Published by Ramadan
“What is Ramadan?” It is a question I hear a lot and one that I am tired of explaining. Many people are clueless about exactly what Ramadan is, and that’s not exactly surprising to know. The question, “What is Ramadan,” has, actually, a very simple answer. Ramadan is an Islamic Month of restraint. But since the definition I have just given you, the reader, is never enough for the person who asks me the question, I am writing this essay to fully describe what Ramadan is and what it means to us Muslims. But really, the questioner actually means to ask “What do Muslims do in Ramadan?” That is the question I will be answering.
Ramadan is simply a month in the Islamic calendar and nothing more. But what Muslims do in Ramadan and why the month is so special to them is a totally different story. Ramadan can be described as the month of restraint, why it is so will make more sense as you read further. One part of Ramadan is fasting. Fasting is the process of not eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset. Before sunrise, Muslims will wake up to have a breakfast or at least something to eat and drink. Then, after sunrise, fasters are not allowed to eat anything or drink anything (including water) until Sunset. Then, right after the sun sets, Muslims will break their fast by eating or drinking something. They will usually have full on hardcore meal; this meal is called Iftari (eef-thaar-ee). This is purifying the soul and repelling the Satan from even coming close to the person who has fasted.
Fasting in Ramadan is also teaching the faster restraint. It is teaching us to repel away from what we want or even need, so that others who need it more can have it. This is a good thing to learn to do because, if you can do this, then if you want something but you know that you shouldn’t have it, you can restrain yourself from it. Fasting also teaches you self discipline; it teaches you to control your self when your body needs something. You’re extremely hungry, but you know that you have to control yourself from eating. So this way, next time you get hungry, you will know that someone else may be hungrier and you know their pain, so you control yourself and restrain from eating. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eat, it just means that you be aware that someone else may be more hungry than you, and if possible, you should generously give food to that person before you eat.
The last part of Ramadan is Eid-ul-Fitr. Eid-ul-Fitr is the holiday that the Muslims celebrate at the end of Ramadan. We find out when Ramadan is by seeing the full moon. After 30 days of fasting, if we see the full moon, then the new month begins and Eid-ul-Fitr is the next day. But if we don’t see the full moon then that means that there will be one more day of Ramadan and one more day of fasting. On Eid-ul-Fitr, the Muslims start the day, of course, by praying fajr prayer (the first prayer of the 5 required prayers for Muslim) Then they snack lightly or have a full breakfast before going to the Mosque, which is the Holy building of Islam (Holy building are things like churches and temples.).
Eid-ul-Fitr is the final celebration of Ramadan.
Ramadan is a rather simple process, although at first glance, it may seem very complicated. There is a lot about Ramadan, but it actually is just a month. Ramadan is the month that the Quran (Muslim Bible) was first revealed. Ramadan is also a month about restraint and joy. It is about learning self discipline, while at the same time celebrating the revelation of the Quran. Ramadan is a great month to all Muslims. One thing you should always remember, don’t ask what is Ramadan, but what Ramadan is about.
