Ramadan – The Most Important Month for Muslim People

When an American goes to a Muslim restaurant to eat food in the daytime, and they see that it is closed. The first thing he would say is something like this: “Oh! Man, I forgot this month is Ramadan, and they are closed during the daytime.”In six hundred and fifty anno domini when our Prophet Muhammad was doing his meditation for one month in Mountain Hira. He saw that angel Gabriel was coming towards him and told him that almighty Allah has commanded to celebrate Ramadan. Ramadan is a month-long holiday, which holds a special meaning in the hearts of the Muslim people, and there are three important factors to understand its true meaning, how it is celebrated, and its importance.

The true meaning of Ramadan is when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for one whole month. The Holy Book Quran was revealed to our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by angel Gabriel during Ramadan to provide guidance for the Muslim people. There are five pillars of Islam, and they are faith (there is no one but Allah and the Prophet Muhammad is the messenger), Zakat (donating money to the poor people who does not have any houses or food to eat), prayer (Muslim prays five times a day), Hajj (once in a lifetime they should make a pilgrimage to Mecca), and fasting is one them. Ramadan starts depending on phases of the moon, and the month also varies if there is a full moon then it would start in any month. Our Prophet said that during the month of Ramadan the gates of all the heavens are open, and the gates of hell are shut down, so people who are in hell are allowed into heaven for one month. Also, our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told us that the heavenly people follow the same rituals as we do in Ramadan. People try to keep their mind and soul clean to please our Almighty Allah. For example, people should behave with others very nicely, and they should follow all the rules that our Prophet told us a long time ago, and then people should help the less fortunate by giving them food, clothes, etc. Besides, in this holy month, Muslim people attend the tarrabeh at the mosque after fasting because it is highly most valuable prayers which have extra prayers in it, and then they can ask for forgiveness to our almighty in that prayer. In addition, Ramadan is the month were our almighty Allah has sent all the messages by the angel Gabriel to our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to spread out these messages to his ummah, which means people. However, Muslim who have medical conditions in the month of Ramadan do not have to fast, but they must make up those days of fasting when they are in a healthy condition. Ramadan was first celebrated in Egypt and then later it expanded throughout the whole middle eastern countries and some parts of Asia such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Therefore, this is the true meaning of Ramadan that all Muslims should know.

Furthermore, Ramadan is the celebration month in our culture. During Ramadan, we wake up at five in the morning for suhoor (a meal eaten before the sunrise by the Muslim people); after having our suhoor, we pray to our Almighty Allah, and then we drink gallons of water to prevent feelling thirsty when we are fasting under the sunshine. We decorate our homes with different kinds of flowers, lamp lights and sprinkle the whole house with rosewater because this was a kind of enjoyment for us. At the time of fasting, we recite our Holy Book Quran, while some people who wanted to be an Islamic scholar memorize the whole book throughout this month. Although by reciting our Holy Book we feel peace in our hearts and also our almighty Allah sends thousands of angels from heaven to protect our house. Additionally, in this holy month, we focus more on our prayers by going to the mosque five times a day- once before sunrise, once in the afternoon, twice in the evening and once at night. Government offices, schools, and colleges are closed during Ramadan so that we will not have a hard time fasting and celebrate the whole month. In my family tradition, my mother always makes different types of sweet desserts such as custard, pudding and carrot halwa (an Indian dish made with carrot, milk, water, and sugar). Later we donate all the desserts to the poor people so that they can enjoy eating after their fast. As a matter of fact, most restaurants and street food markets are closed during the daytime and open in the evening during Ramadan. At that period, restaurants and street food markets becomes crowded with people buying their food to break their fasts. As the sun sets down completely, we break our fast with a meal called iftar. Before starting our iftar we pray to our almighty for giving us the wonderful opportunity and then we start the iftar with sweet drinks and dates to give us the energy. Next, we eat other types of food such as chicken curry, rice, and bread. Sometimes we invite our friends and relatives to come to our house for the iftar party. Having iftar with all the family members, friends, and relatives is enjoyable and remarkable experience. By the end of Ramadan, we touch our elder’s feet to seek their blessing from them, and it was my family’s culture because this is to show that we respect them greatly and our almighty will be happy with us. In sum, the holiest month for the Muslim people is Ramadan, a month-long celebration.

Ramadan is very significant for us because it is our almighty Allah’s command and we have to follow it very seriously. It is very important because we can show empathy for the less fortunate, for example homeless. For instance, there are millions of homeless people who are starving because of a lack of monetary gain, and they are getting sick by consuming inadequate nutrients so by helping them it will make us feel better. Ramadan teaches us how to be patient in any situation, motivates us to recite the holy book, and to donate money to the poor for their living expenses because on the judgment day, Allah will make it easier for us to go to paradise with no restriction. In this holy month, we change our bad habits and become a punctual person in praying, sleeping, and other daily activities. Being punctual will help us very much to be successful in the future and also in the afterlife. If we have any wishes, we pray to our almighty Allah and then our wishes get fulfilled this month. For example, if we want to buy something, and the price is high then we pray to our almighty, and on the next day, the prices go down. During the month of Ramadan, Allah has given us extra prayers to pray at night, which is very useful, and in those prayers we can ask forgiveness for the sins that we have done in the past. We go to pilgrimage (Hajj) in this month to concentrate more on our almighty Allah. Fasting helps our body keep in a healthy condition, and it was scientifically proven. So if we are sick during this month, we can fast from sunrise to sunset to keep ourselves strong and fit. It is also essential for our forefather those who have passed years and years before so that they can live peacefully in heaven. These are some reasons why Ramadan is very significant for us.

In summary, Ramadan is the most spiritual month for Muslim people. The Holy Book Quran was revealed to our Prophet by angel Gabriel in this month. People try to keep their mind and soul clean to please our Almighty Allah. Fasting during Ramadan helps our body keep in a healthy condition. So the month of Ramadan is a very important month for us. 

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