Ramadan 2007 comes to an end
I was among the the first wave of Muslims in the UK who celebrated Eid-Ul Fithr on Friday 12th October 2007 which marked the end of Ramadan Fast.
For many, Eid-Ul Fithr was on Saturday or Sunday depending upon what mosques they follow and where they are.
What is Ramadan anyway? Why do Muslims fast?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslims around the world fast throughout the month as commanded by God in the holy Quran.
Fast starts at dawn and ends at dust. During the fast, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking.. They also renounce lying, back-biting, quarrel and all forms of negative activities.
They turn their attention to God, engaging in prayers and reflecting on life. They give charity to the poor and the needy.
The purpose of the fast is to learn self-discipline, to build good characteristics including patience, endurance, generosity and kindness, and above all to become God-aware and God-fearing.
The start and end of Ramadan fast is subject to the sighting of moon. So, just as the fast is started after the sighting of a new moon, the fast is also ended on the sighting of another new moon.
The end of Ramadan fast is marked by Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations. Muslims say prayers the first thing in the morning, visit and, greet family and friends and have feast with them – simply enjoy the day.
That’s what Ramadan and fast is all about.
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“Fast starts at dawn and ends at dust. During the fast, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking.. They also renounce lying, back-biting, quarrel and all forms of negative activities.”
That’s interesting so does that mean when the fast has ended people can go back to back-biting, quarreling or is that a wake up call to people?
Being able to fast is a really hard thing to do because there are a lot of people out there who may throw that kind of negativity towards you and I guess its about how you can manage not responding to that.
I can see how people can benefit from fasting because in my opinion it is a reminder of how we should be living positively.
Good question. The answer lies in your comment – it is a wake-up call.
Ramadan fast gives us an opportunity to cleanse our souls of impure thoughts and behaviour and to start a fresh disciplined and responsible life.
Think of a training course. You register on a course, improve or learn new skills and then once you complete it, you will try and apply those skills in your every day life to your own advantage.
Think of Ramadan fast as a physical and psychological training course.