Ramadan

Ramadan


 * __Final Copy__**

__Group Members__ Brittany A- A period Matt C- B period Lia B- D period Meredith S- F period

__Introduction__  Islam is a religion that literally means "submission to God", and was founded by the prophet Muhammad in 610 BC. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world today. It is the second largest, behind Christianity, but the number of people converting to Islam is growing rapidly. Ramadan is an extremely important Muslim holiday that takes place on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Not only is Ramadan a holiday, but it is one of the five pillars of Islam as well. It is very religious and sacred, for it is thought to be the month that the Holy Qu'ran was sent down from heaven. This is significant, for the Qu'ran is supposedly the word of Muhammad (the prophet of Muslim), the angel Gabriel (the angel who told Muhammad to "proclaim"), and Allah (God). It is celebrated throughout the entire month. To make this celebration possible, there is much needed preparation. It is important during Ramadan to follow the day to day celebration without breaking the rules of the "Sawm". Children of ages twelve or older are expected to fast throughout the day as a part of the celebration during Ramadan. Islamic religious teachers make it a necessity for the children who practice Islam to learn the origin of Ramadan and the significance to their culture. To make this possible, the children must be involved in the traditions and be treated as adults to make everything work according to plan. Ramadan is a very important Muslim holiday. __Subtopic 1: Preparation for Ramadan__  In preparation for Ramadan, many Muslims practice the traditions of the holiday before they occur. For example, some Muslims will fast for a few days during the week. Fasting means not eating from dawn to dusk for religious purposes. The purpose of this is to get their bodies acustomed to the month of fasting that will ensue. Also, many Muslims begin reciting the Tarawih prayers that they must perform every night during Ramadan as well as begin reading the teachings of the Qu'ran. Along with prayer routines and fasting, people begin to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier as they do during the month of Ramadan. This is recommended by Muslims to other Muslims during Ramadan, so that they can get enough sleep to wake up early, for Fajr prayer in the morning. Also, it is very important for the Muslim people to shop to prepare for the fast ahead. This way, they will not be rushing to buy necessities during the time when they should be praying. This is a time for adults to prepare their children about their traditions, especially for younger children new to the holiday. Some adults feel that reading the moral story books in a group is a good way to start getting in the spirit of the holiday. Others feel that reducing television time is a way to cleanse your spirit. Parents need to plan ahead for the time they are spending at home so they do not lose the balance between their responsibility as a parent to supervise the children's studies and their engagement in religious practices such as reading the Qu'ran. This photo shows the Islamic people reciting the Tarawih prayers to prepare for Ramadan.

__Subtopic 2 : The Origin of Ramadan__  Ramadan comes from the Arbaic word, "rmd," meaning "heat." This root word also refers to "burnt Earth," "hot climate," and "lack of food" in other contexts. This is the root word used because all of it connects to the daytime fasting Muslims are expected to perform during the month of Ramadan. The actual holiday is celebrated as a remeberance for the holiest night of the year for Muslims called, "Night of Power." The Night of Power or as the Muslims call it, "Laylat al-Qadr," was the night Allah is believed to have spoken to Muhammad and taught him the ways of the Qu'ran on his path to becoming the prophet. This event supposedly occured during the ninth month on the Islamic calendar which is why the celebration is during the that month every year. Also, the idea of Ramadan began because the month it is celebrated in is believed to be the month that the holy Qu' ran was sent down from Heaven. Obviously the fact of this makes the month very important and worth celebrating. The holiday of Ramadan began relitively around the time when Muhammad was proclaiming the word of Alla (spoken to him by Gabriel). So, it started around 610 BC.

 This picture is a page from the Muslim Holy Book called the "Qu'ran". (The Qu'ran is the book believed to contain the direct word of Allah, as spoken by Muhammad.)

__Subtopic 3: An Average Day During Ramadan__  The holiday of Ramadan is celebrated throughout the entire ninth month of the Islam calendar. During the 31 ​ days of the holiday, there are many rules, restrictions and routines to follow. First of all, it is key for Muslims to refrain from eating, starting at the break of dawn and ending at sunset. In the morning, a Muslim should stop eating when it is light enough outside to distinguish a white thread from a black thread. That is when the fasting begins. Throughout the day, there are multiple other restrictions that Muslims must go by, besides not eating. First of all, they may not lie, denounce or gossip about someone behind their back, greed or covetousness and they must refrain from sexual activity. These would all be considered sins if committed during daylight hours. Other then not doing any of those actions, Muslims also must be sure to put religion before any other daily life activities. In the morning, Muslims wake up, and the first prayer they recite is the Fajr prayer. This is one of the many reasons why a Muslim would need to adjust their sleeping patterns, so they can wake up early enough for the Fajr prayer. After the Fajr prayer, most Muslims are very spiritual for the remainder of the day. Visiting mosques is a common aspect of a day in Ramadan, some Muslims even pray up to three hours during the daylight hours. Of course, all Muslims go about like a normal day. They may do normal activities, as long as they always put religion first, and do not disobey the rules of Ramadan. A good idea for Muslims is to visit family and friends, and become more united with one another. Finally, when the sun has set, the fast is broken, and Muslims must recite the Taraween, which is aprayer two to three times longer then normal prayers. Dates and apricot drinks are consumed to break the fast as well. Overall, a typical day during Ramadan is very spiritual and enlightening, which makes it a very important Muslim holiday.

 This picture represents how the Islamic people must refrain from food or drink during the daylight hours.

__Subtopic 4 : Eid al Fitr__  When the holy fasting month of Ramadan comes to a close, a three day festival takes place to celebrate the end of the fasting. This festival is called Eid al Fitr meaning "the breaking of the fast". There are a few traditions which take place during the festival of Eid al Fitr during the day. One of which is the recitation of the takbir. The takbir is translated to mean "God is greatest," and this phrase is repeated over and over by Muslims throughout the day. The first tradition that occurs in the morning on a day during Eid al Fitr is that Muslims wake up early and have a breakfast of usually dates or fruits of that kind. This symbolizes that they are no longer on the fast. Next after breakfast, Muslims are expected to attend the Eid prayer, or the salah. This special prayer takes place at mosques, in open courtyards, or in squares, and people are encouraged to wear their best, or new clothing for the occasion. The Eid prayer is then followed by a sermon that all Muslims attend. Once the sermon ends, families disperse to their different locations, many of them going to visit family, exchange gifts, make phone calls to distant relatives, or visit graveyards of loved ones. Eid al Fitr is acknowledged as a school holiday, therefore allowing these traditions to take place during all the three days of this celebration. The holiday is one of the two main festivals on the Islamic calendar and it is a significant day to all Muslims.

 This photo shows Muslims after the Eid prayer embracing to show their acceptance and charity during the "fast of the breaking"

__Conclusion__ In closing, the Islamic holiday of Ramadan is extremely important to Muslims, and it contains multiple aspects that must be followed. Ramadan is the celebration where Muslims fast, and avoid evil behavior, such as lying and gossiping. It is very significant, for it is the month that the holy Qu'ran was sent down from Heaven. Ramadan takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This holiday should most definetley not be ignored by true Muslims; even if they are incapable, the actions during Ramadan should be done during some later date of the year. Ramadan is all about giving to the poor, spending time with family, and prayer, which makes it a very important holiday, and pillar, of Islam.

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