The Ramadan Mubarak is already stated before three days. Because more than 1.6 billion Muslims observes the month-long fasting, becomes one of the biggest religious festivals in the world. The time is not only for the fasting during this holy month of Ramadan but it’s one of the five pillars of Islam that comes with prayer and charity as well. While fasting in this holy month, the Muslims go without drinking, eating, smoking and even engaging in sexual activity from the sunrise to the sunset. As the Muslims follow the lunar calendar, the month of Ramadan comes several days earlier every year. It’s the consecutive second year the holy month includes the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice for Muslims.
The length of fasting in Ramadan differs from one country to another. For example, it requires 13 to 14 hours in a day in the Asian countries. But, the fasting is for about 17 hours every day until for Portlanders. Besides, the fasting isn’t an absolute requirement for everyone. Ramadan is not necessary for the people who are not mentally unstable, the children under seven years old and women those who are going with the menstrual period. Some Islamic scholars add in this list the ill people and pregnant women as well. Apart from being a Muslim, Ramadan’s fasting is the must that said in Quran and Hadith as Farj, which means it’s the must-doing thing in the Islam. We’ll know many things about the Ramadan along with Eid ul Fitr and Ramadan wishes in the Islamic style.
Quick Notes of the Ramadan Mubarak
Although Ramadan Mubarak comes with so many religious activities, some of them are as below:
- Observe: the Muslims
- Type: Religious Activity
- Celebrations: Community iftars, Community prayers
- Observances: Sawm (fasting), zakat, sadaqah (almsgiving), the prayer of Taraweeh, Commemorating Nights of al-Qadr, reciting the Quran
- Begins: 1st Ramadan
- Ends: 29 or 30 Ramadan
- Date: Variable as follows the Islamic lunar calendar
- Frequency: every year (lunar calendar)
- Relates to: Eid al-Fitr, Laylat al-Qadr
Ramadan Mubarak 2018 & Its Spiritual Purposes
The spiritual purposes of the Ramadan Mubarak’s fasting are to surrender and submission to the higher authority who is the creator, Allah. Avoid eating is the main purpose because so many times do we aim our hands toward our mouth as the human being. By abstaining from eating we are paying attention to the pains of hunger and thirst, it’s the physical body we are feeding all day. As a result, it makes you aware of those who don’t get to break their fast as they’re hungry continually. And, finally, it makes us very grateful for what we do it. Moreover, the other spiritual purposes of the Ramadan Kareem are the purification of mind, body, and thoughts. It asks to leave bad things while replacing with the good things.
Besides, there is more of the Ramadan fast than leaving eating or drinking. We have to act as if we are standing in front of the creator 24 hours a day. As you’re trying to perfect your relationship, as it’s the practice in a real, practical way. If we don’t eat and yet we lie or preach hate, it’s the only not eating for you. This is because you miss the main point. The only thing that matters is your intention, what’s going on in your heart instead of your Broadway style and put on a good show. This is the best time for the practitioner to focus in so far as possible through word and deed on the communications between our creator and us. Also, it’s time to get patient, yielding and a golden opportunity to have a month-long discourse with the creator.
A Brief History of the Ramadan Mubarak
Ramadan Mubarak comes with huge virtues and some requirements as well. But, it a big history and let us describe it in short. According to the Quran, Ramadan is the month when the Holy Quran was revealed and it provides the direction for mankind, and apparent proofs of the guidance, and the principle of the right and wrongdoings. Also, whosoever of you is there, observe the fasting of the month. But, whosoever of you is on a journey or sick, they can do it in a number of other days. So, Allah makes things easy for you as he doesn’t desire hardship for you so that you may be grateful to him.
But, you may eager to know how and when the Ramadan fasting comes for you. It’s the ruling to observe fasting during Ramadan after 18 months after Hijra. So, when it was the month of Sha’ban in the second year of Hijri in 624 CE. An Arabic writer from Iraq who was living after the founding of Islam named Abu Zanad describes that wrote that at least one Mandaean community that’s locating in al-Jazira (modern northern Iraq) observed Ramadan before converting to Islam in around 747 CE.
But, the historian Philip Jenkins says that the Ramadan comes “from the strict Lenten regulation of the Syrian Churches. It’s a supposition set by other scholars, such as the theologian Paul-Gordon Chandler. Also, it’s based on the Orientalist idea as the Quran itself has Syriac Christian origins. That’s the claim to which some Muslim academics object such as M. Al-Azami. But, whatever the starting date and history, it’s cleared by the Quran that the Quran was revealed in the first Ramadan from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
What Do Other Traditions Observe During Ramadan?
In the Ramadan Kareem 2018 and every year of this time, we have congregational prayer along with reciting the holy Quran entirely from cover to cover in that setting over the course of the month. Because of the Ramadan falls at the summer solstice the fasting days will be very long this year. This is the time when you do what you have to do, including calm down you and minimize your physical activity. It becomes mind over matter at a certain point. You move through it if your intention is strong enough and your promise is strong enough. And there is this reward and celebration at the end of the day. But the non-Muslims shouldn’t do things that would annoy them if they know that someone is fasting.
What are the Common Misconceptions about Ramadan Mubarak?
It has been cleared right at the beginning. As the most people focus on the food, but that’s not the most important thing to the person who is fasting. Sometimes, people also ask that people who are either ill or young or old those who are ill. Also, it avoids those who are on a trip outside their home and the women who are nursing. But, the people have exceptions and they have contributions that they give to pay damages. As you already know, the children under seven years are not eligible to fast. While there is built in exceptions to difficult circumstances, but the creator knows what’s in their hearts well.
The Correct Greeting – Is Ramadan Mubarak or Ramadan Kareem?
Although the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, Ramadan begins, there is confusion over the correct greeting to use when they’re fasting. In this case, some people use Ramadan Kareem and some others use Ramadan Mubarak or some different greetings as well. But, it’s confusion that which one is the perfect Ramadan greeting. According to the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) explains “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” In this Ramadan, some of the Muslims believe that on the 27th Ramadan is the Laylat Al Qadr, (the Night of Power). This is the night when Allah revealed the Quran to the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him).
But, if you come to the current topic, we’ll focus on the point which the perfect Ramadan greeting is. Is it Ramadan Kareem or Ramadan Mubarak? In this case, the greeting Ramadan Mubarak is the most common and widely used by the Muslims. But, the Ramadan Kareem is a different phrase often used though there is some debate as to if it’s appropriate. This is because some say that the phrase, which means “may Ramadan be kind to you”. It goes against the teachings of Islam because the Ramadan itself can’t be kind.
But, it could be cleared as the Saudi Arabian researcher Sheikh Al-Uthaymeen explains, “It should be said ‘Ramadan Mubarak’, or whatever is close to it because the Ramadan itself doesn’t give so that it can be Kareem (kind). Actually, it’s Allah who sited the grace in it, and made it a unique month”. Ramadan also says with love and affection in several different terms, such as Ramzan Mubarak, Mubarak-E-Mahe Ramzan etc.
