In Beijing there are 71 mosques, the oldest of which is Niue, which dates back a thousand years. This is how a Chinese Muslim lives his Ramadan day in the spaciousness of mosques.

The sun on Ramadan tilts toward sunset, so a number of Chinese Muslims begin to flock to the Niujie Mosque, which is located 5 kilometers southwest of the capital city, Beijing.

In the outer courtyard of the mosque, dishes of fruits and cakes for breakfast begin to be prepared on them, and during the few minutes before the sunset call to prayer, the audience listens to a sermon given by one of the mosque imams, in which he often focuses on an issue related to fasting.

This applies to 71 mosques in Beijing that serve about 300,000 Muslims of multiple nationalities, most notably the Uighurs and Hui, to which the majority of Muslims in the capital belong.

Lee Hae-chin recites the Holy Quran after Maghrib prayer at the Niujie Mosque (Al-Jazeera)

Devotion to worship

Li Hai Chen "Hassan" (Muslims in China often carry Arabic names in addition to their Chinese names) lives in the far west of Beijing, but during Ramadan days he often takes an hour and a half by car to reach the Niujie Mosque and the neighborhood in which he lived for about 20 years, to perform prayers Tarawih.

During the holy month, Li tries to devote his time to reading the Qur’an and understanding its interpretation, as he is currently working on reading the interpretation of the Jalalin, in order to be able to transmit that knowledge to Chinese Muslims.

He tells Al-Jazeera Net that the majority of imams do not have a great religious culture despite the presence of dozens of religious books in their hands, which pushes him to explore more in Islamic sciences.

Tarawih prayers at the Niujie Mosque, which is the oldest mosque in Beijing (the island)

Lee grew up in a Muslim family, where his grandfather worked as an imam, while his father - who was fluent in Arabic - held learning circles inside their home, which contributed to refining his personality and giving him a religious culture.

And he had the opportunity to travel to Arab countries to learn the Arabic language, and he spent 3 years in Medina, during which he was able to memorize some of the Qur’anic surahs.

He did not forget me about the merit of the Neuge Mosque in personal development, which justifies its association with it despite the spatial dimension.

History of the Niujie Mosque

The construction of the mosque dates back about a thousand years, as oral narratives say that two imams from Persia arrived in the region at that time to invite its people to Islam, and contributed to building the mosque - which is considered the oldest and largest in terms of area in Beijing - during the Song dynasty (960-) 1279 AD), where one of the pillars of the mosque houses their two shrines.

The mosque was named after the neighborhood in which it is located, and “Niujie” means “Cow Street,” and the historical narrative says that this neighborhood was called “Liu J,” meaning “Willow Street,” due to the abundance of these trees in it. To "New" in conjunction with the decrease in the number of trees in the region and the increase in the number of Muslims who are famous for selling beef.

Kai Mo R eating breakfast with his friends (Al Jazeera)

Ramadan customs

Banquets were held during the days of the month of Ramadan in the courtyards of the mosques, so that the poor and mosque-goers could eat breakfast, but the "Covid-19" pandemic changed the form of Ramadan customs, as some fruits and baked goods were replaced by banquets in compliance with safety conditions and the prevention of the epidemic.

And attendees at sunset at New J Mosque usually stay in the mosque to attend evening prayers, during which time they listen to verses from the Holy Qur’an recited by one of the 6 imams appointed by the government to the mosque.

Tarawih prayers are held 20 rak'ahs, during which Imam Qassar recites the surahs, and between every 4 rak'ahs the worshipers recite some dhikr in Arabic mixed with Chinese.

And about the habits of suhoor and iftar, a number of Chinese Muslims told Al-Jazeera Net that they focus on drinking green tea during the night hours, so that they can continue their work in the day without feeling thirsty, while they focus in breakfast meals on vegetables and meat, without forgetting the pasta, which is considered a staple in the majority Chinese tables.

Kai Mo R in one of his lectures while studying Arabic at the University of International Studies in Beijing (Al Jazeera)

Study and work

Like many others, Kai Mo R Kamal starts his day at university, where he studies Arabic at the University of International Studies in Beijing.

Kai tells Al-Jazeera Net that he faces a psychological challenge while he is fasting while he is at the university or at work, as the majority of students are non-Muslims, but his colleagues take into account his position and do not eat or drink in front of him during daylight hours.

Kai works for an Arabic-speaking TV station to enrich his Arabic language and secure a job for him after graduation.

Because of the anti-epidemic measures, Kai Mo R lives on the university campus and returns to his family's home during the weekend, where he helps his mother prepare breakfast dishes. He prefers the "Da Bangui" dish, which consists of fried chicken and potatoes, which is the most popular dish in restaurants in the region Xinjiang.