Islam: Ramadan unites Christians and Muslims in Egypt

Ramadan unites Christians and Muslims in Egypt

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https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/10/ramadan-unites-christians-and-muslims-in-egypt

Saudi Arabia: Solar phenomena above Islam’s Kaaba expected on first day of Ramadan

The National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics in Egypt has announced that the first day of this year’s Ramadan, which is set to take place on Saturday, will witness something unique: the sun will rise perpendicularly over the Kaaba at 12:18 local Mecca time, during the noon prayer.

The institute added on that at 12:18 on Saturday, the shadow of the Kaaba will disappear, and the direction of the sun at any point in the world will be the exact direction of the Qiblah, the direction where Muslims must pray toward the Kaaba.

The department in charge of researching the Sun’s activities at institute said in a statement on its official Twitter account that the elevation angle of the sun at the time of the Zuhr prayer will be 89.93 degrees above the Kaaba, that is only 0.07 degrees away from being 100% vertical at 90 degrees.

This phenomenon occurs twice a year: the first will be on May 27 and the second on July 15. However, what is special this year is that it coincides with the first noon prayer of Ramadan. 

EU-Digest

Ramadan Chronicles: Netherlands - by Ajmal Haniftahmas

The Netherlands has long been known as the European multicultural and liberal gateway. As Europe’s growing immigrant populations spark debate over culture, religion and nationalism, so too does it inspire multiculturalism and understanding. Ramadan is the largest challenge of the year for Muslim athletes living in non-Muslim nations as they must cope with being match-fit while abstaining from rehydrating and eating during the day.

I am a football referee and to keep up with the matches I must be in top shape. I train every week, and Ramadan is in itself also a form of training. This month gives me the strength I need to do well in life, except it is up to me to follow the ‘training’ properly.

My family and I came to Holland after fleeing Afghanistan in 1998, I was ten. The biggest difference I can remember is that back home fasting in Afghanistan is as common and prevalent as Christmas is in the West. Whether you are on the bus, visiting someone or just walking outside, everyone around you is participating in the fast. This actually makes it easier because you are not constantly reminded of it. Having everyone around you eat and drink all the time is such a temptation, which makes it much harder for me, but it also sharpens your resolve and strengthens you mentally.

There are so many Muslims here in Holland that people are generally aware of Ramadan. With my work and schooling, the Dutch are very respectful about the whole thing. The fact that I am fasting is taken into consideration and it shows they respect us. To me Ramadan is not that time of year where you simply cannot eat or drink during the day. Ramadan is the engine that drives you through the next 11 months, that gives you the will-power to resist temptations and succeed throughout the rest of the year.

Read more: Ramadan Chronicles: Netherlands - Daily News Egypt

Religion: Fasting for long: Challenge of Ramadan in Europe

For Muslims living in European countries and closer to the Arctic circle, Ramadan is becoming more and more challenging every year. In countries like Finland and Norway, the sun sets for barely three hours. That means Muslims have to fast for more than 20 hours, after which they only have a few hours to eat, drink and prepare for another long stretch of fasting. “The longer hours of fasting is a challenge for me in many ways,” said Yaser Javed, an electrical engineering student in Sweden. “As I am a student and a part-time worker, it gets hard for me to cook for myself, to study and to get my work done while I’m fasting till 9 pm.”

Despite the challenges, Javed said he’s still motivated to fast because the holy month of Ramadan only comes once a year and is a way for him to strengthen his religious beliefs. Ibrahim Afridi, a student in Norway, feels the same. “I feel happy and good to see that I am really achieving the goal of self-restraint. What motivates me is that fasting is the only worship which is for Allah alone,” he said. But some Muslims have raised concerns over whether any exceptions can be made to allow them to fast according to the time in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city in Saudi Arabia, where fasts are observed for around 13 hours.

But according to well-known Muslim scholar Imam Zaid Shakir, as long as there is visible sunrise and sunset then Muslims should fast according to the times of the country they are in living in. “The length of their day in the summer months will be compensated by the short fast they will experience in the winter months. The fasting is only 29 or 30 days so they can endure hardships, especially when these regions are generally cool during the summer months, “ he says.

Read more: Fasting for long: Challenge of Ramadan in Europe | The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper

Islam: Ramadan to begin Friday in Saudi Arabia, other Muslim countries

Mecca

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan will begin tomorrow,  Friday in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen, Egypt and Jordan, it was officially announced in those countries.

Saudi Arabia said Ramadan will begin on Friday in the kingdom, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, Mecca and Medina, because the sighting of the new moon was confirmed by the authorities.

The exact dates of the start and the end of Ramadan depend on the sighting of the new moon as many Muslim countries reject using astronomical calculation for the Muslim lunar calendar. Muslims observe the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar when Archangel Gabriel revealed the Quran -- Islam’s holy book -- to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

Throughout the month devout Muslims must abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn until sunset when they break the fast with the Iftar meal.

The fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the annual pilgrimage to Mecca which able Muslims should do once in a lifetime.

Read more: Ramadan to begin Friday in Saudi Arabia, other Muslim countries

One killed in shooting between Pakistani's near Copenhagen mosque

A shooting outside a Copenhagen mosque killed one person and wounded another Tuesday as Pakistani worshippers were celebrating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, police said.

"I can confirm that one person has been killed and another wounded," Copenhagen Police Chief Inspector Lau Thygesen told national daily B.T.

"The incident is related to the people who were present in the mosque, but not necessarily anything to do with the mosque or prayers. It is probably an internal dispute between people of Pakistani origin," Thygesen told another national daily, Politiken.

For more: One killed in shooting near Copenhagen mosque - FRANCE 24

BBC NEWS:Muslims begin Ramadan holy month

For the complete report from the BBC NEWS click on this link

Muslims begin Ramadan holy month

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan has begun across most of the Muslim world, ushering in 30 days of dawn to dusk fasting and extra prayer. The timing of Ramadan varies according to the first sighting of the New Moon. The ninth month of the Muslim calendar, Ramadan marks the time more than 1,400 years ago when the first words of Islam's holy book, the Koran, are believed to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. During this month, the gates of heaven are said to open and the gates of hell are closed. The world's estimated one billion observant Muslims will abstain from food, smoking and sex during the daylight hours and hold extra prayers at night. Ramadan ends with the first sighting of the new moon and culminates in the three-day festival of fast-breaking - Eid-ul-Fitr.

Religious Intelligence - Dutch take Islamic festival Ramadan as their own - by Paolo Gallini

For the complete report from Religious Intelligence click on this link

Dutch take Islamic Ramadan festival as their own - by Paolo Gallini

According to a new poll, the Dutch have adopted the Sugar Feast, which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month Ramadan, as one of their favorite cultural traditions.The choice of the festival followed a poll by the Dutch Center for Folk Culture. It came 14th in the list of 100 top traditions. The center (Nederlands Centrum voor Volkscultuur, NCV) asked several thousand people to name traditions that they considered important for themselves or for the Netherlands as a whole. No shortlist of options was drawn up in advance. Queen Beatrix in Hilversum unveiled the top 100 at the opening of the Year of the Traditions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the top choice in the poll was the feast of Sinterklaas. This Dutch precursor of Santa Claus, celebrated each year on December 5, is followed on the list by the decoration of a Christmas Tree. In third place is Queen's Day on April 30.

Sun Sentinel - Ramadan: Memorizing the Quran part of Muslim holiday of Ramadan -- by James D. Davis

For the complete report from the Sun-Sentinel.com click on this link

Ramadan: Memorizing the Quran part of Muslim holiday of Ramadan -- by James D. Davis

Ramadan is the time, believers say, when God revealed the holy book to Muhammad 14 centuries ago. In observance of the event, Muslims pray and fast during daylight hours, and attend special prayer services nightly. At the services, known as Tarawih, a portion of the Quran is recited each night, so that the congregation has heard the whole book by the end of the month. The duty of leading that recital usually falls to a hafiz, who can recite the text by heart. "Ramadan is the season of the Quran," says Imam Rashid Ahmed, who teaches the class. "Even Prophet Muhammad recited it all the time. And it's a special time for a hafiz." A hafiz 14 and older may lead the nightly prayer. Many mosques hire a professional who is trained in precise, dramatic recitation; the Sunrise mosque in Fort Lauderdale Florida plans to bring in a specialist from Pakistan. Sheikh says he'll lead the prayers at the Islamic Movement of Florida in Hollywood.