarters (1374). Asemaneh Tehran: Islamic Propaganda Organization's art field.
Azizi, Mojtaba (2009). "A glimpse of the conditions of Iranian prisoners in Iraq." Tehran: Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences.
Askari, Shadab (2014). The captivity of kindness, the narrative of honor and authority. Tehran: Ateshbar, affiliated with the Organization of Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Values of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.
Mohammadi Yingjah, Abdullah (2014). Imperceptible intrusion and psychological warfare in captivity. Ardabil: Line eight.
Maryam Sadat Zakariyayee