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Hey Ravens!
Ramadan is here. By the time this is posted, Ramadan will be mostly over, but I still want to explain its importance.
Ramadan is the 9th of the 12 months in the Islamic calendar. It is a very holy month, and there are many things that go on during the month.
Essentially, if you look at it from a surface level point of view; it is just fasting. Muslims are required to fast all 29 or 30 days of the month, but we need to address that as well. Many people are not fully aware of what fasting is. Fasting is the abstaining of all food and water from dawn until dusk, not sunrise to sunset as is often assumed. Dawn is the first crack of light in the sky, and dusk is just after the first sunset. Right now, it is from around 5:30 AM to around 7:15 PM.
Fasting during Ramadan is actually one of the 5 pillars of Islamic teaching. There are 5 things a Muslim must do to stay and be a Muslim. These are the Testifciation of One Lord and that Prophet Muhammad is his messenger, praying 5 times a day, fasting during Ramadan, giving charity, and doing pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life.
Here is the thing; fasting is the bare minimum. Ramadan is a month of mercy as well. It is a time where any good deeds a Muslim does are multiplied endless times, and even a simple prayer is monumental in the amount of deeds you get.
The second most question asked by Muslims is why do you put yourself through hunger? Why is Ramadan even a thing?
The most common asked question is 'not even water' and the answer is yes, not even water.
Well, first of all, let’s just make it clear that as Muslims, we believe that if God commands us to do something, then we must do it because we understand that he orders us to do what is best for us, but there is a reason. Ramadan is a holy month primarily because the Quran, the holy book from God that was revealed onto the Prophet that guides and details Muslims’ lives, had its first ayahs revealed during this month.
Another reason is what it does to us. Ignoring the worldly things like food and water allows us to focus on our spirituality and worshipping God in a better way. During this month, other than fasting, Muslims do many things to achieve spirituality and to take advantage of the good deed multiplier. Since this month is called the month of Quran, Muslims increase their recitation, memorization and understanding/learning of the holy book. Another thing that is highly recommended is praying the night prayer after the last prayer of the day, called Taraweeh. Finally, supplication and asking God for things is increased, due to the doors of Heaven being open, and it being more accepted in this month.
So, if you see your Muslim friends fasting, or doing extra prayers or whatnot this month, now you understand why.
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