(This story from The Quint’s archives is being republished to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan. It was originally published on 15 June 2016.)
The ninth month of the lunar calendar is marked by Muslims all over the world by fasting from sunrise to sunset.
However, every year, many also find themselves embroiled in a raging controversy about the pronunciation of the holy month – Ramadan or Ramzan?
Origin of the Conflict
The Ramadan-Ramzan controversy has its origins in the dubious tradition followed by the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent of writing and reading the Quran not in Arabic but in Persian script and with Persian pronunciation. This is alright as far as social traditions are concerned, but in reading the Quran, Muslims try to follow the Arabic pronunciation.Huma Javed Subzposh, Professor of English, Gorakhpur University
Even though there is no such thing as “true” Islamic practices, if just for the sake of the argument – the Quran was originally compiled in Arabic. The Arabic pronunciation is Ramadan. I rest my case.
Language as a Tool of Power
The variant of the word attributed to Saudi Arabia is often seen by many Indian Muslims as ‘Arabisation’ of what is seen as a liberal interpretation of the religion in India.
Since language indeed is a tool of power, privileging one pronunciation over the other becomes a potent statement of the increased influence of the Arabic culture over Persian and vice versa, implying a takeover of one by the other.
But Is It Really a Threat to Culture?
I am sorry, but how weak is a culture that can be threatened by pronouncing a mispronounced word correctly?
Both Persian and Middle Eastern cultures are rich, beautiful and a matter of pride for Muslims all over the world. However, if the culture gets tied up with the forever-evolving linguistics of the time, what is the problem in that?
Language Used to Define the Self Against the Other
The need to define the self against the Other is an intrinsic human need. Yes, language is a marker of identity, but the entire debate over Ramzan and Ramadan is taking attempts to define the self perhaps a little too far.
Maha Hussain, an Indian who lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for 21 years, says languages have different dialects and that one witnesses different ways of speaking as one moves away from Saudi Arabia.
I don’t see the harm in Indians calling Ramadhan/Ramadan as such. This isn’t a competition to see who’s elite, or a moral battleground, it’s just a pronunciation of one word. There shouldn’t be a fuss. People shouldn’t bully or shame others for being different, for trying to adapt to different standards.Maha Hussain, Student
“The Right Word is Ramadan”
Gul Zaidi, an Indian Muslim hailing from Lucknow, realised that the ‘correct’ pronunciation, if there be one, is indeed ‘Ramadan’.
The English transliteration of an Arabic Quranic verse made me realise that the correct pronunciation of the word is ‘Ramadan’. But that is how it is written in English while pronounced by making a soft ‘z’ sound in Arabic.Gul Zaidi, Nutritionist
More Pressing Concerns for Muslims
Perhaps in contemporary times it’s impossible to detangle the self from political, social, and cultural connotations. However, it would be nice for a change to not have every simple choice and decision analysed as a political statement.
Maybe next time we could debate about how to steer the Muslim community away from its image of being a proselytising entity to one which is trying to spread the message of peace and tolerance?
Dear Muslim community, you have 99 problems and the pronunciation of Ramzan over Ramadan ain’t one.
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