WHAT IS RAMADAN??

JULY 21, 2012

Ramadan began sunset of Thursday, July 19, 2012, and ends sunset of Saturday, August 18, 2012.

First of all we want to thank our Muslim brothers and sisters for reading our blogs and contact us from time to time. Keep seeking truth.

The intent of this blog today is to further educate some of us about another another aspect of our-self, that's called Muslim. We don't care for labels, however, for the sake of identifying people groups by names they are used to, ie Muslim, Christian, Jew, etc, we use them. We also want to further bring balance to what has been perpetrated on humanity, especially since 2001. The psychological warfare by the evil ones designed to bring Fear, Hatred and Division has been very successful; but as more people choose to become AWAKE, that is changing. There is a conspiracy to "divide and conquer," the evil controllers are masters at this game they have played with humanity for thousands of years. This is how the less than 1% has stayed in power, stolen from every nation through their banks, destroyed lives and set sheeple against sheeple. Unbeknownst to the sheeple, they have hated and killed each other over religion, race and politics; all sides are being used in this game, only to benefit their evil overlords greedy agendas. This evil agenda is not only played out between nations, but also in our neighbors on the streets of America.

Contrary to what the media, Christian Zionist, and Zionist want us to believe; most Muslims don't want to kill Americans in retaliation for how our government and foreign policies have mistreated them over the past 60 years. In spite of how we have invaded their lands, toppled their governments, stolen their resources, murdered their families in masses under false pretenses, tried to destroy their culture and turn them into Americans; most Muslims are decent, honest people that want to live in peace. Politics and religion aside, the truth be told; the Muslim extremists and radicals are a direct result (reaction-effect) of unjust western imperialist policies. We do realize that we live in a society where truth is rarely told, there is misplaced patriotism; deception, denial and ignorance are celebrities that many choose to rally around daily.

Should not those that purport to "know the Way" be the example of Love, unity and peace? Should not that love constrain us to speak the truth, even when it is unpopular? Here are some quotes that I found:

“We hate some persons because we do not know them; and will not know them because we hate them.” ~Charles Caleb Colton

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.” Wayne Dyer

“Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden...” ~Author Unknown

“Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.” ~Martina Navratilova

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path. ”~ Paulo Coelho

What an excellent time to strike up a conversation with that Muslim person or family in your neighbor, in the work place, or in the supermarket. They will be so impressed that you actually took the time to learn something about them besides what the media would have you believe. They might even be able to hear something you have to say, if it Spirit directed with wisdom and love.

WHAT IS 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, 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 Qur'an, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds.

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?

While voluntary fasting is recommended for Muslims, during Ramadan fasting becomes obligatory. Sick people, travelers, and women in certain conditions are exempted from the fast but must make it up as they are able. Perhaps fasting in Ramadan is the most widely practiced of all the Muslim forms of worship.

The Sighting of the Moon

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The much-anticipated start of the month is based on a combination of physical sightings of the moon and astronomical calculations. The practice varies from place to place, some places relying heavily on sighting reports and others totally on calculations. In the United States, most communities follow the decision of the Islamic Society of North America, which accepts bonafide sightings of the new moon anywhere in the United States as the start of the new month. The end of the month, marked by the celebration of 'Eid-ul-Fitr, is similarly determined.

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 daylight hours -- Muslims totally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and marital 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. The entire cycle takes around 35 years. 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 first verses of the Qur'an were 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 Qur'an states that this night is better than a thousand months. Therefore many Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.

During the month, Muslims try to read as much of the Qur'an as they can. Most try to read the whole book at least once. Some spend part of their day listening to the recitation of the Qur'an in a mosque.

Food in Ramadan

Since Ramadan is a special time, Muslims in many parts of the world prepare certain favorite foods during this month.

It is a common practice for Muslims to break their fast at sunset with dates (iftar), following the custom of Prophet Muhammad. This is followed by the sunset prayer, which is followed by dinner. 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 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.

The Spirit of Ramadan

Muslims use many phrases in various languages to congratulate one another for the completion of the obligation of fasting and the 'Eid-ul-Fitr festival. Here is a sampling of them:

"Kullu am wa antum bi-khair" (May you be well throughout the year) - Arabic

"Atyab at-tihani bi-munasabat hulul shahru Ramadan al-Mubarak" (The most precious congratulations on the occasion of the coming of Ramadan) - Arabic

"Elveda, ey Ramazan" (Farewell, O Ramadan) - Turkish

"Kullu am wa antum bi-khair" (May you be well throughout the year) - Arabic

"'Eid mubarak (A Blessed 'Eid)" – universal

Share this with all you know.

We accept donations for our non profit work.