RAMADAN

➡️ RAMADAN – A Month of Reflection, Compassion, and Community

Ramadan is the most important month in the Islamic year, observed by Muslims around the world as a time of fasting, prayer, self-discipline, spiritual advancement, and community. Ramadan is observed in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the dates of which change every year. It commemorates the month the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is one of the most sacred times for Muslims.

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Traditions and Customs During Ramadan

During Ramadan, fasting from dawn until sunset is obligatory for adult Muslims, with exceptions for those who are ill, elderly, pregnant, nursing, or travelling. This fast, known as sawm, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and involves abstaining from food, drink, smoking, and marital relations during daylight hours. The fast is broken each evening with a meal called iftar, which often begins with eating dates, followed by a larger meal.

Ramadan brings together families and friends in festive gatherings as people come together to break their fast. Fasting serves as a reminder of the struggles faced by the less fortunate, including hunger and thirst. This sense of solidarity during a time of compassion and kindness compels many Muslims to offer help to their communities and those most in need.

Ramadan is also a time for increased devotion, with many Muslims engaging in additional prayers, studying the Qur'an, and attending Mosques and Muslim centres more frequently. Celebrations vary around the many Muslim communities, but typical traditions include gathering together with family, visiting, cleaning and decorating ancestors' graves, communal feasts, symbolic spiritual cleansing in rivers, parades with torches and singing, decorating the home with lanterns, banners, calendars, carpets, and table settings.

Some Muslims worry about the increasing commercialisation of this holy month. TV shows, lavish outings, iftar banquets, and throw-away decorations dilute Ramadan's spiritual and religious essence. Whilst the widespread acceptance and welcoming of the holiday outside the Muslim community is an excellent example of inclusivity and diversity, it is important to be wary of capitalism, over-consumption, and clever marketing, which distracts from the original sentiment.

Eid al-Fitr officially marks the end of Ramadan, a festive day when Muslims end their fast. The day is celebrated with communal prayers, feasting, and giving gifts.

Compassion and Humanity During Ramadan

Ramadan is not only about fasting. The month is also a time to abstain from negative emotions and behaviours. It is also about what we can embrace, such as compassion, generosity, and the love we show those around us. It is a time of increased worship, charity, and good deeds.

Showing kindness to others is an integral part of Islamic spiritual practice, even more so during this time when it is believed that acts of kindness hold more weight. Expressing faith in action through generosity is a way Muslims can earn Allah's blessing and seek forgiveness.

The spirit of Ramadan inspires a collective effort to uplift others and strengthen communal bonds. Such acts might include helping a neighbour, donating to a charity, giving food to those in need, offering advice to those who are struggling, and other simple but impactful gestures.

The holiday also serves as an opportunity to reconsider our consumption habits, seek ways to protect our local environment, reduce water wastage, consume less plastics and other unnecessary products, choose environmentally friendly transport options, and be mindful of how we can live more sustainably.

Ramadan for a Better World

At a time when Muslims are facing increasing persecution and discrimination, the peaceful and compassionate message at the heart of Ramadan is more important than ever.

Predominantly Muslim countries such as Iran, Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia live under repressive regimes, dictators, deadly military juntas, and troubling human rights records. In Yemen, citizens have endured the world's worst humanitarian crisis since fighting broke out in 2014.

China has been accused of crimes against humanity and possible genocide against the Uyghur population. More than a million Muslims have been arbitrarily detained in China's Xinjiang region in 'reeducation camps' where they are subjected to forced labour, denied all freedoms including religious, and are even forcibly sterilised.

In Myanmar, the Rohingya have suffered a deadly crackdown under Myanmar's brutal military regime. Around one million Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee their homes in Rakhine state to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh.

Muslims in India have faced systematic discrimination for decades, which has only worsened under the rule of Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi. Muslims are being targeted by propaganda that demonises and promotes violence towards them. Riots, the destruction of mosques, and demolition of Muslim-owned homes have resulted in the deaths and displacement of thousands. In 2019, a controversial new citizenship law which excludes Muslims resulted in widespread deadly protests.

Palestinians, as further demonstrated in the ongoing War on Gaza, have been subjected to persecution and apartheid for decades. Relentless and indiscriminatory bombing since October 2023 has resulted in the death of 50,000 Palestinians - 18,000 of which were children. An Israeli blockade has cut the West Bank and Gaza off from food, water, fuel, electricity, medical care, and international aid and stripped the citizens of their homes, jobs, safety, and humanity.

Throughout Europe and the United States, there has been a sharp increase in harassment, intimidation, hate crimes, and violence committed against Muslims. Politicians, armed groups, religious leaders, and the mainstream media feed into this Islamophobic rhetoric by promoting religious tensions, anti-Muslim sentiments, and discriminatory laws.

The Qur'an encourages us to seek peace in all aspects of our lives; it is a fundamental aspect of Islam. Let this Eid El Fitr mark the starting point towards a better world, where we all contribute to building a brighter world for future generations.

Better World Info wishes all of our Muslim users a Ramadan Mubarak. In the wise words of celebrated Muslim and Swiss philosopher Tariq Ramadan,

"Serve humanity, regardless of religion. Show solidarity for those suffering and oppressed."

Author: Rachael Mellor, 18.03.25 licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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