Top 9 Things You Must Know About Ramadan
The holy month of Ramadan is observed by all Muslims. The essence of this month is self control. You may think it's all about not eating food and drinking water during the day time. But, no it's a lot more than that. During this month the believer should also have control over what he does, what he speaks, what he watches, what he hears even over what he thinks. The month is celebrated like a festival in all the Muslim nations, with restaurants rolling out deals for Iftars- the meal in the evening when the fast is broken (Before Maghrib Prayer) and great shopping sales the early morning meal which gets you all set for the hot fast day! The month highlights forgiveness as its core aim. It is during this month the 30/ 29 days of Roza or fast which signify the importance of all the abundance the believer is blessed with! And to top it over with… the awesome day of eid where kids are showered with eidi or money… its blessings from their elders
Here are the top 9 things you should know about this pious month:
1 A night to remember….
Although the Quran does not specify the exact date, Laylatul Qadr (“Night of Power”) — the holiest night of the year — celebrates the night Allah reportedly revealed some of the holy book to the Prophet Muhammad. It is generally recognized as occurring some time on an odd-numbered day in the last 10 days of the observed holiday.
2 Switch off the lights! It's show time!
In Arabic countries, Ramadan is prime-time TV binge-watching season and many stations work to produce 30-episode series (an episode for each night) for their audience.
3 The Iftar recommended by the prophet
The most traditional way to break the fast is to eat dates — which are among humankind’s earliest cultivated crops — either alone or in more elaborate dishes.
4 What's in a name?
Mohamed Ramadan in El Khoroug (Actor)
Religious baby names aren't unusual across any faith; however, when devout Catholics choose to reflect their faith in their child's name, they often go the way of a saint, like Mary, or the way of a virtue, like Grace. You'd be hard-pressed to find a baby named Lent. Not the case with Ramadan, as the religious observance has also become a common name for Muslim baby boys.
5 Times you can’t fast
According to the holy Koran, people who are sick, elderly, traveling, pregnant or breast-feeding, as well as children under the age of puberty, can forgo fasting if it will negatively affect their health. Additionally, a fast can become invalidated for reasons such as menstruation or postpartum bleeding, intentional vomiting and, of course, breaking a fast to eat or drink.
6 Save the dates… oops not possible
Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar and begins with the hilal, the Arabic word for crescent or "new moon," in the ninth month of each year. But because the lunar cycle steadily moves backward compared to the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan falls earlier and earlier each year.
7 Welcome calories! Bye Bye goals…
Despite the daily fasting, Ramadan is notorious for being a month of weight gain. There are many reasons why practicing Muslims often gain, instead of lose, weight during this time. Foremost is that fasting and low activity levels during the day often give way to binge eating at night. Such behavior results in slower metabolic cycles that cause the body to store fat instead of burning it.
8 The Month of Giving
Donations to charities see a significant rise during the month of Ramadan, as many Muslims choose to give their charity for the year during the holy month. They believe giving a portion of their savings to the poor helps in the purification of their wealth
9 Missing a fast?
The Koran requires that believers take a qada fast — meaning to fast one day for one day — to make up for the missed days of fasting, as soon as possible.
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Story Teller and Compiler: Aasim Yacub