Ramazan

Ramadan is on the ninth month of the Islamic year. It is believed that the month of Ramadan was that of which Muhammad received the first word’s of Allah, the Qur’an.

The Arabic word for fasting is sawm (plural is siyam), which means ‘to refrain’. The Islamic term is to refrain from food, drinks and sexual activity from dawn to sunset.

There are many reasons for Muslims to fast, mainly to stay true to their God and religion. Muslims are to obey Allah’s injunction. One of his injunctions is:

‘O you who believe, siyam is prescribed on you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you may become self-restrained.’

Fasting is also to practise the religion and learn to attain piety. To reach this, five daily salaat is compulsory, Zakat-ul fitr must be paid, prayers are to be said in both the evening and night of Ramadan, smoking must be stopped, pornographic videos and pictures are to be kept away and excessive intake of food is avoided. To get the full reward of the Night of Power and to show Muslims how to get their past sins forgiven are also reasons why Muslims do Ramadan fast.

Fasting begins at dawn, the start of the Salatul Fajr time, on everyday of the month, and ends at sunset, Salatul Mag

Five pillars of islam

The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework of the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, giving zakat (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are able.
1) The Testimony of Faith:

The testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah.” This saying means “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” The first part, “There is no true god but God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God has neither partner nor son. This testimony of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which should be said with conviction in order to convert to Islam (as explained previously on this page). The testimony of faith is the most important pillar of Islam.
2) Prayer:

Muslims perform five prayers a day. Each prayer does not take more than a few minutes to perform. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and God. There are no intermediaries between God and the worshipper.

In prayer, a person feels inner happiness, peace, and comfort, and that God is pleased with him or her. The Prophet Muhammad said: {Bilal, call (the people) to prayer, let us be comforted by it.} Bilal was one of Muhammad’s companions who was charged to call the people to prayers.

Prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night. A Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories, or universities.

(For detailed information on how to perform prayer, please refer to the links at How to Perform Prayer or refer to the book entitled A Guide to Salat (Prayer) by M. A. K. Saqib.)
3) Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy):

All things belong to God, and wealth is therefore held by
human beings in trust. The original meaning of the word zakat is both ‘purification’ and ‘growth.’ Giving zakat means ‘giving a specified percentage on certain properties to certain classes of needy people.’ The percentage which is due on gold, silver, and cash funds that have reached the amount of about 85 grams of gold and held in possession for one lunar year is two and a half percent. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a small portion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.

A person may also give as much as he or she pleases as voluntary alms or charity.
4) Fasting the Month of Ramadan:

Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations.

Although the fast is beneficial to health, it is regarded principally as a method of spiritual self-purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry, as well as growth in his or her spiritual life.
5) The Pilgrimage to Makkah:

The annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah is an obligation once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. About two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj is performed in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Male pilgrims wear special simple clothes which strip away distinctions of class and culture so that all stand equal before God.






Pilgrims praying at the Haram mosque in Makkah. In this mosque is the Kaaba (the black building in the picture) which Muslims turn toward when praying. The Kaaba is the place of worship which God commanded the Prophets Abraham and his son, Ishmael, to build.


The rites of the Hajj include circling the Kaaba seven times and going seven times between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa, as Hagar did during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together in Arafa5 and ask God for what they wish and for His forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Day of Judgment. The end of the Hajj is marked by a festival, Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers. This, and Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the two annual festivals of the Muslim calendar.

12 months of islamic calender

The Hijri calendar, also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , (Arabic: التقويم الهجري‎; at-taqwīm al-hijrī; Persian: تقویم هجری قمری ‎ taqvim-e hejri-ye qamari; Turkish: Hicri Takvim; Urdu: اسلامی تقویمIslami taqwīm; Indonesian: Kalender Hijriah; Malay: Takwim Hijrah) is a lunar calendar consisting of 12lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries(concurrently with the Gregorian calendar), and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic holy days and festivals. The first year was the year during which the emigration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra, occurred. Each numbered year is designated either H for Hijra or AH for the Latin anno Hegirae (in the year of the Hijra). The current Islamic year is 1433 AH, from approximately 26 November 2011 (evening) to 14 November 2012 (evening).


Being a purely lunar calendar, it is not synchronized with the seasons. With an annual drift of 11 or 12 days, the seasonal relation repeats about every 33 Islamic years.


The Hijri months are named as follows in Arabic:
Muḥarram — المحرّم, "forbidden" — so called because it was unlawful (haram) to fight during this month. Muharram is the second most sacred Muslim month and includes the Day of Ashura.
Ṣafar — صفر, "void" — supposedly named because pagan Arabs looted during this month and left the houses empty.
Rabīʿ I (Rabīʿ al-Awwal) — ربيع الأوّل, "the first Spring".
Rabīʿ II (Rabīʿ ath-Thānī) or (Rabīʿ al-Ākhir) — ربيع الثاني or ربيع الآخر, "the second (or last) Spring".
Jumādā I (Jumādā al-Ūlā) — جمادى الأولى, "the first month of parched land".
Jumādā II (Jumādā ath-Thāniya or Jumādā al-Ākhira) — جمادى الآخرة, جمادى الثانية, "the second (or last) month of parched land".
Rajab — رجب, "respect" or "honor". Rajab is another of the sacred months in which fighting was traditionally forbidden.
Shaʿbān — شعبان, "scattered", marking the time of year when Arab tribes dispersed to find water.
Ramaḍān — رمضان, "scorched". Ramadan is the most venerated month of the Hijri calendar, during which Muslims fast between dawn and sunset.
Shawwāl — شوّال, "raised", as she-camels begin to raise their tails during this time of the year, after giving birth.
Dhū al-Qaʿda — ذو القعدة, "the one of truce". Dhu al-Qa'da was another month during which war was banned.
Dhū al-Ḥijja — ذو الحجّة, "the one of pilgrimage", referring to the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj.

Prayers in Ramadan

It was reserved for Islam to prescribe and perfect a formula for spiritual purification for every one of its followers, notwithstanding the state of society he may belong to, and which can be followed without interfering with his normal avocations a Muslim may be engaged in, it does not hinder him from obeying this divine commandment which is one of the five fundamental tenets of Islam.

The Muslim fast means a complete abstinence from eating or drinking between daybreak and sunset. The sighting of the thin sickle of the new moon of Ramadan Kareem heralds for the Muslim the beginning of a month of glory and of spiritual elevation, when, Allah's command he voluntarily and of his own free will, denies himself, between daybreak and sunset the blessings of food and drink for a whole month and surrenders himself wholly to Allah (SWT), exercising at the same time complete control over his thoughts, speech and actions.

This month (Ramadan Kareem) means for the Muslims, the triumph of the spiritual and the pure in his nature over all the gross and carnal desires which are an inevitable component of our human structure. The proper observance of the fast is beautifully explained by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the following words: "One who, while fasting, does not guard his tongue from telling lies, does not refrain from doing bad deeds, is not respecting his fast and Allah does not approve of mere abstention from food."

"When you are fasting you should not speak ill of anybody, nor should you be boisterous and noisy. If anybody, speaks ill of you or tries to pick a quarrel with you, return him not, but say unto him that you are fasting."

Ramadan Kareem, however, has another special significance for the Muslims, for it was in this month that the first revelation of the Glorious Qur'an was made to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This month, therefore, is dear to the heart of every Muslim. During this month the Muslim applies himself more assiduously to the reading of the Holy Book, which shall remain for all time as the standing miracle of Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet. (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Throughout this month is heard, in every Muslim home, during the day and night, the pleasant and beautiful cadences of Qur'anic recitation.

The fact that great spiritual benefit is derived from the reading of the Glorious Qur'an in this month can be seen in the following saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): "A man gets the same reward by reading in this month one verse of the Glorious Qur'an as others do by reading the whole of the Glorious Qur'an in other months."

In this Holy month of Ramadan Karim it should therefore be the duty of every Muslim to read and try to understand the meaning of the Glorious Qur'an, and thereby gain an insight into the divine secrets enshrined therein. It brings peace and illumination to the mind, imparts purity to the soul and removes many a curtain hanging between man and God.

Only consistent reading can produce the tremendous amount of joy and pleasure one experience in reading the Glorious Qur'an.

Ramadan Kareem is the month of fasting and intensive prayer, a month of sacrifice and divine worship. In this month a devout Muslim spends hours every night in prayer and meditation, realizing all the time the presence of Allah Who is all pervading. Along with the prayers, he fasts during the day for a whole month in the true sense of the word, i.e. not merely denying himself food and water, but also, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) explained, exercising strict control over his tongue, his eyes, his ears, his mind, his thoughts and his deeds and canalizing every activity of his towards and for the love of God. Living such a life is an immense spiritual peak and it also realizes the joy and happiness experienced by living a life which is in tune with the Infinite. In short, these joys and these pleasures can be earned by any Muslim who devotes himself to prayer and fasting in the manner taught by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The Glorious Qur'an says "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace" Sura 13 verse 28. Peace of mind that passes understanding can only be attained by sincere and continuous remembrance of Allah.

When a man fasts and prays in this holy month of Ramadan Kareem as thought and practiced by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he can truly say, as stated in the Glorious Qur'an, "Say, lo! My worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds" Sura 6 verse 162, and when a good Muslim reaches this stage, he gets into divine circuits and he can exclaim along with the holy men of Islam as follows: "We take our colour from Allah and who is better than Allah at colouring. We are His worshippers" Sura 2 verse 138.

Power of Zikr

We have all heard and read so much about zikr… which means remembrance of Allah that there seems no need to get any new information about it but I have always remained very curious on what exactly is Zikr and why is it so important. Specially when I read the verse that ” verily in Allah’s remembrance do hearts find peace” or the verse in which Allah says ” and verily Allah’s remembrance is the greatest thing” So I have tried to maintain a regular routine of duas and Tasbeeh in order to gain its benefits in duniya (peace of heart) and akhirah (reward). But recently I found that the greatest benefit of zikr is that it makes us believe more and more in Allah’s constant presence in our lives and so in all times one feels strong because of this feeling that Allah is with me and that I am not alone. What happened was that I came to know that one of my dearest friend was in town and so I wanted desperately to go to meet her; but due to some unavoidable reasons I just could not go… this was such a disappointment that my heart refused to accept that I could be trapped like this… and so I started blaming the unfairness of the situation; when suddenly I remembered that just yesterday I was telling someone that no matter what happens we should always praise Allah and say Alhamdulillahi ala kulli haal (all thanks to Allah in all situations) and so despite my aching heart I started saying these words again and again… in just a few moments I began to feel like some invisible hand was comforting my burning heart…. cooling the fire of anger and self pity and replacing it with composure and PEACE… I was simply stunned with this almost MAGICAL transformation of my feelings…

And so I realized that how much Allah loves us that He has given us this amazing tool which we can use in all situations. Especially if you keep remembring Him in happiness He will remind you to do zikr when you are upset:) It is just so simple and “do-able”

So next time you feel the urge to dump your anger or frustration on yourself or others… just remember that you are just a moment away from gaining a million blessings by doing Zikr… and if you miss that moment then there is nothing gained but added frustration and heartache… Therefore do yourself a favour and make a habit of zikr so that you might get the power of faith and happiness of His love and comfort of His presence… Ameen