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Ramadan in Java : The Joy and Jihad of Ritual Fasting

Möller, André LU (2005) In Lund Studies in History of Religions 20.
Abstract
FASTING DURING THE holy month of Ramadan is both a joy and a jihad for the Islamic community in Java, and it is arguably the most highly esteemed Muslim ritual in Indonesia (and beyond). To be given the opportunity to abstain from food, drink and sexual relations from the early morning hours until sunset during an entire month in a tropical climate - only to fill the nights with additional and supererogatory Ramadanic rituals - is thus waited upon each year and seen as a true blessing. This is, according to the Javanese, what rightly can be denoted as the "greater jihad." It is thus a struggle or exertion (jihad) that is both harder and more important within Islam than the "lesser jihad", or physical warfare, and it is directed towards... (More)
FASTING DURING THE holy month of Ramadan is both a joy and a jihad for the Islamic community in Java, and it is arguably the most highly esteemed Muslim ritual in Indonesia (and beyond). To be given the opportunity to abstain from food, drink and sexual relations from the early morning hours until sunset during an entire month in a tropical climate - only to fill the nights with additional and supererogatory Ramadanic rituals - is thus waited upon each year and seen as a true blessing. This is, according to the Javanese, what rightly can be denoted as the "greater jihad." It is thus a struggle or exertion (jihad) that is both harder and more important within Islam than the "lesser jihad", or physical warfare, and it is directed towards one's own self and worldly desires.



Taking into consideration that this month of fasting is of such immense importance to Muslims in Java and elsewhere, it is rather surprising to see how little scholarly activity it has caused. Indeed, the academic attention directed towards Islamic rituals in general has been rather unsubstantial, and Ramadanic fasting makes no exception in this respect.



Ramadan in Java: The Joy and Jihad of Ritual Fasting aims at reducing this gap in the literature on Islamic cultures, and provides its readers with ways of approaching and understanding Ramadan - and various different Islamic phenomena - in Indonesia and in other parts of the Muslim world. It is argued that we preferably may approach Islam from three different angles, that is, to discuss it from the normative, the written, and the lived perspectives respectively. In this study, thorough attention is thus directed not only to the classical and normative Islamic texts and the lived reality in Java, but also to the popular and contemporary Indonesian literature on Ramadan. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Att fasta under ramadan är både en glädje och ett jihad för det muslimska samfundet i Java, och fastan är utan tvekan den mest aktade ritualen i det muslimska Indonesien (och på andra håll i den muslimska världen). Att avhålla sig från mat, dryck och sexuella relationer från gryning till skymning i en hel månad i ett tropiskt klimat - och att fylla nätterna med extra frivilliga ritualer - ses sålunda som en fantastisk möjlighet och en sann välsignelse. Enligt javaneserna, är det detta som med rätta kan benämnas det "stora jihad". Det är sålunda en kamp eller ansträngning (jihad) som är både svårare och mer central inom islam än det "mindre jihad", eller det fysiska kriget, och den riktas i första... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Att fasta under ramadan är både en glädje och ett jihad för det muslimska samfundet i Java, och fastan är utan tvekan den mest aktade ritualen i det muslimska Indonesien (och på andra håll i den muslimska världen). Att avhålla sig från mat, dryck och sexuella relationer från gryning till skymning i en hel månad i ett tropiskt klimat - och att fylla nätterna med extra frivilliga ritualer - ses sålunda som en fantastisk möjlighet och en sann välsignelse. Enligt javaneserna, är det detta som med rätta kan benämnas det "stora jihad". Det är sålunda en kamp eller ansträngning (jihad) som är både svårare och mer central inom islam än det "mindre jihad", eller det fysiska kriget, och den riktas i första hand mot individens inre och de egna världsliga begären.



Med tanke på den otroliga vikt muslimer världen över tillmäter den årliga fastan under ramadan, är det mäkta förvånanden hur lite forskning den har orsakat. Muslimska ritualer i allmänhet har bara studerats sporadiskt av västerländska forskare, och ramadan utgör knappast något undantag från denna generella princip.



Ramadan in Java: The Joy and Jihad of Ritual Fasting söker minska denna lucka i forskningen om muslimska kulturer, och tillhandahåller sina läsare med metoder att närma sig och förstå ramadan - och andra muslimska fenomen - i Indonesien och i andra delar av den muslimska världen. En av bokens teser är att vi kan och bör närma oss islam och muslimska fenomen från tre vinklar: den normativa, den skriftliga och den levda. Sålunda riktas uppmärksamhet i boken inte bara till de klassiska och normative muslimska texterna och den levda verkligheten i Java, utan också den samtida och populära indonesiska litteraturen om ramadan. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Prof. Hjärpe, Jan, Lund University
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
traweh, tarawih, holy month, Blora, Yogyakarta, anthropology, lived Islam, written Islam, normative Islam, jihad, Muslim ritual, Java, Muslim, religion, Indonesia, Islam in Indonesia, Islam in Java, Ramadan, fasting, slametan, ruwahan, Non-Christian religions, Världsreligioner (ej kristendom)
in
Lund Studies in History of Religions
volume
20
pages
451 pages
publisher
Almqvist & Wiksell International
defense location
Hörsal 128, Stora Algatan 4, Lund
defense date
2005-05-25 10:15:00
ISSN
1103-4882
ISBN
91-22-02116-7
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: General History and Anthropology of Religions (015017030)
id
bf474772-5dec-4334-b999-eb6a7437ee93 (old id 25058)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:36:43
date last changed
2019-05-21 19:40:52
@phdthesis{bf474772-5dec-4334-b999-eb6a7437ee93,
  abstract     = {{FASTING DURING THE holy month of Ramadan is both a joy and a jihad for the Islamic community in Java, and it is arguably the most highly esteemed Muslim ritual in Indonesia (and beyond). To be given the opportunity to abstain from food, drink and sexual relations from the early morning hours until sunset during an entire month in a tropical climate - only to fill the nights with additional and supererogatory Ramadanic rituals - is thus waited upon each year and seen as a true blessing. This is, according to the Javanese, what rightly can be denoted as the "greater jihad." It is thus a struggle or exertion (jihad) that is both harder and more important within Islam than the "lesser jihad", or physical warfare, and it is directed towards one's own self and worldly desires.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Taking into consideration that this month of fasting is of such immense importance to Muslims in Java and elsewhere, it is rather surprising to see how little scholarly activity it has caused. Indeed, the academic attention directed towards Islamic rituals in general has been rather unsubstantial, and Ramadanic fasting makes no exception in this respect.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Ramadan in Java: The Joy and Jihad of Ritual Fasting aims at reducing this gap in the literature on Islamic cultures, and provides its readers with ways of approaching and understanding Ramadan - and various different Islamic phenomena - in Indonesia and in other parts of the Muslim world. It is argued that we preferably may approach Islam from three different angles, that is, to discuss it from the normative, the written, and the lived perspectives respectively. In this study, thorough attention is thus directed not only to the classical and normative Islamic texts and the lived reality in Java, but also to the popular and contemporary Indonesian literature on Ramadan.}},
  author       = {{Möller, André}},
  isbn         = {{91-22-02116-7}},
  issn         = {{1103-4882}},
  keywords     = {{traweh; tarawih; holy month; Blora; Yogyakarta; anthropology; lived Islam; written Islam; normative Islam; jihad; Muslim ritual; Java; Muslim; religion; Indonesia; Islam in Indonesia; Islam in Java; Ramadan; fasting; slametan; ruwahan; Non-Christian religions; Världsreligioner (ej kristendom)}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Almqvist & Wiksell International}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund Studies in History of Religions}},
  title        = {{Ramadan in Java : The Joy and Jihad of Ritual Fasting}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2005}},
}