A special month in the year
Intisar Kirresh
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the new moon.
The fasting period usually starts from dawn to sunset every day for one month. We, Muslims, start our fast after eating a meal before dawn known as Suhoor, fast the whole day, and then break our fast with a meal known as Iftar directly after sunset.
Why do Muslims fast? Fasting during Ramadan is a means of seeking/attaining spiritual rebirth and building character. The purpose of the fast is to help develop humanity, love and patience. It also stresses the meaningful concepts of caring and sharing. Islamic fasting is not something bad or a punishment from God to feel hungry and thirsty, but it is an act of worship and obedience to Allah (God). In addition, fasting is a great chance for thanksgiving, forgiveness, spiritual training and self-restraint.
Muslims’ traditions during Ramadan differ from one country to another. Here in Jerusalem, we have our traditions, which are very special and mean a lot to me.
We stay awake all night, and we pray in mosques or our houses. Before the Suhoor a man called “musharati” or the “suhoor drummer” walks around the streets with his drums to wake up people for “Suhoor” and morning prayer.
After that, we eat a light meal for suhoor and pray (from this time we start our fast) and then we go to sleep. In the morning we pray, read the Holy Quran and do our work. Before sunset, we start preparing delicious food for Iftar. Most days we eat Iftar with our extended families, like our grandparents, cousins and friends, to feel the uniqueness of this month. Once Iftar is over, we pray a special Ramadan prayer called Altraweh in Al Aqsa mosque, after which we go back to our homes and eat special sweets like Qatayef, which is a Ramadan staple.
Ramadan culminates in a celebration of Eid Al Fitr or the "Festival of Breaking the Fast".
Dear Intisar,
ReplyDeleteI thought I knew something about the Ramadan fast, but I didn't really... It was fascinating to read what the fast symbolizes and how the tradition gives its signals in Jerusalem.
Thank you very much for the interesting sharing.
Interesting . All I knew about Ramadan was the fast itself. The goals of looking inwards and inspecting oneself through fasting is very similar to the jewish Yom Kippur.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to hear that! thank you so much dear Tslil and Idit
ReplyDeleteRamadan is my favorite month also! I liked your blog because it explains this month deeply.
ReplyDeleteit's my favorite month of the year and I was fascinated when I read your blog Intisar, thank you for talking about this particular month to let others know how is meaningful for us as Muslims.
ReplyDeletethank you all !!!
ReplyDelete