Islam has five pillars which are the foundation of the religion. They are the Declaration of Faith (There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger), the Prayer, the Fasting, the Charity, and the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca that every able-bodied Muslim much do atleast once in his life). Fasting becomes obligatory in the month of Ramadan. When Muslims fast, they not only fast from food, but also from cursing, yelling, gossiping, and committing sins. Muslims fast because they are ordered by God to fast. Fasting has two basic benefits: spiritual escalation and understanding of hunger of the needy. Through fasting Muslims learn self-control, patience, and steadfastness. The most important thing about fasting, however, is experiencing the joy of being close to God. Muslims believe that in the month of Ramadan, God multipies all good deeds from seventy to seven hundred times over. So, Muslims try to make an extra effort to earn the pleasure of God in this holy month. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims go to the masjid (mosque) more and this increases the unity of the Muslim community. At the end of Ramadan, all the Muslim households are required by God to pay charity for the poor. This depends upon your income and is collected by the masjid (mosque) to be distributed to the poor. When Ramadan is over, Muslims have a religious holiday called Eid-ul-Fitr. On this day it is forbidden to fast. The Muslim community gathers together at the masjid (mosque) to offer a special voluntary prayer and listen to a sermon given by the Imam (religious leader). After this prayer, Muslims join together to have a huge feast and exchange gifts to each other. Ramadan has many different meanings, but to me atleast I look forward to become a kinder and more caring person. My main goal this Ramadan is to reach a higher level of moral character.
Date: 10/29/03
