In Islam, every month is special but one month in particular is more than special and instead, it is sacred. The month that is held sacred in Islamic ideology is Ramadan. Let us find out the reason why the month is so sacred in Islam and why Muslims around the globe wait for this holy month eagerly.
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijri/Islamic calendar and is considered to be the holiest month in Islam too. It is celebrated and cherished every year around the world by Muslims.
Brief Introduction of Ramadan
The start of the holy month always fluctuates each year because of the moon sighting. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, which means that it follows the phases of the moon. A moon sighting committee in each of the respective countries determines the beginning and end of the month.
The first day of the month is counted after the moon sighting committee spots the new ‘crescent moon’, which can be tough since the crescent moon is quite faint and can be seen for only about 20 minutes. Therefore, it is quite a difficult task to execute and that is the reason there is a complete committee to sight the moon. This year Ramadan is predicted to fall between March 22 and 24, and will possibly end on April 21.
The month ends with Eid, an event celebrated after the month. There are 3 Eid days, the first 3 days of the next month after Ramadan, Shawwal.
Fasting In The Month Of Ramadan
In this holy month, Muslims fast throughout the day and it is compulsory in Islam. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and is observed in this same month. Adult Muslims are obligated to fast during this month, starting with rising sun, and ending with the sunset.
Muslims are obligated to not eat or drink while fasting. Apart from food and drink, they also have to avoid such things as lying, abusing, fighting, and all the sins in general. They are also directed to do as many good deeds as they can in this holy month.
In Ramadan, Shaytan or the devil, is closed as well as the doors of hell. These are a few of the reasons why this month is considered holy. Furthermore, any good deed you do is multiplied by 70, which itself is a treasure amount of gifts that one can have in this month.
In this month, there are also special prayers like the Taraweeh, which are performed after the Maghrib or sunset prayer. Taraweeh prayer consists of 20 Rakats and it is not obligatory but optional to pray. However, if you are getting 70 times more for one good deed then who will leave this chance to pray Taraweeh.
Last Days Of The Holy Month
In the last days of the holy month, comes a special night named, Laylat Al-Qadr or “The Night Of Power”. On this day, the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH. This night is extremely special, as mentioned in the Holy Quran to be better than 1000 months. This night comes in one of the odd-numbered nights of the last ten days of this holy month.
Charity In This Month
In this holy month when a good deed is multiplied by 70, Muslims around the world try to give Zakat in this month. Zakat is yet another pillar of Islam and it requires all eligible Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth to charity. Apart from that, people generally do charity in this month to get more good deeds.
You can do charity too if you are willing to, through advanced donation systems like MOHID. They are made for easing the donation process. There are several ways you can donate easily including Donation Kiosk, Donation Handheld as well as Minbr App.
