- Share This Post
- submit
- 3
-
Sparkle (0)
Ramadan, the holy month in the Muslim calendar, began this week. This holy time recalls the transmission of the Qur’an, the Muslim scriptures. Ramadan is marked by prayer and daily fasting (called sawm ). Every day during the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world get up before dawn to eat and pray. Between sunup and sundown they do not smoke, drink any liquid or eat any food. They break their fast at the fourth prayer of the day (which is said at sunset). This fasting is considered one of the “Pillars of Islam”, and is a sacred obligation to all who are able. There are over a billion Muslims world-wide, over 8 million in the USA.
Again, I am here describing a tradition which is not my own, so I have given larger quotes than usual from the better-informed blogs of others. And, I heartily welcome the comments of those who are Muslim and have things to share with us about Ramadan in their lives.
During Ramadan, Muslims are expected show purity of both thought and action. Fasting is a reminder of the poverty and suffering of others, and provides an opportunity to focus on prayer. Fasting is seen as a way to cleanse the inner soul. The emphasis on giving and charity during this season is very important to all Muslims.
Wikipedia says:
Ramadan is divided into three ten-day parts, or ashra (Arabic for ten). They are named Rahmat (mercy of God), Maghfirat (forgiveness of God), and Najat (salvation), respectively. Laylat al-Qadr, which falls during the last third, commemorates the revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an and is considered the most holy night of the year. Ramadan ends with the holiday Eid ul-Fitr, on which feasts are held. …
.Muslims tend to perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, called Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Qur'an (‘Juz', which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed.
To all of our Muslim brothers and sisters, we wish "Ramadan Mubarek"!
-------------
Related blogs
----------------
In Recipes from Tanzania and other Countries there is a description of the daily fasting break in Tanzania .
I remember when I was about 5 to 6 years old in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. Our neighbor who was from Zanzibar (the island of Tanzania) would always bring us food during Ramadan season. Sure the lady could cook. One thing I never understood at that age was that; This family would stay without eating anything for the whole day, then when it was time to eat, they would first drink ( very light) Uji wa pilipili manga (Black pepper porridge) . Even though I loved this porridge, but as a five year old, I thought they were insane; After not eating for that long, I could have run and eat pilau, ugali, bhajia, samosas and etcetera.
.
Now I can understand the scientific facts of why this family did break their fast by having a light porridge known as Uji wa pilipili manga. After not eating for the whole day, basically the intestine shrinks. It is not good after not eating for long hours to eat something heavy. To help the intestines expand without causing any stomach pain, it is always healthy to have something very light and warm. I guess that was why our neighbor would break their fast during Ramadan by having this light porridge.
In this lengthy but significant quote from a blog written by Aziz Poonawalla at City of Brass, Aziz states
My intention is to blog daily during Ramadan, in the quiet space after the morning pre-dawn meal (sihori) and the sunrise prayer (fajr). I also note that my friend Shahed Amanullah will also be blogging during Ramadan over at Beliefnet. His first post, about the intersection of 9-11 and Ramadan this year, is an excellent start:
…………………..
This Ramadan has been heralded by images of Osama bin Laden taunting us from his cave and exhorting non-Muslims to accept Islam, obviously unaware that the actions of him and his kind have done more to bring curses down upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad and turn people away from Islam more than anything in Islam's history. It's imagery and words like this, and the strong feelings they evoke in me, that I have to push aside in order to focus on starting this month
