Ramadhan

For Muslims around the globe, the word "Ramadhan" may bring smiles to their faces. But for others (Non-Muslims) it may virtually be an alien word. To start off with, Ramadhan is among the 11 months that constitute for an Islamic calendar and is the most important one.The month of blessings for Muslims comes with an order by God Almighty to fast for 30 days. The reason: to feel the pain and agony suffered by poor and hungry through out the year.

By the time you read this article, the month of Ramadhan for this year would have come to an end and the celebrations would have started marking the occasion of Eid. The reason for writing this article was to describe a single day of Ramadhan, filled with sacrifices, prayers and above all blessings from god. The article is therefore aimed for those who have not experienced a day of Ramadhan before in their life.

A day in Ramadhan is quite different from any single day of the year, it starts early! How early? The answer is, Very Early! Basically one needs to wake up before the sun rises to have food as one is not allowed to eat or drink until the sun sets. This usually means a fasting period of about 13-14 hours. After having the "Sehri" (Morning meal), one is required to go to the mosque to offer his morning prayers. The morning prayers are followed by a normal day of work.

For working people and students, the day ends at 2pm and 1pm respectively, much earlier than in normal days to give them time to pray and rest. The evenings usually are spent in praying which is then followed by the break fast. The breakfast comprises of a heavy meal and mostly a very delicious one. However some of the families opt for the conventional dinner.

The day continues on as night prayer (Taraveeh) in which some part of Quran "Holy book" of Muslims is recited daily. Listening to this recitation of the Holy book alone has a huge reward in the afterlife. And doing that for the whole month would mean that one would have listened to the whole Quran. An incredible achievement in itself!

The day ends late, but one that is thoroughly enjoyed! And one must experience only to find the true essence of what I have written because as one wise person said "Actions speak louder than words"