What Is Ramadan?

What is Ramadan?

What Is Ramadan?

What Is Ramadan?

"Ramadan is to fight against your inner human desires. Sawn, the Arabic word for fasting means more than abstaining from food, drink, cigarettes or sex between sunrise and sunset, it's not a matter of external behavior. This is a private engagement between you and God. It is a fight against the inner man. It's also time to take stock of your weaknesses. If you break your fast secretly, it's just you and God will know. Therefore, it is essentially an annual test of your faith for a whole month. " Hanifa Deen, Muslim author.

Ramadan is a special month of the year for more than a billion Muslims worldwide. It is a time spent on inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. From sunrise to sunset every day for 30 days, Muslims abstain completely from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex. They also abstain from speaking ill of anyone, to swear, to breathe the perfume and even get angry or look anything illegal.

The name comes from the Arabic word Ramadan Ramida, or ar-Ramad, which means an intense heat and dryness, burning, particularly on the ground. Some say the name comes from the fact that Ramadan burns the sins with good deeds, as the sun burns the ground. While in ordinary times Muslims are encouraged to observe a voluntary fast during Ramadan fasting becomes obligatory. Ramadan is probably the most Muslim religious rite universally observed.

Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic lunar calendar. We calculate the first day of the month according to both physical observations of the moon and astronomical calculations. This first day is not the same from one place to another because, in some places, it relies heavily on observation of the moon, and in others, it refers entirely to the calculations. The Islamic calendar counting from 11 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the month of Ramadan runs through the seasons. The entire cycle is traversed in about 35 years

We serve a meal (sahur) before dawn, preferably as late as possible, and another after sunset (Iftar), to break the fast. Prayer takes place a few minutes after sunset. Since Ramadan emphasizes community life, often Muslims share iftar with the nearest mosque and invite friends, relatives and neighbors at iftar.

The last 10 days of Ramadan are considered highly blessed, and especially the 27th night, the Night of Destiny, Laylat al-Qadr, night when the Quran was revealed to Muhammad. For many devout Muslims, this period is marked by a particular spiritual intensity, and they spend these nights to pray and recite the Koran. Three days after the month of Ramadan are days of celebration, called Eid al-Fitr - The celebration of the end of fasting.

Ramadan, or Ramazan also spelled Ramadhan (Arabic: رمضان or Ramadan) is the ninth month of Islamic calendar.

The French used interchangeably with the word "Ramadan" to describe the holy month for Muslims and, by metonymy, fasting or Sawm, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.

During this month, adult Muslims do not eat, do not drink, and do not maintain sexual relations from dawn to dusk. The sick, pregnant or lactating women or girls who are in their menstrual period, or any person with this fast could put health at risk are exempted. Fasting is intended to teach Muslims patience, modesty and spirituality.

The first day of the month is a time of celebrations observed during Eid el-Fitr, the feast of breaking fast.

Origin

Ramadama name was the name of the ninth month in the Arab world long before the arrival of Islam, the word itself is derived from the root rmd, as in the words Ramida or ar-Ramad, denoting intense heat , a burning ground and lack of rations. In the Qur'an, Allah proclaims that fasting was made obligatory for Muslims, as it was before the Jews, thus referring to the practice of fasting during Yom Kippur].

Calendar

The beginning of the month is based on observation of the new moon.

The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar. Therefore, each month begins when the first crescent of the new moon is visible. As the Muslim calendar eleven to twelve days less than the solar calendar and no intercalation, Ramadan shifts each year and gradually changes from one season to another. Dates of start and end of Ramadan, for the period 2009-2015 are: common era AH Start End 2009 1430 [4] 22 August 1431 19 September 2010 [4] 11 August 1432 9 September 2011 [4] first août 1433 August 29, 2012 [4] 20 July 1434 18 August 2013 [4] 9 July 1435 August 7, 2014 [4] 28 June 1436 27 July 2015 [4] June 18, July 16 Dates of Ramadan estimated between 2009 and 2015

Most Muslims insist on the local observation of the crescent moon to mark the start of Ramadan, but others insist on the calculation of the new moon or the Saudi statement to determine the beginning. Since the new moon is not visible everywhere at once, start dates and end of the month depends on what is visible in each place. Therefore, the dates vary from country to country, but usually only one day, this is the result of the lunar cycle.

Each year legal, Ramadan begins ten to twelve days before that of the previous year.

Example sahur before sunrise

The most important event this month is fasting. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims rise before dawn to sahur, the meal before dawn, before performing the prayer did soubh. They must stop eating and drinking before the call to prayer and it starts until the fourth prayer of the day, al-Maghrib. Muslims may continue to eat and drink after sunset and until the call to prayer of the day did soubh. Then the process begins again for another day.

Meal breaking the fast

Ramadan is a time of reflection and worship of Allah. Muslims must make more effort to follow the teachings of Islam and avoid the images and sounds obscene or contrary to religion. The thoughts and sexual activities during fasting hours are also prohibited; purity of thought and action is indeed important. Fasting is intended to be an act requiring deep personal faith and in which Muslims seek a raised awareness of their proximity to Allah.

The act of fasting is supposed to leave the believer daily activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from all evil. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, self control, sacrifice and empathy for those less fortunate, thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity. However, some level of self-control may be lost by those who suffer from eating disorders.

The elderly, chronically ill and the mentally ill are exempt from fasting, although the first two groups should seek to feed the poor in lieu of their missed fasting. Also exempt are pregnant women, women and menstruating women nursing their newborns. A difference of opinion exists, however, among scholars as to whether the latter group must make up the missed days at a later date, or feed the poor as a replacement. While fasting is not considered compulsory in childhood, many young people are trying to fast as many as possible in preparation for their future practice. Finally, travelers are exempt, but must make up the days they miss. The elderly, those with a disability or illness, and who have no chance to see their condition improve, can pay iftar instead of people who can afford it, they can also receive them in their house and feed them after sunset as a way to replace the day did not fast.

A person may inadvertently break the fast, due to an oversight. In this case, it must regurgitate the food consumed or immediately cease the activity proscribed. This can usually occur in the first days of fasting because the person could not yet be acclimated to it.

When Ramadan has overshadowed the festival of Ashura, in terms of importance, he took certain characteristics of the latter. According to a well-known hadith, the person who observes Ramadan properly will have all his sins forgiven. In another, "when Ramadan comes, the gates of heaven are open, the gates of hell are closed and the devils are chained," and whoever goes will enter Paradise.

Praying and reading the Quran

In addition to fasting, Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an. Some conduct recitation, through special prayers called Taraweeh, which are performed in the mosques every night, during which any part of the text (or juz one thirtieth of the Qur'an) is recited. Therefore, the recitation of the entire book is usually completed by the end of the month.

Ramadan is also a period when Muslims slow the pace of everyday business and focus on self-criticism, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment, establishing a link between them and Allah through prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and support. Since this is a month of giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for family and friends, for the poor and needy who can not afford this may include the buying new clothes, shoes or other items. There is also a social aspect involving the invitation made to the iftar meals (meal ending the fast day).

In many Muslim countries and non-Muslims with large Muslim populations, businesses close in the evening to allow workers to perform prayers and consume the iftar meals, they reopen and stay open well into the night . Muslims can and do some shopping, eating, spending time with friends and family. In some Muslim countries, not to fast or display such behavior in public is considered a crime and may be prosecuted as such. In October 2008, a court of Biskra in Algeria sentenced six people to four years in prison and heavy fines.

Laylat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), considered the holiest night of the year, is a commemoration observed in one of the last ten odd days of the month. It was during this night that the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel [9]. Based on the Quran, Muslims believe that this night is "better than a thousand months" prayer, good deeds and prayer: to pray throughout this night is rewarded as well as praying for a thousand months (ie a life), therefore many Muslims spend the whole night in prayer [clarification needed].

According to the Sunnis, this night is the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or the 29th of the month when, according to Shi'ism, tonight is the 19th, the 21st or 23rd of the month. However, the true date was intentionally concealed.

Eid ul-Fitr

The Islamic holiday of Eid el-Fitr, the 1st Shawwal, marks the end of the fasting period and the first day of next month, after another new moon has been spotted; Eid comes after 29 or so 30 days of fasting. Eid ul-Fitr means the festival of breaking the fast, during celebrations and festivals. When the fast is over, Muslims go to mosques in the early morning, dressed in their finest clothes (often new), for the first Eid prayer. Presents are then delivered to children, feasts are organized and visits to relatives and friends made; food is also given to the poor (zakat al-fitr). Prayer is two raakahs only and it is optional (SUNAT) as opposed to the five daily obligatory prayers.

During the next month, called Shawwal, Muslims are encouraged to fast for another six days known as-Sitta al-bid.