Ramadan – month of FASTING

Ramadan is coming. I am not a Muslim nor a wannabe Muslim lols. But since i am here in the Arab country – U. A. E., i should know about it and should respect.

We haven’t know yet when is the start of RAMADAN, but we are looking forward to it especially because the working hours would be lessen – meaning we can go home early. This time would be my second time here in UAE to experience RAMADAN. According to some friends, it is not that strict anymore unlike before. Some Muslim friend says that they cannot fully feel the essence of RAMADAN this past years. MAybe because UAE has been an open city particularly DUBAI. Almost all nations are already here. Since it is open city – it’s like you can do anything you want to. But we should be reminded that we need to respect their RELIGION as we are here in their land. Respect with one another, with one’s culture, with one’s religion is very important.

RAMADAN is a month of FASTING.

(For Roman Catholics, FASTING falls on HOLY WEEK – abstinence from wine and flesh is commanded for all the days, while for the Friday and Saturday an absolute fast is commanded. It is the last week of Lent. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday), Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the life of Jesus Christ culminating in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.)

Wayback to my topic – RAMADAN

Ramadan is a special month of the year for Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives.

Fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to one’s spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Qur’an, giving charity, purifying one’s behavior, and doing good deeds.

Fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God’s bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence.

Daily period of fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. In between — that is, during the daylight hours — Muslims totally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and marital sex. The usual practice is to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor) before dawn and a post-fast meal (iftar) after sunset.

The last ten days of Ramadan are a time of special spiritual power as everyone tries to come closer to God through devotions and good deeds. The night on which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet, known as the Night of Power (Lailat ul-Qadr), is generally taken to be the 27th night of the month. The Qur’an states that this night is better than a thousand months. Therefore many Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.

Since Ramadan is a special time, Muslims in many parts of the world prepare certain favorite foods during this month.

It is a common practice for Muslims to break their fast at sunset with dates (iftar), following the custom of Prophet Muhammad. This is followed by the sunset prayer, which is followed by dinner. Since Ramadan emphasizes community aspects and since everyone eats dinner at the same time, Muslims often invite one another to share in the Ramadan evening meal.

Some Muslims find that they eat less for dinner during Ramadan than at other times due to stomach contraction. However, as a rule, most Muslims experience little fatigue during the day since the body becomes used to the altered routine during the first week of Ramadan.

 

Muslims use many phrases in various languages to congratulate one another for the completion of the obligation of fasting and the ‘Eid-ul-Fitr festival. Here is a sampling of them:

 

“Kullu am wa antum bi-khair” (May you be well throughout the year) – Arabic

“Atyab at-tihani bi-munasabat hulul shahru Ramadan al-Mubarak” (The most precious congratulations on the occasion of the coming of Ramadan) – Arabic

“Elveda, ey Ramazan” (Farewell, O Ramadan) – Turkish

“Kullu am wa antum bi-khair” (May you be well throughout the year) – Arabic

“‘Eid mubarak (A Blessed ‘Eid)” – universal