To our Muslim friends - A blessed Ramadan Kareem.

As-salāmu ʿalaykum,

I found this post explaining Ramadan to non Muslims (and as a non Muslim I found it informative) -

Greetings,

I hope this message finds you all in the best of health and spirit.

Seeing that I’m one of the few Muslims on the team, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you folks a bit about Ramadan, especially since we're living in a Muslim country. It would be quite shameful on my part if each of you eventually returned to your respective countries without having been informed about this Holy month by the Muslim co-worker who you saw almost every day while on this job!

Fasting the month of Ramadan is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. From dawn to sunset, Muslims who have come of age and who are neither travelling nor sick must abstain from food, drink and sexual activities. Unlike the Gregorian calendar which makes use of the sun to keep track of dates, the Islamic calendar uses the moon instead.

Therefore, the month of Ramadan begins and ends with the sighting of the new moon.

There are many reasons why Muslims fast. Ramadan is a training period that sharpens an individual's self-control and will power. Abstaining from food, smoking and other physical desires for a month is an effective means to establish the control of the spirit over the body, allowing a person to live with control over himself/herself without being enslaved by physical inclinations and needs.

Fasting also gives the Muslim a small dosage of what it is like to be in need of food and water. There are many unfortunate individuals in our world who die every day because they are hungry. Giving up food and water allows the Muslim to feel sympathy for these people. The high rewards offered by God in this month for charitable works in turn encourage these feelings to be transformed into actions. Thus, Ramadan is also known as the Month of Giving.

In terms of bad habits such as lying, backbiting and ridiculing others, they are kept to a low minimum since they are reasons that nullify the fast. Consequently, one is trained in this month to stay away from these practices so that once Ramadan is over, it will be easier for him/her to maintain the good qualities that he/she has been working on for an entire month.

Q&A

1. What can we say to our Muslim friends to congratulate them for the month of Ramadan?

Ramadan Mubarak (Blessed Ramadan) or Ramadan Kareem (Generous Ramadan)

2. Why is the Muslim calendar based on the moon rather than the sun?

Since the lunar calendar is shorter than the solar calendar by about 11 or 12 days, events like Ramadan will cycle through the seasons. So if Ramadan began on August 1st this year, it will begin on July 19 or 20 next year and so on and so forth. It will take about 30 years for Ramadan to begin around August 1st again. If we used the Gregorian calendar instead and Ramadan began on August 1st, Ramadan would continue to fall on August 1st forever. This would be disadvantageous to the people living in hot countries as they would have to fast in the blazing heat of the sun on a yearly basis. So the lunar calendar gives a chance for Muslims around the world to experience Ramadan during the different seasons.

3. If a fasting person swears, cheats, lies, is always late, drives like crazy etc, what is the point of his/her fasting?

The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "If a person does not give up falsehood and acting according to it, God has no need for him/her giving up food and drink". In other words, if the fasting person does not give an effort to improve his/her character and conduct, then his/her fast is pointless in God's eyes.

4. What happens after Ramadan is finished?

The end of Ramadan is celebrated with Eid. It is a joyous occasion and Muslims around the world celebrate it by giving charity, meeting family and friends, eating sweets and simply enjoying themselves.

I hope this email gave you a bit of insight on what Ramadan means to Muslims. In the meantime, don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Warm regards

It never hurts to take some time and try to learn something new on a daily basis as knowledge is power. I believe education is the silver bullet to a lot of life's issues, both personally and on a grand scale.

This is the extent of my knowledge on Ramadan. If anyone has questions please ask and if any of our Muslim friends are around please feel free to answer the questions. Let's try and learn something about each other.

a reply to: Xcathdra

and as a Muslim i thank you very much my dear friend

Thanks X. Walaikum Salam.


Ramadan Mubarak everyone.

And a Kareem Abdul Jabbar to you too!

Kudos Xcat and Ramadan Mubarak to Muslims everywhere.

a reply to: Xcathdra

A stricter version of Lent?

It's good for people to understand why religions have these notable dates in their cultures. A positive reason why is to recognise the common humanity we share despite all the differences.

The Hindu Diwali festival is one I really enjoy. There's a great night in Manchester, UK when they parade with candles, lamps and fireworks. A convoy of cars winds through parts of the borough with music blaring and bands beating drums. There's a lot of joy in there.

Many blessings to our Muslim friends!

Ramadan mubarak everybody

May the lord almighty bless us all during this holy month .

Salaams to all. Ramadan should start tonight (our days end at nightfall). I wish you all a good month.

Good wishes to all and peace to all.

set the power of your intent upon that which you wish to create.

it's all ok

May Ramadan bring peace & prosperity too all humans .

Amen.

This holy month of Ramadan is very special for Muslims. Fasting is the main thing comes to my mind when thinking about Ramadan. It is the month of peace and prayer. This article describes each and every points about Ramadan and it shares some good messages for readers.

*SNIP*

a reply to: Xcathdra

Fasting also gives the Muslim a small dosage of what it is like to be in need of food and water. There are many unfortunate individuals in our world who die every day because they are hungry. Giving up food and water allows the Muslim to feel sympathy for these people. The high rewards offered by God in this month for charitable works in turn encourage these feelings to be transformed into actions. Thus, Ramadan is also known as the Month of Giving.

I need to grow up.

X, thanks. I needed a check.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

Salaams to all.

Are you sure that's Halal?

originally posted by: SemperFried
a reply to: enlightenedservant

Salaams to all.

Are you sure that's Halal?

Huh?

Ramadan Kareem! I had a lot of Middle Eastern pen-pals growing up, I took note of Ramadan, because it meant sending Eid cards afterward! Those weren't easy to find in backwater FL, but I managed. Talk about some very surprised kids who didn't think I'd ever pay attention, getting those cards really meant a lot to them

originally posted by: enlightenedservant

originally posted by: SemperFried
a reply to: enlightenedservant

Salaams to all.

Are you sure that's Halal?

Huh?

I think they were trying to make a salami joke. A swing, and a miss.

a reply to: Nyiah

Oh. In that case...

a reply to: Nyiah

I think they were trying to make a salami joke. A swing, and a miss.

They?

Do salamis offend you?