Israel’s Sharia court chief: Ramadan is an opportunity to strengthen our partnership – interview

What is Ramadan? I asked Iyad Zahalka, Qadi at the High Sharia Court of Appeals in Israel, the highest court of appeals in the array of Sharia courts in Israel, and director of the Sharia Courts in Israel.

“Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar. The Quran commanded Muslims to fast during this month due to its sanctity, since according to Muslim tradition, this is the month in which the Quran was brought to the lower heavens by Allah in preparation for its revelation to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.”

Zahalka, 55, was born in Kafr Kara in the Wadi Ara area in the North. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University and earned his master’s degree and doctorate from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

He also served as a lecturer in both universities and today, he lectures at Bar-Ilan University and the Academic Center for Law and Science, teaching courses on Islamic society and family in Israel. He has authored five books in English, Hebrew, and Arabic, all on Sharia law in the modern world.

History of Sharia courts

The Sharia courts, going back to Ottoman times, have the authority to discuss matters of personal status, religious endowments (‘Waqf’), domestic violence, religious conversions, marriage and divorce, alimony, custody, and inheritance.

“Fasting during Ramadan (‘Sawm’) is the third of the five fundamental commandments of Islam,” [the others being: ‘Shahadah’ (bearing witness that Allah is the only God and that Muhammad is his messenger), ‘Salat’ (prayer), ‘Zakat’ (almsgiving), and ‘Hajj’ (making pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in every Muslim’s lifetime).”

“Fasting in Ramadan is an important commandment with a deep religious dimension in the Muslim religious faith, says Zahalka. The Quran says that fasting establishes awe of heaven in the hearts of believers. Another aspect of fasting is that it pushes people to transcend the material world, its desires and passions, and move to a world of modesty, purity, spirituality, and soul. A world where they can approach Allah and dedicate themselves to Allah.”

“Ramadan also encourages honest behavior. We are taught that Allah rejects fasting if it involves speaking ill, telling lies, or committing crimes and sins. Fasting is supposed to make a person honest and decent, and all his actions and thoughts should be based on faith in Allah.”

“Finally, Ramadan is deemed the month of good deeds. We are encouraged to show compassion, give charity, behave benevolently, and help the needy and the weak. It’s both between humans and fellow humans – and between humans and Allah.”

Why does Ramadan start on different days in different countries?

“The Islamic calendar is similar to the Jewish calendar in that it’s a lunar one following the moon, but it also differs from the modern Jewish calendar in that it does not rely on astronomical calculations, but rather on observing the new moon and announcing before a Sharia court.”

“As the end of the month of Sha’ban approaches, religious jurisdictions begin looking for sightings of the new moon to determine when the new month, and thus the fast, begins. This is also relevant for the end of the month and the determination of the timing of Eid Al-Fitr.”

“There are different schools of thought in Sharia law regarding the sighting of the new moon. Some say it has to be seen by the naked eye in a specific place; others hold that it’s enough for it to have been seen somewhere on earth, and more.”

Are there also political aspects to the announcement of the beginning of Ramadan?

“I don’t think that politics are involved in this decision. It all stems from the differences of the religious schools of thought.”

What are the main customs?

“Aside from the well-known commandment of fasting from sunrise to sunset, and the Iftar meal which breaks the fast, there are also additional prayers named ‘Tarawih,’ or ‘prayers of rest.’ We add them as a group prayer after we break the fast. Then there’s also more focus on reading the Quran, giving ‘Zakat,’ and more.”

“We congratulate each other by saying ‘Ramadan Karim,’ which means ‘generous Ramadan.’ This is due to both the aforementioned point of giving charity and Allah’s generosity in rewarding good deeds. There is also a custom of distributing dates, which stems from the tradition that the Prophet broke the fast with dates due to their nutritional benefits.”

“Finally, there is Laylat Al-Qadr, recognized as the very night in which the Quran was brought down from the highest heaven. It is said that it’s ‘better than a thousand months’ and that it’s the night in which the destinies of men are decided. It takes place sometime in the last ten nights of Ramadan, with most commentators agreeing that it is the night of the 27th of Ramadan.”

Are there any customs unique to Israel?

“In Israel, Jews, Muslims, Druze, Christians of all faiths live as citizens of the country. The beauty of this month is that there is more and more openness and recognition, especially in Jewish society, for the month of Ramadan and its values. Governmental and public actors honor the month and host joint Iftar meals. This is very important; it brings people together and unites people in faith.”

“There are also all kinds of popular customs that accompany the month, which differ from place to place. There’s the Ramadan cannon in Jerusalem, which is fired every day to signify the end of the fast, and there are Ramadan processions led by youth in different towns. They all have the same goal, which is to indicate the month’s importance, and they’re all welcome, of course, as long as it is suitable for maintaining public order.”

What would you say to those who view Ramadan as a source of tension or reason to cause provocations?

“The month of Ramadan should be a holy month, a month of faith, worship, observance, and tolerance. It should be kept as such, as a holy month.”

“We are all citizens of the same country, and we should know each other and get closer to each other. There is much in common between Judaism and Islam in ideology, belief, and religion, and Ramadan is an opportunity to get closer and strengthen our partnership.”

“We must make an effort to get to know the other, their faith and their beliefs. This can lower tension, stress, and suspiciousness between people, which needs to be done today, too.”