Today marks the first day of the month long Islamic Holiday of Ramadan. The celebration is different than most Christian or Jewish Religious holidays. Ramadan centers around the Lunar cycle, and lasts about 30 days. The end marks the beginning of a 3 day feast, called Eid Al-Fittar. It is a celebration of the Night of Power where it is believed that Mohammed ascended into heaven from the mount on which the Dome of the Rock currently resides. Also, instead of eating continually, (as we do on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter) they chose to fast everyday, from dawn till dusk. At dusk, the call to prayer is sung, and the feasting begins. Some of you may remember my blog post last year conserning Ramadan in Jordan. Near dusk, the restaurants in downtown Amman fill up with hungry, nicotene deprived Arabs. They stare as the food is laid out before them, anxiously awaiting the Call to Prayer from the local Mosque. When that signal finally arrives, all goes silent, and for 30 minutes everyone feasts. Here in Clarkston, we are expecting the Somali community to be especially devout in their fasting.
Ramadan is also a time of generosity towards one another. The Arabic greeting during this time is “Ramadan Kareem,” followed with a response of “Allah Akram.” The idea is that we are to be generous as God is generous.
Several of the believers here in Clarkston are choosing to observe Ramadan. This is a great time for you to invite your Muslim friends over for “Iftar,” or “the breaking of the fast. It is also a perfect excuse for you to do your own fasting and praying for the Islamic community of the world, as well as the community that lives close to you. The ideas of fasting and generosity are very close to the Islamic heart. Use this as a topic of conversation. Discuss why you, as a believer fast. And most importantly, listen and learn from their culture. Show some hospitality and respect for their holiday, and allow that friendship to grow.
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