Ibrahim Farajaje (Ibrahim baba) - Queen of Months: An eco-halal Sufi vegan/vegetarian cookbook for Ramadan and beyond

Copyright @2013 Barzakh Press. All rightsreserved. No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced inany form by any means without permission in writing from thepublisher

Queen of Months: An Eco-Halal SufiVegan/Vegetarian Cookbook for Ramadan and Beyond. Smashwordsedition.

Text copyright 2013 by Ibrahim AbdurrahmanFarajaj

Photographs copyright 2013 by Katherin GeorgeGolitzen

Cover: Issa Golitzen- Farajaj

In the service of Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz(Friend of the Poor) Moinuddin Chishti, ra. Hu!

Our saint and holy teacher and guide, GharibNawaz, Hz Pir Moinuddin Chishti, the Friend of the Oppressed andMarginalised, reminds us "to listen to the plight of the oppressed,to help the needy, and to fill the stomachs of the hungry. Thosewho do these three things may consider themselves friends of Allah.First they should have generosity like a river; secondly, kindnesslike the sun and, thirdly, humility like the earth. The one who isblessed is the one who is generous."

CONTENTS

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

In the Name of Allah, the InfinitelyCompassionate One, the Tenderly Merciful One

Why would we write a cookbook for Ramazan?Arent we fasting the whole time? When many people hear thatMuslims are fasting for a month, they think that they never eat ordrink, and that therefore Ramazan must be a pretty gloomy time. So,why would I be so enthusiastic and excited about it? In fact, thereis much to say about the beauty and tenderness of this month, whichis called the Queen of All Months. This is a month of compassion, amonth of delight, a month of healing that which has been broken, amonth of journeying to wholeness, a month of remembering, a monthof transforming. In our prayers, we gladly welcome her, the monthof breaking fast and eating before the fast. The Prophet of Light,Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him and his family, encouragesus to open our fast as soon as we hear the evening call to prayerand reminds us of the importance of eating and drinking in thepre-dawn, before beginning the day of fasting.

And so Ramazan is about feasting as well asfasting. If you are familiar with religious practices andtraditions where one spends a lot of time getting everything readyfor a particular holy season or days or weeks, where there is a lotof food being cooked and lot of cleaning up going on, then you knowwhat many of those of us who are fasting Ramazan are doing in thesedays.

Why vegetarian/vegan? We chose to have aneco-halal vegan/vegetarian focus in order to follow the practice ofour Chishti darghs in South Asia, where, out of respect and lovefor other religious traditions and their dietary practices, onlyvegetarian food is served to the pilgrims, as they come from manydifferent religious paths. This is a beautiful way to buildcommunities of respect, affection and love, inshaallah.

Whether you are Muslim or not, a meat eater ornot, whether youve been waiting for a vegetarian approach to thismonth or you just decided to get the book out of curiosity, wewelcome you to savor the following pages and hope that they will bea help and pleasure to you in this month and beyond.

Illustration: Hamza of the AwakenedHeart, by Nazile Sera Onur (by permission of her family).

In Turkey, where I spend alarge part of my time, people greet one another with a Ramazanmbarek! as they go about their business. Shopkeepers are apt togive me dates to take home and neighbours wish each other a blessedmonth. I send love to all of you for this sacred month.

Ramazan, the Queen of Months, is a time to makedeeper and wider justice, deeper and wider community, deeper andwider access. Iftar (meal that opens, i.e., ends the day offasting) can be a painful experience for some people, remindingthem of alienation from family and friends, social isolation, etc..If you know someone, or dont even know them very well yet, invitethem to an iftar in your community or in your house. Ramazan isGreen: the change of body rhythm and food intake brings us intodeeper harmony with the rhythms and harmonies of the Earth. It iscare for the Earth, mindful management of our resources, counteringspeciesism and experiencing the dhikr of all of the cosmos. Bemindful of the earth as you make your iftar and sahoor (morningmeal before starting the day of fasting): if you have your owngarden, prepare things from your garden. If you dont have agarden, try to support your local farmers, not as an elitist thingbut as a way of strengthening your communitys connections to carefor the Earth. Are the things and produce that you are using theresults of trade justice/FairTrade? Even with vegan and vegetarianfoods, it is important for us to know that the produce of the Earthcomes to us in ways that are full of justice, compassion and care.This is even more so the case if you are eating meat: we deepen themeaning of halal by assuring that the animals are treated withrespect and compassion, that they live healthy lives. Whenpreparing a gathering during Ramazan (and anytime), please bemindful to use compostable or recyclable utensils for eating. Bemindful of how you use electricity, water, cleaning products, etc.In order to keep the focus on sustainability during this season andbeyond, please be mindful of food waste. We have so much food atiftars: some can go to homeless shelters and other places that arein need of food; the rest of it can be creatively recycled foranother iftar or for a sahoor. Ethical consumption and tradejustice are key parts of our eco-halal consciousness: halal (thatwhich is permitted) and tayyib (good, clean, wholesome,fair, lawful).

This is also an important way of reminding usthat we come in all forms of bodies, that everything that ar-Rahmanhas created is a Sign. So, in our Ramazan gatherings let usremember to be accessible to people of all forms of embodiment,people with disabilities and temporarily able-bodied people(because anything can happen to us at any moment, mashaallah). TheUmmah has many shapes and colours and forms and Ramazan is anopportunity for us to be mindfully present to each other. Whenpicking a place for an iftar, may we be sure to think of findingplaces where everyone can come and celebrate. Lets find out whatthe Braille needs are, the Sign Language needs are; are thereramps, are there toxic/chemical substances to which people haveallergies, etc?

Ocean of Forgiveness this sacred month is atime of forgiveness. May I be forgiven for my shortcomings and anyways in which I have been inattentive, estaghfirullah. May we loveone another so that with one heart we might dwell in the Oneness ofall Being.

If for whatever reasons you are not fasting,please invite yourself to do something that pushes you beyond yourcomfort zone, something that puts you in a place of receiving theQuran in your heart, something that helps create delightfulspaciousness for someone else. This year, i will be uniting myfasting to that of the hunger strikes at Pelican Bay State Prison,Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere in the world.

Welcome, o Month of Bliss! Yes, believe it ornot, some of us really enjoy and delight in this month. It is not amonth of gloom and doom as many think. We receive the gift of theQuran-i Kerim during this month, commemorated especially on theNight of Power towards the end of the month. This month is not atime of sadness: it is a time of mindfulness, of going more deeplyand more broadly. And yes, we do eat at the end and beginning ofeach day!