Understand Ramadhan

Bismillahi rahman rahim
In the Name of God; the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Asalamualeikum

Why do more than a billion people around the world abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sex from dawn to sunset for a one-month period each year? They are Muslims who are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of the religion of Islam and one of the highest forms of Islamic worship.

Abstinence from earthly pleasures and curbing evil intentions and desires is regarded as an act of obedience and submission to Allah as well as atonement for sins, errors, and mistakes. Muslims fast during this month from the moment when it first starts to get light (early morning) until sunset.

Muslims fast as an act of faith and worship towards Allah, seeking to suppress their desires and increase their spiritual piety. Fasting together as a worldwide community affirms the brotherhood and equality of man before Allah.

The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle. The month of Ramadan is the ninth month and begins with a combination of the sighting of the new moon and astronomical calculations. The exact time of Ramadan sometimes varies from place to place as some rely heavily on the moon sightings, while others depend on science. An Imam (Muslim holy man) will declare the exact time of Ramadan just prior to its commencement. The fasting period ends upon the sighting of the next new moon, which occurs after 29 or 30 days.

Ramadan brings out a special feeling of emotional excitement and religious zeal among Muslims of all ages. Though fasting is mandatory only for adults, children as young as eight willingly observe fasting with their elders. Adults appreciate the opportunity to double their rewards from Allah and seek forgiveness for past sins. As Ramadan emphasises Muslim brotherhood and community all feel a particular closeness.

Muslims have to change their whole physical and emotional selves during this 30 long days of fasting. A typical day of fasting begins with getting up early, depending on the season, now it could be 3:30am and sharing a meal called Sahur together before the fast begins at dawn, about 4:00am.

During fasting all day to day activities are there Five daily prayers, going to school, going to work and continue with your daily business.

As the day proceeds, fasting Muslims are constantly bombarded with messages from their stomachs that it is time for breakfast, snack, lunch, and so on. And each time, Muslims remind themselves that they are fasting for the sole purpose of pleasing Allah and seeking his mercy.

Fasting helps one to experience how a hungry person feels and what it is like to have an empty stomach. It teaches one to share the sufferings of the less fortunate Muslims believe that fasting leads one to appreciate the bounties of Allah, which are usually taken for granted—until they are missed!

Throughout the day, Muslims are encouraged to go out of their way to help the needy, both financially and emotionally, to continue with day to day activities as normal. Some believe that a reward earned during this month is multiplied 70 times and more. For this reason, Ramadan is also known as the month of charity and generosity.

To a Muslim, fasting not only means abstaining from food, but also refraining from all vice and evils committed consciously or unconsciously. It is believed that if one volunteers to refrain from lawful foods and sex, they will be in a better position to avoid unlawful things and acts during the rest of the year. (Muslims are allowed to enjoy with their wives when they break the first meaning during night time)

The fast is broken at sunset. The prophet Muhammed recommended breaking the fast with dates. Muslims are urged to invite others to break the fast with them.

The day ends with a special voluntary prayer, the Taraweeh, offered by the congregation reciting the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam.

The last ten days of Ramadan are considered highly blessed, especially the 27th night which is also called the “Night of Power,” or the “Night of Destiny.” It is believed that on this night the prophet Muhammed received the first revelation of the Qur’an. For many Muslims, this period is marked by a heightened spiritual intensity, and they may spend these nights praying and reciting the Qur’an.

After 30 days of fasting, the end of the month of Ramadan is observed with a day of celebration, called Eid-ul-Fitr. On this day, Muslims gather in one place to offer a prayer of thanks. It is traditional to wear new clothes, visit friends and relatives, exchange gifts, eat delicious dishes prepared for this occasion, and wait patiently for the next year.

Muslims follow a lunar calendar which is approximately 10 or 11 days earlier each year. Some nations vary on the starting date for Ramadan, as it depends on the sighting of the new moon, which marks the beginning of the new month


RAMADHAN MUBARAK

Wa billahi Tawfiq