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Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Ramadan Kareem!



A very happy and Blessed Ramadan to all of you! For those of you who are unfaimiliar with this term, it is a month of fasting that was ordained by God to his righteous followers. It is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, which happens to be a purely Lunar Calendar. During this month, Muslims all around the world eat and drink before sunrise till the sun goes down. At sunset, they resume eating and drinking with a heavy meal in some places, whereas some prefer to simply 'break' their fast by having a few dates and water, the traditional way followed by the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). However, those who do not indulge in eating a heavy meal, do have dinner, but usually an hour or so after breaking their fast.


Various dishes for the breaking of the fast

The most important rules to follow while fasting are quite simple actually. Most importantly, we are to live our lives as pious muslims - something we should be doing normally as well. During Ramadan, we are to especially observe strict adherence to the fundamental Islamic laws. These 'laws' are simply principles of life that are sanctioned by God, apart from not eating and drinking; respecting others, not stealing, not lying, not hurting anyone, praying 5 times (on time), and following various other moral rulings. The month of Ramadan is our opportunity to receive salvation by following the canons that govern fasting. For one whole month, each day, we wake up in the morning to eat and drink, and then cease to do so until sunset. The month of Ramadan is followed by a celebration called "Eid", which marks the end of the arduous month of Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak to everyone once again!

6 comments:

Polka Dotted Pickles said...

Sweet!

Ooh, I've been tagged.

Siddharth said...

hey doesnt it get tough fasting at work?anyway the main hindu festival diwali also falls around the same time as id.do ur non paki friends know abt our festivals.btw do u have any indian friends?

miserable performance by the world 11!i think inzy must have been in the team..

Asad Raza said...

Hey Siddhart! Good to hear from you, friend. Fasting is not too difficult for those of us who've spent our lives growing up in the scorching heat of the desert Kingdoms of the Middle East. The first few fasts are usually a little difficult because the month comes once a year, and we're not accustomed to fasting on a regular basis. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) used to fast a couple of days each week as it is facilitates the body in flushing various toxins out of the body.

Some of my non-Pakistani friends are aware of Hindu and Muslim festivals, events, etc. However, most white people I've encountered aren't all that familiar with our customs, but then again I wouldn't generalize because these people represent a negligible portion of the entire US populace.

Yes, I do have Indian friends. In fact, a lot of them. When I was growing up in UAE, I had many Indian friends. In fact, I have a huge amount of Indian friends here at the University, especially because of, but not limited to the cricket team.

Yes, I agree! That performance was expected of minnows, and even with some of the biggest names in cricket playing together, this team couldn't even lose with grace! You're right, Inzi should have been there to at least bring the score to a respectable total. Instead, they selected Lara for the ODI side who's performance in this are of the game, i.e., ODIs has exponentially plummetted. Also, Pathan would have been a great addition to the bowling side, since he has been in excellent form. Kallis and Sehwag haven't been in their best form lately and their selection in the team was unwarrented. If only Tendulkar was fit enough to play, he would have hammered the Aussies as he so often does. Sangakkara, has definitely shown his worth by performing in nearly every match he has played. I just hope the World XI can bounce back and nail those Aussies on their own home soil.

Raheel Lakhani said...

Ramadhan Mubarak to you too :)

SR said...

Ramzan Mubarakkkkkkkkkkkkk bhaisaab =) hope ur settled in ur new place!

Asad Raza said...

Khair mubarak, people! Yes, the new place is temporary. I'm going to have to haul all the stuff over once again when I move to the new place inshallah.