Ramadan the Lovely Month

Ramadan is the ninth month of the islamic calendar -Alhijri calendar- , awaited by all Muslims every year when they perform the fasting which is the fourth pillar of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims refrain from eating food, drinking, chewing gum, smoking cigarettes and the like from dawn to sunset. Muslims focus on praying and reading the Quran . 

How do we know when Ramadan is? 

Ramadan crescent moon 

The crescent moon is the mark of the beginning of Ramadan.  After proving sighting of the moon, people start to prepare 'Sahur' which is the meal before fasting.

Why Ramadan is special?

It is a precious and special month because it is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him. Therefore, Muslims are encouraged to complete the full recitation of the Holy Quran at least once during the month. With an average of 600 pages, this seemingly huge task can be achieved through the recitation of four pages before each of the five prayers daily throughout the entire month. 

The Wisdom of fasting

The fast is not simply about denying your body food and water. It is also kind of self discipline to avoid ill speech, arguments, loss of temper and malicious behaviour. The whole point of the fast is to demonstrate submission to God and keep the mind focused on a spiritual plane. Ramadan is viewed as a month-long school where graduates leave with a developed sense of self-control in areas including diet, sleeping and the use of time. 

Here are some videos explain Ramadan meaning

Ramadan in my home country

If you come to my country in Ramadan you will see the streets and houses decorated with lights and lanterns. 

Lights and lanterns

before the sunset, all the family member gather to have 'Iftar' together. There are many Iftar feasts for poor people in the mosques and in some wealthy people's homes. People break their fast with dates and water, then pray the prayer called 'Almaghrib'. After that, they eat some soup and traditional kinds of pastry called 'sambusa' which are stuffed with ground beef or chicken, vegetable, or cheese, in addition to other kinds of food.  

Sambusa

another kind of Sambusa

Iftar feast

After that, they pray "Al esha'a" and an extra praying named "Taraweeh" in mosques. This is my favorite part of Ramadan. After that, people sit together having Arabic coffee and sweets and watching TV until Sahur time. 

Here is the Taraweeh prayer in The Holy Mosque 

I miss Ramadan in my country, and I hope I'll celebrate it with my family next year Insha'allah.