Ramadan Or Ramazan
Ramazan (also known as Ramadan) is the ninth month of the Islamic (Lunar) calendar.
The word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations.
It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year.
Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramazan are kept throughout the month.
Indulgence of any sort is forbidden during the fast.
There are only a few who are exempt, e.
g.
, soldiers, the sick, and the young.
The most prominent event of this month is the fasting (sawm) practiced by the most observant Muslims.
Every day during the month of Ramazan, Muslims around the world get up before dawn to eat the Suhoor meal (the pre dawn meal) and perform their fajr prayer.
They break their fast when the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib (sunset), is due.
As 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 Allah.
Ramazan is also a time of concentrated worship, reading of the Quran, purifying one's behavior, giving charity and doing virtuous deeds.
The secondary objective of fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing compassion for the less fortunate, and learns to be thankful and appreciative for all of God's bounties.
Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an.
Sunni Muslims tend to perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, called Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Qur'an (juz, which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed.
Tarawih is an Arabic phrase referring to those extra prayers.
This prayer is performed after salah of Isha'a, but before the witr rakat.
Muslims also pay Zakat (only applicable if one can afford it) during the month.
For those who qualify to pay Zakaat, as per the Islamic Nisab (that is those whose wealth exceeds their necessities), of the leftover of their wealth earned in that Islamic calendar year.
Although Zakat can be paid any time of the year, it has to be calculated on a year to year basis, and many Muslims use Ramadan as the month for calculation and disbursement.
Ramazan is also a time when Muslims are to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self reformation, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment, establishing a link between God Almighty and themselves by prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others.
Laylat al-Qadr, literally the "Night of Decrees" or "Night of Measures", is the anniversary of two very important dates in Islam that occurred in the month of Ramazan.
Muslims believe that it was the night of the Laylat al-Qadr that the Quran's first verse was revealed.
The exact night of the Laylat al-Qadr is only known to God and Muhammed (PBUH) but he chose to keep it to himself so that Muslims won't pray only that night.
That is why Muhammad (PBUH) indicated that it was one of the last ten odd nights of Ramazan.
Coming with the new moon, the festival marks the end of 'Ramazan' - a month when Muslims fast throughout the day and eat only at night Prayers, feasts and family get- together are the major highlights of the celebrations.
The word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations.
It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year.
Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramazan are kept throughout the month.
Indulgence of any sort is forbidden during the fast.
There are only a few who are exempt, e.
g.
, soldiers, the sick, and the young.
The most prominent event of this month is the fasting (sawm) practiced by the most observant Muslims.
Every day during the month of Ramazan, Muslims around the world get up before dawn to eat the Suhoor meal (the pre dawn meal) and perform their fajr prayer.
They break their fast when the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib (sunset), is due.
As 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 Allah.
Ramazan is also a time of concentrated worship, reading of the Quran, purifying one's behavior, giving charity and doing virtuous deeds.
The secondary objective of fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing compassion for the less fortunate, and learns to be thankful and appreciative for all of God's bounties.
Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an.
Sunni Muslims tend to perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, called Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Qur'an (juz, which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed.
Tarawih is an Arabic phrase referring to those extra prayers.
This prayer is performed after salah of Isha'a, but before the witr rakat.
Muslims also pay Zakat (only applicable if one can afford it) during the month.
For those who qualify to pay Zakaat, as per the Islamic Nisab (that is those whose wealth exceeds their necessities), of the leftover of their wealth earned in that Islamic calendar year.
Although Zakat can be paid any time of the year, it has to be calculated on a year to year basis, and many Muslims use Ramadan as the month for calculation and disbursement.
Ramazan is also a time when Muslims are to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self reformation, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment, establishing a link between God Almighty and themselves by prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others.
Laylat al-Qadr, literally the "Night of Decrees" or "Night of Measures", is the anniversary of two very important dates in Islam that occurred in the month of Ramazan.
Muslims believe that it was the night of the Laylat al-Qadr that the Quran's first verse was revealed.
The exact night of the Laylat al-Qadr is only known to God and Muhammed (PBUH) but he chose to keep it to himself so that Muslims won't pray only that night.
That is why Muhammad (PBUH) indicated that it was one of the last ten odd nights of Ramazan.
Coming with the new moon, the festival marks the end of 'Ramazan' - a month when Muslims fast throughout the day and eat only at night Prayers, feasts and family get- together are the major highlights of the celebrations.
