All About Ramadan

Ramadan is a blessed month. It is the 9th month in the Hijri or Islamic Calendar  its beginning and end is determined by the visual sightings of the crescent moon. If the moon does not appear Ramadan is delayed for a day same as with the Eid il ftir which marks the end of Ramadan. This is the reason why the crescent moon is a common thing you see in all places ( stores, malls, restos) during Ramadan.

ramadan moon sighting courtesy of newsrescue.com

Ramadan commemorates the first revelation of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammed. Ramadan is observed by all muslims worldwide as a month of fasting and fasting is obligatory except for those who is ill, traveling, pregnant, breastfeeding or having menstrual cycle. There are exceptions also and these are the following facts about Ramadan ( you are free to add comment if there is something needed to be added or changed).

1. Fasting starts from 4 am until 7 pm. Nothing should be taken by mouth not even water.
2. The first meal is called IFTAR which is eaten at 7 pm after prayer. Iftar literally means breakfast.

TRIVIA: All over the world breakfast is eaten in the morning between 7am-10am followed by lunch and dinner. During Ramadan, breakfast or iftar is eaten at 7 pm not only it is called breakfast because it is the first meal but also because it is the first meal that BREAKs your FASTing. 

iftar menu courtesy of www.isglmasjid.org

Traditionally but not mandatory the first thing they eat are 3 Dates or Tamer simulating what Prophet Muhammed did. To many Muslims feeding another with Iftar is a form of charity, this is the reason why most Masjids or mosques give out Khabsa after the 7 pm siren or Adhan.

EGYPTIAN IFTAR

This is just based on my conversation with my colleague Dr. Samer Shawky Nosier. I asked him to enlighten me on his Ramadan Appetite. He briefly told me that after prayer between 7-7:30 pm they eat the Iftar usually starting with Dates and Dried Fruits soaked in milk. Then soup is served followed by the main meal consisting of mostly rice, chicken,beef. Dessert is served thereafter.

For other information on how the rest of the world eats iftar please check this Iftar and the world.

TRIVIA: Egypt's Alexandria breaks Guiness' World Record of having the longest Iftar table for 2015.  The 4.3 km long table was set along the seaside of Alexandria, despite the angry crowd complaining about the scarcity of food it smashed away the previous 2.0 km record set in Italy.  

Dr. Samer told me that there is more to it about Ramadan than food and fasting. It is restricting yourself from committing sins as much as possible whether verbal or physical like no lies, cursing and avoiding anything that stimulates earthly desires. In short self behaving.

PALESTINIAN VIEW

My other colleague and friend who is Palestinian  also told me that during Ramadan you devote your self to your ultimate God. He devotes more time reading the Holy Quran. He avoids acts that will break the fasting. He said that you are expected to be good all months of the year but you are obliged to be better than good during the month of Ramadan.

SAUDI'S POINT

I had the privilege to talk with few Saudi nationals about Ramadan though not extensively. They follow the same principles that was written in the Holy Quran but of course some have different interpretation and comprehension of what was written. It is like when we go to school, the school give us the same book but how we understand that book differs from our classmates.

I asked my friend what they do during the long hours of fasting from 4 am to 7 pm, he said only sleep and read the Quran. Listening to music is not allowed.

So what are these do's and dont's in Ramadan that Muslims follows? I will write it in another post

Happy Reading!