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The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with friends and family. The fasting is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, self-control and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely get to eat well.
Reading the Qur'an is an important part of Ramadan, and many Muslims will attempt to read the whole of the Qur'an at least once during the Ramadan period. Many will also attend special services in Mosques where the Qur'an is read.
It is common to have one meal, known as the suhoor, just before sunrise and another, known as the iftar, after sunset. This meal will commonly consist of dates, following the Prophet Muhammad’s example. Because Ramadan is a time to spend with friends and family, the fast will often be broken by Muslim families coming together to share in an evening meal.
If you eat anything or drink anything accidentally, because you forgot you were fasting, your fast does not break. However if you eat or drink anything intentionally, your fast is broken. If a Muslim breaks their fast , they are required to fast for another 30 days. They also have to give alms again, for the set of 30 days they have to complete.
There are strict rules about keeping your fast. It’s particularly intolerable for Muslims to; swear, smoke, be selfish or greedy, have any sexual intercourse, tell lies, insult or criticize someone behind their back, bear false witness or crave someone else’ possessions. Though these things are considered offensive at all other times of the year, they are thought to undo all the good gained by fasting, people also pray to god and ask for forgiveness. But people should be kind to one another and to be helpful, polite and to treat animals well.
Muslims must also refrain from thinking evil thoughts (envy), stealing, rivalry and lying throughout this time. Nothing must enter the mouth including chewing gum and cigarettes, or nose including intentionally sniffing any substance, such as perfume. However water unintentionally swallowed in the shower and brushing the teeth without swallowing is permitted. Muslims can visit the dentist during Ramadan as any substances that enter the mouth are excused in this situation.
At the end of the month, once fasting has been completed, a big celebration takes place known as 'Eid-ul-Fitr', the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. During this celebration Muslims dress in their finest clothes, give gifts to children and spend time with their friends and family. At Eid it is obligatory to give a set amount of money to charity to be used to help poor people buy new clothes and food so they too can celebrate.
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Fasting is meant to teach a Muslim patience, sacrifice and modesty. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of , and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance, and try to purify themselves through self-discipline and good deeds. They are encouraged to pay Zakat (alms) and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) during Ramadan.
Although fasting is a difficult experience to go through, there is much celebration when it begins and after each day’s fasting. Muslims endure it not only because Sawm is a pillar of faith, but also because they gain spiritual strength, sympathy for the underprivileged, and they develop self-control.
Other religious fasts:
As well as Ramadan, there are many other religious fasts such as:
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The nineteen day fast in the : fasting is followed from sunrise to sunset during the Bahá'í month of `Ala' (2nd-20th march). It is the complete refrain from both food and drink, including smoking. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, during which the believer must make the necessary readjustments in his life, and refresh the spiritual forces buried in his soul. The fast is symbolic, and a reminder of withdrawal from selfish and carnal desires.
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, Buddhism: Some Buddhist monks and nuns do not eat each day after the noon meal. This is not technically considered a fast, but rather a discipline and aids in meditation.
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Religious festivals, Hinduism: Fasting is usually followed during or before religious festivals like; or the 9 days of which occur twice a year in April and October/November during before .
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Part B
The Importance of Ramadan to Muslims
As Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, good deeds and also spending time with family, friends and loved ones. The fasting is intended to teach Muslims self- discipline, self- restraining "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,"Quran 2:18 and generosity. This quote from the Quran is a demand from Allah, making fasting very important in Islam.
Ramadan is very important to Muslims, it is the fourth of the 5 pillars of Islam explicitly mentioned in the Quran. ‘You who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you, just as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may do your duty on days that have been fixed.’ This indicates that it is a Muslims duty to fast, just as many Muslims did before them and will do after them.
Another reason Ramadan is important to Muslims is experiencing Ummah, a sense of brother-hood through shared ‘ordeals’. It brings the feeling of togetherness by praying together in a mosque and also in the sense that both the rich and poor fulfill the same demands of the fast, and are all going through the same thing together. This should also make them more generous towards them. Ramadan is also important for Muslims because it is believed to be the month during which the holy Qur’an was revealed by God to Mohammed.
Ramadan might affect a Muslims life by them becoming more holy and spiritual and geting closer to God, they will have a better self-discipline of them selves, they will stop and think about what they do in the future like committing any bad sins or deeds e.g. stealing; they might start to care about poor people and not put food to waste and also by Muslims fasting and not doing any bad deeds they might get closer to God. It makes them feel that they have fulfilled a requirement which is the fourth pillar of Islam which is sawm (fasting).
Some Muslims seek Allah’s forgiveness and protection in this month. This is the month for some Muslims to renew their commitment and re- establish their relationship with Allah. It is like the spring season for goodness and righteousness. Some Muslims think that Ramadan and its demands strengthen their faith and purify his/ her heart, soul and bad deeds.
Ramadan is the only month referred to in the Quran and it is mentioned for 2 reasons, the fast and the giving of the Quran. This is indeed the greatest and unique merit of Ramadan that the Quran, which is the last and only Book of Divine Guidance in the world, was sent down in this month, one can imagine that without this source of right guidance the world, in spite of all its charms and fascinations, would have been a dark, gloomy place, Hell. Without it, Man would still be living the life of the beasts, full of sin.
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By fasting Muslims are doing as they should; they are submitting it the will of Allah. This means that even if a Muslim does not want to fast, they still will. This is because Muslims must submit their full self to Allah, they are there to worship him and only him, they then must listen to his command and follow the five pillars that he put in place to make their life better.
Ramadan is important as it develops generosity. Before Ramadan ends a final obligation must be observed, that of making a special contribution for the care of the poor, Zakat-Ul-Fitr, ‘the charity of fast breaking’. Generosity, caring for the poor, is one of the great virtues encouraged in Islam. The purpose of this requirement is to insure that no Muslim is unable to break his fast.
A Muslim who refrains from satisfying his/her most basic needs and urges of life, develop the feeling that he/she is a helpless creature, dependent upon Allah’s kindness for ordinary necessities in life. Then when he views Allah’s blessings from which he benefits everyday, he is likely to adore and worship Allah with all his heart.
Ramadan can affect a Muslims life in many ways. For instance, fasting can be very difficult for Muslims living in not Islamic country or community. A Muslim living in London, working full time, would find it very hard to find time and a place to pray five times during Ramadan. It would disturb their work and because they are living in a mainly Christian community their work colleagues and boss might not be very sympathetic.
During Ramadan, Muslims are also impacted spiritually. Fasting requires you to have great strength in your faith and a devotion to self-discipline. Strength in your faith is very important, otherwise throughout the fast you will be questioning yourself as to why you are fasting, who you are doing this for. You must know that you are submitting yourself to Allah your god, your creator. You must also be devoted to self-discipline, meaning that you can stop yourself for eating or drinking something, even if you really want it. This means that you must resist all temptation and still be completely committed to complete your fast.
In conclusion, I believe that for a Muslim, although fasting has disadvantages, they are outweighed by the advantages. The fast is only for a short period of time and by taking part, you are not alone, but with Muslims around the world. Ramadan is important as it gives you time to reflect on how you can be a better Muslim. For example, Muslims take time to think of the poor and less fortunate, making them grateful for all they have. They also take this time to be closer to Allah, by giving up food and drink during the day, they are showing their faithfulness and commitment to Allah.
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Part C
“For Muslims, fasting has both
advantages and disadvantages.”
Many good things come to a Muslim, as a result of fasting. Fasting helps one to feel compassion for those who are less fortunate and underprivileged. This is because each day Muslims feel greater appreciation for what they have as a result of feeling hunger and thirst. The Muslim may gain good qualities such as perseverance and patience.
Fasting also allows one to build a sense of self-control and will-power, which can be of use throughout life in dealing with temptations and peer-pressure. Through fasting, Muslims learn to control their normal urges such as hunger and thirst, and thus are able to better resist temptations for things which are not necessary, such as drugs or other unwanted habits.
It offers time for Muslims to purify their bodies and their faith, by developing a better sense of humility, spirituality and community. Ramadan is a very spiritual time for Muslims, and they often invite each other to their homes to break the fast and pray together.
Some disadvantages are that the day will be difficult for Muslims who are fasting to continue with their normal work, particularly anything demanding. The whole pace of life is slowed down in Muslim countries. Muslim countries are mainly very hot places which will also add on to the difficult day as the Muslims will perspire more due to the heat and will not be able to quench their thirst. In Muslim countries drums are played or drums are fired to wake up Muslims so that they are ready for the early meal. Whereas, in a non-Muslim country, you have to rely on yourself to wake up.
Children in school are sometimes teased or tempted to eat by their peers and other children round the school. This can be a big disadvantage as the child may feel left out and eat, or the confidence of the child may die.
Although the fast is useful to health, cleansing the body and not eating just because you feel like it, it could also have a bad impact on the body. Through fasting, you could lose excessive weight and this could make you question why you should be doing this; is it right too be losing weight like this just to prove your faith? By loosing excessive weight, your body wont have any thing to support it and its defences will be less affective, as a result you could become very ill.
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I believe that fasting is good and bad, it teaches you manners; you have to be kind and polite while you are fasting. It also teaches you self-control because when you’re fasting you have to control your anger and you cannot swear, while you are fasting you will feel hunger and thirst of the poor and less fortunate people and this is meant to learn you to control you’re passions and appetite.
It helps one to feel compassionate for those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, since each day one will feel greater appreciation for what he/she has a result of feeling hunger, thirst and the desire to smoke. It offers a time for Muslims to ‘purify’ their bodies as well as their souls, by developing a greater sense of humility, spiritually and community. Ramadan is a very spiritual time for Muslims.
However, I still believe that there are disadvantages that go with it, like the pressure to feel that you have to fast to show that you are devoted to your faith, even when it is not necessary. For example, someone who is anaemic knowing that they do not have to fast, but doing to show that they are still devoted to Islam. Although in the long term they will be affecting their health and could get much worse as a result of it.
Temptation in school is also an issue. Children are going to find it hard to have to watch their friends eat, knowing that they cannot eat themselves. Another issue in schools is finding the time and a clean, peaceful place to pray. If the school does not provide the student with a place to pray it means that they have not done their five prayers, that is required of them during Ramadan.
Although, some people might agree that Ramadan is a disadvantage because hunger and the thirst can be agonizing and you have to try really hard to follow the rules of fasting e.g. no swearing, smoking or taking drugs.
Overall for a Muslim, the spiritual benefits of fasting outweigh the physical disadvantages. For a Muslim fasting is about showing their devotion to Allah and purifying themselves. Even though fasting may mean they loose a bit of weight, or they have to make up for the prayers they have missed during school or work, they don’t mind as long as they have done their fast and know that they are still committed to Allah and the Islamic faith.
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