Happy Ramadan! Whether you celebrate it or not, I hope that you enjoy a wonderful month. Unlike Western societys Gregorian calendar, which is primarily solar and secondarily lunar, Islams calendar is primarily lunar and secondarily solar, and so these two calendars shift annually with respect to each other by about 11 days. Todays sunset, when Muslims will confirm that another new moon has passed by sighting a slightly-crescent moon, marks the start of Islams ninth month, which is called Ramadan. Muslims believe that Allah, through His prophet Muhammad, as recorded in His sacred scripture the Quran, designated Ramadan as Islams holiest month and expressed His desire for Muslims to fast during it. So, ever since then, Muslims worldwide (unless too young or old or ill or pregnant or whatnot) have commemorated Ramadan through fasting daily from dawn to dusk, which involves not only physical sacrifice through abstinence from eating and smoking and drinking and procreating, but also spiritual improvement through refocusing ones attention on God, purifying ones feelings and thoughts and words and actions, strengthening ones relationships with others, and donating charitably. Muslims traditionally end these daily fasts by eating dates, then reciting their fourth ritual daily prayer, and finally enjoying a meal, which is sometimes a large social buffet-style banquet that may include special Ramadan desserts, perhaps amidst lanterns for decoration. And Muslims traditionally begin Islams next month of Shawwal with a one-day Feast of Breaking the Fast, during which fasting is prohibited and sweets are often eaten. Heres Wikipedias article about Ramadan for those who, like me, may enjoy some scholarly perspective about it.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 16:35:32 +0000
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