HAPPY RAMADAN !!!
RAMADAN
July 7, 2016
Ramadan also known as Ramzan, Ramadhan or Ramathan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and considered to be the holiest month. It commemorates Allah sending the Archangel Jibril (Gabriel) to the Prophet Mohammad to convey to him the first verses of the Quran.
It is the month of fasting for Muslims. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam; the others are: Shahada: Faith Salat: Prayer Zakat: Charity Sawm: Fasting Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca.
Fasting is crucial during Ramadan as it is one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam and was made obligatory in Ramadan in the second year of Al Hijra.
Al Hijra, which means “the migration”, is when the Prophet Mohammad and his followers migrated from Makkah, his hometown to Madinah to escape his tribe’s harm and torture.
Fasting is meant to humble oneself and increase moral discipline as well as serve as a reminder of the plight of those less fortunate who live in hunger and deprivation.
It also has many health benefits as it helps the body to detoxify and speeds up the healing process as the energy usually used for digestion is diverted towards metabolism and the immune system.
People with psychological problems (mentally unstable), children under the age of puberty, the elderly, the sick, travellers and pregnant women or nursing mothers are all exempted from fasting. Instead, they are required to feed at least one poor person a day or pay charity money that is equivalent to feeding one, for every fast they missed.
The last ten days of Ramadan are very important to Muslims as they seek to observe Laylat Al Qadr (The Night of Power). Laylat Al Qadr is supposed to be the night when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad. Muslims devote more of their time for non-obligatory prayers, Dua’a and Quran recitals during those last ten days.
After Ramadan ends, Muslims celebrate the three day festival of Eid Al Fitr, which literally translates into “The Festival of Breaking the Fast.”
Material source:www.gulfnews.com
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