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Mist
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 Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 2:42 pm Post subject: Ramadan the Holy Month of Islam |
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I would like to congratulate all Muslims for the holy month Ramadan.
Here is some information on Ramadan for those who would like to know about the holy month.
| Quote: |
The Meaning of Ramadan:
Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. There are as many meanings of Ramadan as there are Muslims.
The third "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam (submission in English), fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Quran, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds. For Muslims (Submitters), Ramadan is an opportunity to gain by giving up, to prosper by going without and to grow stronger by enduring weakness.
As a secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence.
Who Fasts in Ramadan?
Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory on those who can do it. . Sick people and some travelers in certain conditions are exempted from the fast but must make it up as they are able.
From Dawn to Sunset
The daily period of fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. In between -- that is, during the dawn and daylight hours -- Muslims (Submitters) totally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sex. The usual practice is to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor) before dawn and a post-fast meal (iftar) after sunset.
The Islamic lunar calendar, being 11 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, migrates throughout the seasons. Thus, if Ramadan begins on January 20 one year, next year it will begin on January 9. In this way, the length of the day, and thus the fasting period, varies in length from place to place over the years. Every Muslim, no matter where he or she lives, will see an average Ramadan day of the approximately 13.5 hours.
Devotion to God
The last ten days of Ramadan are a time of special spiritual power as everyone tries to come closer to God through devotions and good deeds. The night on which the Quran was revealed to the Prophet, known as the Night of Power (Lailat ul-Qadr), is generally taken to be the 27th night of the month. The Quran states that this night is better than a thousand months. Therefore many Muslims (Submitters) spend the entire night in prayer.
During the month, Muslims (Submitters) try to read as much of the Quran as they can. Some spend part of their day listening to the recitation of the Quran in a mosque. meet for Quranic studies or for congregation prayers. Some spend the last ten days of Ramadan in a mosque devoting the whole ten days for worshipping God.
Food in Ramadan
Since Ramadan is a special time, Muslims (Submitters) in many parts of the world prepare certain favorite foods during this month. Since Ramadan emphasizes community aspects and since everyone eats dinner at the same time, Muslims often invite one another to share in the Ramadan evening meal.
Some Muslims (Submitters) find that they eat less for dinner during Ramadan than at other times due to stomach contraction. However, as a rule, most Muslims experience little fatigue during the day since the body becomes used to the altered routine during the first week of Ramadan. |
Source:
http://www.submission.org/about-R.html
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Aurelien
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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Man, you should've just put all those information (that you basically just copy paste from the site anyway) in a quote, or just leave the link. A bit of an unfair way to gain soldiers just by copy-pasting loads of text, you know.
Going back to the topic, I have a question for those who know exactly about Muslim fasting. It is mentioned that the fasting happened from dawn until sunset. If it happens in a place where it's summer (like in Australia for example, we're approaching summer soon) and the dawn was earlier while the sunset was late (sun might not set up to 8-9 PM), would the Muslims still must fast *that* long? Or is it flexible enough to say that it's only until roughly 6-7 PM (which is more common)?
Oh another thing, when you're fasting, are you allowed to swallow your own saliva to overcome the thirst?
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Shrew
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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I changed it to a quote, I think that negates the soldiers you earned, but I'm not certain.
Anyway, don't copy long stuff from another site or post long works. Either link it or quote it; the stuff in quotes doesn't count for soldiers.
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Starslasher
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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To answer your question Bugg, about the saliva, i think you can. It would definitely be rude to spit everytime your saliva glands start pumping :lol: !
I went to a lecture about Ramadhan a few weeks ago. There wre some interesting things that i myself, being a Muslim, didn't know. For example, not only is your fast nulled if you intently eat or drink, but also if you intentionally vomit. I didn't know that, since my friends and i never tried to do that!
Also, about the summer, yes you still have to fast up till sunset. I live in Australia myself. Today, i got up at 3:45 in the morning, ate, and started the fast at 4:05. I break it at 6:33 this evening. So that's about 14 hours of fasting. Think how hard it must be for those living in Saudi Arabia, or other desert countries!
Oh, and also, if you live in some place way up north, you must follow the amount of hours in Mecca to fast. Like, when my uncle went to Denmark. I might get this wrong, but the Sunrise was at sometime like 11:00 in the morning and sunset was in 3:00 in the afternoon! Those people must follow the fasting hours in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
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Aurelien
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:15 am Post subject: |
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Ah, I was wondering about the saliva because when it was fasting period back in high school (my school was a Catholic high school), there was a friend of mine (a Muslim of course) who kept on exiting the classroom to go to the toilet to spit out the saliva because he didn't want to break the fasting. I was confused at that time, but he insisted on saying that it wasn't allowed to swallow the saliva. So I thought that others might know better.
So if you have early sunset, then you must follow the Mecca fasting hours, but if you have late sunset, then you must follow the late sunset fasting hours? Wow. I honestly adore those who really managed to fast like that. I'm just too weak.
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Starslasher
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:33 am Post subject: |
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It's not so bad. Living in Perth, which has a slightly dry climate, i was able to fast and still go to the gym. But of course, i had to reduce my workout, or else i'd probably die from dehydration :lol: ! Instead of doing 3 repetitions of 10, i just do 2 reps instead.
I heard that in Saudi Arabia, during Ramadhan, the people just sleep in all day, not doing any work since it's hot outside. And the schools are closed for the whole month. It's different in other places though. Back in Pakistan, our school ended class at 2:30 instead of 4:00.
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Calupict
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 2:21 am Post subject: |
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Yeah I do fast right now too. If you trained it the fast will never really hard.
As a girl I can got another useful because I can diet too :D .
Fortunately I'm still have to go to school *yawn* not like in my Junior's when the government ruled that we break in a month and of course died in loneliness for exchange (nothing to do).
The key to stay fit on Ramadhan is never eat too much. Trust me eat much food when you finish the fast will make you sick and can't do Tarawih pray :cry: .
Because I'm a girl I got dispensation at menstruation time but of course I have to pay it after the Ramadhan is over :wink: .
And there is some dispensation for hard working labour (in terms if he don't work the family will hungry), pregnant mother, etc. For the labour they may not have to pay it, for the pregnant mother they pay it by pay it in another month. |
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Mist
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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Well first of all, sorry for coping and not putting the article in quotations, and thanks Shrew for doing that for me.
Second, about Bugg's question it is ok to swallow your own saliva, yes it's ok if the purpose is not to overcome ones thirst as you said, because if you do it you will break your fast.
Starslasher, most Muslim people sleep during fasting if they do not have any thing to do. However, I do not think that this is still happening either in Saudi Arabia or else where. People are getting busier with time. And schools over there are not closed (I just asked a Saudi friend of mine). They may have a ten days off in the last ten days of Ramadan for the Lilate Al-Qader, and most countries do this as well.
The other day I was speaking to my professor about the ten days off and you will not believe this but he actually refused. All of us got angry, and then he tolled us that he will think about it. I'm not sure what will I do if he do not give us a leave for the last ten days of Ramadan, my lectures are already end at 4:30 pm on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays and 2 pm on Sundays and Tuesdays.
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Starslasher
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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oh. well i was told from a friend of mine who lived in Saudi for some time that the schools were closed. I guess he must have meant the last ten days. But my school didn't close for the last ten days. I don't think other schools aournd the area didn't either.
So you don't get the ten days off. Does it matter? I still had to do my final exams during the last ten days of Ramadhan last year, which happened at 6:30 in the evening. I thought it was only important to read the Isha prayer for Laila tul' Qadr, isn't it? I mean it means "The Night of Power".
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Njord
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| Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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I just want to congratulate all Muslims for the Holy Month of Ramadan and may it be a blessed month for all of you.
I would also like to thank Mist for putting the link that contains all of these useful information on the Holy Month of Ramadan.
(Ramadan Mubark = مبارك عليكم رمضان)
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Mist
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| Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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The last ten days of Ramadan:
Starslasher, In these last days any night could be Lilate Al-Quder, which as you said means "the Night of Power"..., no one actually knows on what night it would be... and doing the Isha prayer is not enough... The Prophet Mohammed ,Peace Be upon Him, used to spend these last ten days of Ramadan in the mosque, praying , reading the Qur'an , and asking God for forgiveness... so I do not think that doing the Isha prayer only is enough... We must set the Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be upon Him as our ideal in every thing that we do or say...
Njord, thank you and Ramadan Mubark for you to.
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Starslasher
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| Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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hmm, i see. thanks for clarifying. It's just that the path of Islam is not set in stone. It's pretty flexible. you'd know what i mean right, Mist?
And a Ramadhan Mubarak to you Muslims out there in the Suikox forum, including Mist and Njord.
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kuwaizair
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Starslasher, most Muslim people sleep during fasting if they do not have any thing to do. |
do people swallow saliva in sleep? I mean, My pillow isn't that wet when I wake up, so I must be doing somthing.
what if you have a cold and surcub to postnasial drip? I can't help that, no one can.
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Calupict
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:19 am Post subject: |
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If you can't avoid it (means that was accident) that would be fine.
The Lord give dispensation though. I ever eat when I fast and my Mom told me that is fine because I forgot that I was fasting.
If you are sick you may not fast but you should pay it by fasting in another day beside the Ramadhan.
Ramadhan Mubarak, to all Muslim in Suikox. |
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Starslasher
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:26 am Post subject: |
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not meaning to go off topic, but i have found myself drooling in my sleep! I only thought it happens in animes/mangas, when you see people drooling in their sleep. I never thought it would happen to me!
And there has been times when i accidentaly swallowed some food, but i was allowed to continue my fast, since it was not done intentionally.
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