| Islamic Culture | |
| 04 Aug 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| The Joys and Sorrows of Ramadan | |
By Hesham A. Hassaballa
CHICAGO — Ramadan has just begun, and I must admit that it starts with no small amount of dread for me. Fasting, an essential pillar of ritual in Islam consists of abstaining from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from dawn (before sunrise) until dusk.
Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar one, Ramadan travels backward along the solar calendar, and this means that for the next 10 years it will fall during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere.
That will mean very hot and very long days, and distressingly short nights. I remember Ramadan being in June when I was about 12 years old, and it was hard then. I have since become much older, and thus, fasting during the summer has become much more difficult for me. Last year, when only a part of Ramadan was in August, I had a tough time. This year, all of August is Ramadan, and therefore — although I hate to say it — I am scared.
Of course, if fasting poses bodily harm to a person, he or she should not fast, and can feed the poor instead. In addition, pregnant and nursing mothers, people with chronic illnesses, and those who are travelling do not have to fast. Indeed, I could contemplate travelling the entire month of Ramadan, but I would likely not have a job waiting for me when I came back. And I would have to make up the days I missed.
|
4:04 AM
Moderate Islamist here
0 comments:
Post a Comment