Holidays

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__Muslim Holidays__
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world today. Millions of people are converting to the faith created by the prophet Muhammad hundreds of years ago. Along with the traditional practices of this religion, there are also many different holidays that are celebrated. Many of the holidays celebrate special events or days in the lives of Muslim's religious figures. Some of these major holidays that are celebrated are Eid Al Adha, the combined holidays Isra and Mi’ raj, and finally Ramadan and Ashura. Whether they commemorate Muhammad or Abraham, all of these holidays are important to the Islamic belief and help characterize the religion. Eid Al Adha is a very important holiday in Muslim culture. This holiday takes place on aproximately November 27th on a calender used in the United States. Eid Al Adha means the festival of sacrifice. This festival occurs because of Abraham's trial in which Allah told him to sacrifice his son, Ishmeal. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son and because he submitted to the will of Allah immediatly before the sacrifice of Ishmael, Allah replaced Ishmael with a goat. In present day this festival occurrs at the end of the Hajj to celebrate Abraham's faith in Allah. During the festival, Muslims sacrifice a goat, sheep, or camel in order to commemorate Abraham's trial from Allah. There is much meat as a result of the numerous sacrifices, much of which is given away to others. One third of a Muslim's animal sacrifice is eaten by thier immediate family and relatives, another one third is given away to friends, and the last one third is donated to the poor. This also shows the value of charity to Muslims and thier willingness to give up some of their own wealth in order to create strong friendships and help those in need. The sacrifice itself is not related to atoning ones sins in the Islamic religion but is rather how by willingly making sacrifices in order to strengthen thier relationship with Allah. The Eid Al Adha is an important part of the Hajj and a major Muslim holiday. The Isra and Mi’raj mark the night in which Allah led Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem before Muhammad ascended into Heaven.The official name of this holiday is Al Isra' wal Miraj which translates in English to “the miraculous night journey and Heavenly ascension of the Prophet Muhammad”. Muslim traditions associated with this holiday vary in different Islamic communities. However, some common customs include decorating homes with small electric lights similar to Christmas lights, and also putting candles in windows. Several communities gather on this day to share a communal meal together and to educate the young Muslim children about Muhammad's ascent to Heaven and his journey leading up to it. The Isra was Muhammad's journey from Mecca to "furthest" mosque, the location of this mosque is a question of debate for many Muslims. The second part of Muhammad's journey before his ascent to Heaven is known as the Mi'raj. During this journey, it is said that Muhammad was shown Heaven and Hell. When he was shown Heaven, he talked with many prophets before him such as Jesus and Moses. These two journeys, Isra and Mi'raj together create a cherished holiday for Muslims everywhere. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar in which all healthy adult Muslims fast during daylight hours. Ramadan is also included in the Five Pillars of Islam. In addition to giving up food and drink, Muslims must give up any smoking and sexual activity during the daylight hours of Ramadan. Muslims who are physically or mentally unwell are pardoned from the fasting but in turn must make a donation to the poor in order to make up for their time for fasting. However, the Ramadan includes more than just fasting, Muslims are also encouraged to avoid having doubts, thinking evil thoughts, lying, gossiping, arguments, and any negative behaviors. This will help the fasting Muslim to retain their focus to self-sacrifice and their devotion to Allah, or God. As soon as night hits, many Muslims open the fast with dates or water because Muhammad did this as well, before devouring the main meal. This main meal is often eaten with family and friends from the community until the fasting begins the next morning. Ramadan is important to any Islamic society as a "month of blessing" in which Muslims show their devotion to Allah through prayer fasting and charity. Ashura is a holiday celebrated on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic year. This holiday is celebrated on the tenth day of that month because the actual word Ashura means “tenth”. The holiday Ashura was created shortly after the hijra in 622 AD. Muhammad selected the day as a day of fasting for all Muslims. They were expected to fast from the sunset of the 9th to the sunset of the 10th of Muharram. Ashura was originally celebrated because of two events on that day. One was the day Noah left his ark and the day Moses was rescued form the Egyptians by Allah. After a while though, the Muslim and Jewish relationship was strained. This made the holiday become a voluntary fast because of its relation with the Jews, while the month of Ramadan became the time for fasting. This change was only among the Sunni Muslims. The Shi’ites still consider Ashura a major festival. To them the holiday represents the death of Husayn. He was the son of Imam Ali who was a direct descendent of Muhammad. On this holiday the most common way to celebrate it is by showing public displays of grief and mourning. These displays of grief are trying are to repeat the suffering Husayn went through and help them receive salvation on judgment day. On this holiday there are also reenactments of his death that are known as Passion Plays. Another common practice on the day is a pilgrimage to Karbala, Iraq for some Shia. This place is known to possess Husayn’s tomb and is very sacred. Even though this holiday is not celebrated by all Muslims, it is still very important to the Islam culture. In conclusion, the Muslim holidays are a large part of Islamic culture. These holidays can be related to their ancestor’s previous triumphs or they can be something simple like celebrating the new year. The Ashura, Ramadan and Eid al Adha all are symbolic holidays of religious figure’s deaths, sacrifices and triumphs where is the Isra Me’ raj is very similar to American New Year celebrations. Even though people think that the Muslims from all around the world and Americans have little in common, people of all different cultures like to come together and celebrate with their family and friends. __** Sources: **__ [] [|www.infoplease.com] [] [] [] [|http://www.Islam.about]