The rast of the Ramazan begins with the new moon and ends with the new moon, so that, as a rule, it covers a period of at least thirty days. Its advent is usually announced, according to the importance of the place, either by the firing of a cannon or the beating of a drum, but, before the cannon can be fired or the drum beaten, an order from the Governor must be issued, and this order cannot be given unless two or three witnesses swear and sign an affidavit that they have seen the new moon.

The gun is always fired or the drum always beaten at least twenty-four hours before an ordinary mortal is privileged to see the first streak of the new moon. Nevertheless, I have been assured repeatedly that the witnesses always see the reflection of the moon in water before swearing the affidavit upon which the Government takes action. To see the future in water is an old custom, which was known to the ancient Greeks as divination by water, and the witnesses perhaps divine the coming of the moon in this way. Full twenty-four hours before they declare they have seen the moon, they sit gazing into a sheet of water which is placed so as to reflect the orb of night. When they catch sight of that rising orb, they hurry to the Governor and swear that they have seen the moon. Whereupon the drum (dow-ool) or the cannon (top) announce the fast.

On one occasion, Khoja Nasr-ud-Dín, feeling a little lukewarm in his religious enthusiasm (as the very best of us do at times) did not wish to adhere rigidly to the very strict rules of the fast and said to himself: "If I do not see the moon, surely Allah will not expect me to fast."

Consequently he carefully refrained from looking towards the Eastern horizon, and, though he knew that the drum would shortly announce the beginning of the fast, he tried to convince himself that this would not matter if he had not actually seen the moon with his own eyes. Filled with these subtle temptations of the Evil One, he proceeded to the well in order to draw water for ablutions and drinking.

The water was still, and ere the bucket had reached its dark surface the khoja perceived, glimmering in the well beneath him, that thin golden semicircle which he had been so anxious not to see. Almost simultaneously the beating of a drum and the sound of a cannon announced that the fast of the Ramazan had begun. The khoja thought deeply and marvelled much at the ways of the Almighty, but he was never able to explain how he could ever have seen in the well what he could not see in the heavens. He drew forth the water, however, and prayed in conformity with the prescribed Mohammedan law. But he drank not of the water, he merely washed his mouth, wondering all the time at the inscrutable decrees of providence, and often saying to himself: "Verily, verily, the ways of God are not the ways of man! He is the Al-Alim! He is the Allah Taâla! (Most High God!) I know now that Allah is he who heareth and knoweth. Verily, there is no God but God, the living, the selfsubsisting."

Still the khoja, though he wished to conform, was determined not to exceed the fixed number of days. The moon is generally visible twenty-eight days, sometimes twenty-nine, but when thirty days are completed the feast of the Bairam begins. The khoja therefore decided to keep an accurate account of the fast days so that he should not by any chance continue fasting when by rights he ought to be feasting.

With this object in view he procured an earthenware pot and he also collected thirty pebbles. At sunset each day he deposited a pebble in the pot. "When all the thirty pebbles are in the pitcher" – so the good man reasoned – "then the feast of the Bairam will have begun."

When most of the fast had passed, the khoja was once asked how many more days remained. Promising to let his friends know the exact number, he went to his pitcher to count the stones. He never thought of counting the stones that he had not yet placed in the pitcher. And he did not know that, in imitation of her worthy parent, his daughter had also been casting into the pitcher other pebbles of her own collecting. The khoja counted the pebbles but their number indicated many moons, and this embarrassed the good man greatly for he knew not what to say to his people. Finally, however, he struck an average that seemed to him reasonable. This average was forty-five, so he told his people that it was the forty-fifth day of the month of Ramazan.

No degree of respect could hide from the people the fact that a month has but thirty days, and they told their host so. The khoja admitted that he could not understand the mystery, but he assured them that he spoke the truth, for he himself had placed a pebble in the pitcher at sun-down every day, and there were no fewer than a hundred and fifty pebbles in the pitcher. And if he had told them forty-five he was, he considered, well within the truth.

The khoja privately concluded, however, that it was very unwise to see the moon in the well before he could see it in the heavens. "But," as he piously added, "the ways of the Almighty are not the ways of man! – Verily, Allah is mighty and wise!"