The Ritual of Ramadan
Good Morning! Hope you are having a great start to the week!
Ramadan starts tomorrow.
Did you know that this is the most sacred month for over 33% of the world!? Around 2.2 billion people are participating in this ritual for the next month.
the Prophet Mohammed reportedly said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of hell are closed and the devils are chained." Muslims believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Quran, Islam's sacred text, to Mohammed, on a night known as "The Night of Power" (or Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic)."
https://www.vox.com/2017/5/25/11851766/what-is-ramadan-2018-start-date-muslim-islam-about
I find this pretty interesting, and so I did some of my own research...
What does a typical day look like?
Before Dawn
- Wake up before dawn to eat the first meal of the day (High protein and drinking as much water as possible). This is called "suhur" ("predawn" meal)
- Morning prayer at dawn (the first prayer is known as "Tarawih" ,
- Either go back to sleep for a few hours or begin the day.
* All responsibilities like school and work are not to be avoided. "In many Muslim countries, however, businesses and schools may reduce their hours during the day or close entirely."
Evening
- Evening call to prayer, there is usually a light snack called "iftar" (meaning "breakfast")
- Evening prayer (usually performed at a mosque)
What is the Goal of this tradition?
To care, share and develop a closer relationship with Allah. Through prayer, reciting invocations, reading the Quran and donating to charity more often are all general practices.