a nice article on Ramadan.
share the articles written by non Muslims, on Ramadan.
Muslims celebrate Ramadan
By Brian Bethel
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The sun-up-to-sundown observance, which started Tuesday, is first and foremost designed to help Muslims practice self-discipline, not just from food and drink but from a variety of activities – even those considered “lawful” by the faith.
Muslims are ordered to abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures from the break of dawn until sunset throughout the whole month, according to according to iMuslimz.com.
“It’s about having the discipline to follow God’s guidance and fight off temptations of the flesh, the world and all other things,” Talib said.
The ninth Islamic lunar month, Ramadan is considered the month Allah revealed the Koran, the Muslim holy scripture, to Mohammed. Believers usually wake before dawn to take a small meal called a suhoor.
The period of fasting lasts about 14 hours, said Abilene Muslim Marwan Kharboutli.
Though the fasting is what most non-Muslims know about Ramadan, the sum total of the observance is much more than that, Kharboutli said.
The second, and more important reason for the Ramadan fast is the discipline a person practices in other areas of his or her life.
“It’s not just food and drink – it’s whatever you don’t like about yourself,” he said. “If you have any bad habits or anything about you that you wish could be different or better, then this is the time.”
That can include behaviors, such as a tendency to argue, fuss or fight, Talib said.
The discipline during the month is designed to bring one closer to God and to enhance one’s spiritual life, Kharboutli said.
“You’re supposed to be reading the Koran more,” he said. “You’re supposed to be saying more prayers And you’re also supposed to think more about the poor.”
Talib said that it’s common to read one-thirtieth of the Koran each day, so that the entire text may be read in a month.
Speaking via telephone from his office around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Kharboutli admitted that he was hungry.
But that selfsame hunger is supposed to bring home the suffering that those who are hungry must endure every day, he said.
“We’re supposed to be thinking about others,” he said.
In the Koran, God says in more than one place that actions such as fasting and self-discipline benefit those undertaking them, not Him, Kharboutli said.
“You are improving yourself,” he said. “It’s not just about looking at a plate of your favorite food and not being able to touch it.”
Kharboutli, who works for Texas Boll Weevil Eradication, said that he has never had a problem integrating his prayer and personal practices into his life.
“I’m really blessed, with folks around me who are very understanding,” he said.
Whether it’s a monthlong fast or a regular Friday prayer meeting, “no one has shown any disagreement,” he said.
“It’s not something I take advantage of,” said Kharboutli, who was working late Wednesday night. “… If I use some time for my own (spiritual) benefit, then I make sure to make up for that.”
The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast, marks the end of Ramadan. Food is donated to the poor, new clothes are donned, and communal prayers are held in the early morning hours, followed by feasting and visiting friends and relatives.
Muslims are encouraged to fast six days in Shawwal, the month following Ramadan that begins after Eid ul-Fitr. The days do not have to be taken consecutively.
© Abilene Reporter-News
Muslims celebrate Ramadan : Spirituality : Abilene Reporter-News