The Events of Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar calendar (a calendar
measured by the cycles of the moon). Ramadan is thought as the holiest
months. The month begins as soon as the new moon is seen.
Muslims have to go without from all food, drink, gum chewing, any kind
of tobacco use, and any kind of sexual contact between dawn and sunset
(Fasting during the month of Ramadan is to be carried out each day
from when "the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its
black thread . . . till the night appears." Quran 2:187). These are
just the physical components of the fast. Other things Muslims should
do are refraining from lying, gossiping, abuse, and all other bad
deeds. All obscene sights and sounds should be avoided. This is done
so that the mind can be clean of bad thoughts. The act of fasting
redirects the heart and mind from the world, and directs it to God.
When a Muslim has an “urge” he/she is told to think of Allah, this
raises the level of God-consciousness.
The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing
good deeds and spending time with family and friends. In the evening
some Muslims go to the mosque to perform extra prayers in a
congregation, called Tarawih prayers.
Every night during these prayers, one thirtieth of Koran is recited,
so that by the end of the month, the entire Koran has been read.
People wish each other “Ramadan Kareem” or “Ramadan Mubarak”, this
means a successful, happy and blessed month.
During the last 10 days of the month Muslims try and spend as much
time worshipping in the mosque as possible. Some Muslims even spend
the whole of the month there. During the month of Ramadan it is also a
very popular time for Muslims to visit Mecca and Medina (Holy Places).
A normal day of fasting for a Muslim starts with a very early
breakfast called sahoor. Breakfast is eaten while it’s still dark,
Hanukkah is a religious holiday celebrated by the Jewish, it involves the burning of eight candles, one each day. Some people say that Hanukkah is basically a Jewish Christmas, but its not, no holiday is celebrated is the same way as Hanukkah. Also, what holiday has more than three names, Hanukkah does. Its names are Hanukkah, Chanukah, Festival of Lights, the Feast of Dedication, and the Feast of the Maccabees.
The Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah is one of the five pillars of Islam "arkan-al-Islam”- Its purpose is essentially to facilitate the act of submission to Allah which is pinnacle to all followers of Islam. "Perform the pilgrimage and the visit [to Mecca] for Allah" Surah 2:196. It has enormous significance, not only for the pilgrim undertaking the Hajj but also for the wider Muslim community, the Umma, as it allows for all individuals to gain unification of faith. Such purpose can be examined through considering various rituals; the stand before Allah "wuquf", the stoning of the pillars at Mina, the commemoration of the festival of sacrifice "Id-ul-Adha", the circling of the Ka'bah and drawing water from the well of Zamzam. Such rituals give example to a profound meaning of the Islamic faith and upon completion, the individual is fulfilling to the ultimate goal of Islam, a more perfect submission to Allah.
Different religions have shaped the cultural landscapes throughout history. In most religions, they have what is known as a sacred site. Many of the sacred sites are near the founding of the religion or near a place where something significant had once occurred. The followers of these religions often build temples to worship their gods. One example, would be the Dome of the Rock, where Muhammad, a prophet of God in the Muslim culture, said to have ascended into heaven.The Dome of the Rock is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture and is the "Noble Sanctuary" by Muslims. The place of worship for Muslims is known as the mosque, but the Dome of the Rock is much more iconic and would be best identified as a Muslim shrine. The temple was originally made for pilgrims and took thirteen years to construct. This is also a significant place for the Muslim community
A major turning point in Medieval history were the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of wars fought between the Christian Europeans and the Muslim Turks, which occurred between the years of 1096 to 1272. In this Holy War the Christians goal was to obtain the Holy Land from the Turks, in which they did not succeed. Although the Christians did not meet their goal, many positives did come out of their attempt. Due to the reason that they did not meet their goal, yet numerous positives came out of their effort, many refer to this as a successful failure.
The First Crusade was from 1096 to 1099. They were Christian military. expeditions and religious wars proclaimed by the people. The purpose of the Crusades were to gain and keep control over Palestine from the Muslims. Palestine was also called the Holy Land because Jesus lived there.
The Crusades were a turning point in history that affected the Middle East and Europe. The Crusades did transform the economy of the Middle East, but many of the changes were bad for Middle Eastern countries, but beneficial for the European Countries. Even while the Crusades benefited the Middle east by making European nations weak to invasion, the Muslim nations were more hurt by the Crusades because: the Europeans gained new intelligence, making the European nations just as developed as the Muslim nations; created a distrust between Muslims and Christians, making trade and interaction between the groups harder; and encouraged an age of European expansion, lessening the role of Middle Eastern nations in trade.
Mecca is also known as Makkah and its full name is Makkah al-Mukkaramah. Mecca is a city in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is known as the holiest site in the Islamic religion. The history of Mecca goes back as early as the fifth century. It was an independent and powerful city in pre-Islamic times. It is the religious center for Islamic people and it houses the Kaaba and the Great Mosque. It is also the birthplace of Muhammad, the first capital of caliphate, and the center of present day mosques. In 630 Muhammad and some of his followers went into the city of Mecca and captured it. Mecca is said to have started one of the most important religions in the world and it brings together the Islamic religion.
Their religion, women, kids, and beliefs play a big role in the culture. Islam is the religion which claims a vast majority of the Iraqi population, the majority of the Iraqi’s identify with the Arab culture. The second-largest cultural group is the Kurds, who are in the highlands and mountain valleys of the north in a politically autonomous settlement. The Kurds occupy the provinces of As Sulaymaniyah, Dahuk and Irbil, the area of which is commonly referred to as Kurdistan. Almost all Iraqi’s speak, read, and write their official language, Arabic. As in Kurdistan, they speak Kurdish so they can distinguish between the Iraqi’s and the Kurds. There are five pillars of Islam: praise of Allah as the only God, with Muhammad as his prophet; prayer five times per day; almsgiving; fasting; and pilgrimage to Mecca. Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. This month consists of a period of fasting from all food, drink, and activities such as smoking and sexual intercourse during daylight hours. At nighttime the fast is broken, in other words, you can do what you cannot during the
.... For a Muslim, Friday is the holy day and special services are held in early to mid-afternoon. The Mosque is open seven days a week and available for each of the daily prayers.
Shabbat is the celebration of the Sabbath. Jews recognize sunset on Friday into Saturday evening as their Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of rest that is set apart from other days, a day in which Jews focus themselves on spiritual gratitude and reflection. Shabbat is considered one of the most important rituals to Jews. Shabbat is the observance of two interrelated commandments; to remember Shabbat (Zakhor), and to observe Shabbat (Shamor) (jewfaq.org). On Shabbat Jews rest themselves from daily tasks and take the time to enrich their minds spiritually.
" To be born or not to be born," The begining is the best place to start, so let's start at the beginning point of the life of Jesus. If we are not sure of where Jesus was actually born, how do we know he was born at all? Should one actually rethink the bible, rather than basing an opinion solely on church hearsay and the mid rash of scripture. Or should we actually see for ourselves, by gathering the evidence ourselves, regardless of how painful the answers may be, whether to the affirmative or to the negative. I would say the objective way to go about it, would be to see for ourselves. The following post, whether you think it righ or wrong, is based on actual well accepted historic facts based on archeological evidence or lack of evidence.
On the board on Monday morning, there were numbers one through five and they each had a religion written next to them. 1 was Hinduism, 2 was Christianity, 3 was Judaism, 4 was Buddhism, and I was lucky enough to get 5: Islam. Oh, I know so much about Islam culture and their religion, are you kidding? I don’t even know where Islam is. I’m just kidding, it’s not a country. There are many differences between Islam and the United states like our religion, clothes, and food, and becoming a Christian or a Muslim, but Islam is the second largest religion in the world, so it’s important to a lot of people. The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Becoming a Muslim is not an easy process. You must do a long list of tasks. After you become a Muslim you must do everything in your power to try to have a good Muslim lifestyle.
Candle is pink and is lit to symbolise the joy of the third Sunday of
Dear brothers and sisters. The beginning of each Islamic year calendar begins with the story of the migration of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Surely, that migration was not an easy one but full of obstacles and serious challenges. It occurred during a period when the chiefs of the ancient city of Makkahh decided to execute the Messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
lit, it is a sign of good luck. The reason for the lights is to