DANBURY - "Music to my ears are the words of the Quran," said Imam Osman Sheikh. "It's very soothing to listen to it and to speak it."

Sheikh, 47, who lives in Nuneaton, England, is visiting the Islamic Society of Western Connecticut to take part in Ramadan, a month of fasting for people of the Muslim faith. The holiday marks the time when the Quran was revealed to the Muslims. The holy book holds a particularly special place in Sheikh's heart. Both he and his 21-year-old son, Ismaeel, have memorized all 6,500 verses. Sheikh has led prayers at the Danbury Masjid since the holiday began Oct. 15. He will remain in Danbury to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the completion of Ramadan, Sunday in the Amber Room Colonnade on Stacey Road. More than 1,000 people, including Danbury Mayor
Mark Boughton , are expected to attend. The Quran is broken into 29 chapters and Sheikh has recited one of those parts from memory in Arabic each night of Ramadan. He was 14 when he began training to memorize the entire book. In his neighborhood in the United Kingdom, Sheikh said he knows of more than 80 people who have memorized the book. In Islamic belief, they are guaranteed entry into Heaven and can take along 10 people close to them. "It has always been a tradition of someone in the community to memorize the Quran," Sheikh said. "It's not compulsory. My own teachers had memorized the Quran, and I wanted to emulate my teachers, who had lavished care and attention on me." As part of his training, Sheikh spent nine years in India, where he learned Arabic grammar and syntax and studied Islamic law. He said the in-depth studies are similar to what a minister in the Christian faith would do to train. Because there is no concept of priesthood in Islam, an imam - the person who leads prayers in a mosque - is on par with a minister in the Christian faith. "There are different levels of people who specialize in the tradition of the prophet (Muhammad, who founded Islam). There are people who specialize in recitation of the Quran and people who specialize in the commentary of the Quran." Sheikh said reciting the book has been the mainstay of retaining the Quran throughout time. "The whole purpose in memorizing the Quran is, one, personal development and to share the message with recitation," Sheikh said. "The other purpose is to understand that it is a book of principle. It has stories that are relevant to this day and long ago." As part of Ramadan, Muslims who are at least 15 years old are expected to fast from dawn until sunset. Sheikh said he knows of children as young as 10 who urge their parents to let them fast. During the fasting period, Muslims go without food, drink or the fulfillment of human desires. "To fast is to become more conscious of ourselves, our creator, and those who are less fortunate than us," Sheikh said. "It drives home the message that there are those who go without food or drink or human contact. It also helps us improve our self-discipline." Sheikh recited a verse in Arabic that he has shared with the 150 people who attend the nightly prayer meetings at the city mosque. "The verse refers to the principle that we will not worship anyone or anything except God," Sheikh said. He explained that sometimes faith begins to take on a negative connotation when people use it to carry out violence. "Every faith talks about respect and tolerance. It's a more unifying force than one that creates disharmony."

Eid-ul-Fitr will be observed Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. The prayer will be held at the Amber Room Colonnade on Stacey Road in Danbury. For more information, contact the mosque at (203) 744-1328.