Ramadan Mubarakh..!

Ramadan Mubarak !!

I am from Belfast but living in Dubai and this is my first Ramadan and I have started my fasting today.

So far not too much of a struggle with the food but water is definitely the hardest part when its 45 degrees outside. Luckily I am mostly working from home so I am fine.

I am very much looking forward to iftar which starts from 7.14 today and we have an evening brunch meal at 8pm.

Embarak alaikum shahr Ramadan
 
majnu said:
yeah, don't you come to the Mosque eating so much curry that when it's time to pray you burp and bellow so much that the guy next to you can smell your belch. It's disgusting. :p
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Lol, its nice of them to post etiquette! What gets to me is that people make such a big deal about taraawih but completely disregard the isha prayer.....
On a side note, how is everyone finding it? I feel fine surprisingly! Did oversleep by about 30mins though :(
 
majnu said:
Not this year because of the summer times. I'll be going to the British Muslim heritage centre :http://www.bmhc.org.uk

The mosques around me are ran by Gujratis and Pakistanis and don't allow children or women to attend so I go to the "Salafi" mosques instead.
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cool. never heard of any mosques stopping children though, maybe the smaller residential ones?

The 2 i go to are Victoria Park mosque and Ithad-ul-Muslemeen (Duncan Road, Longsight)
 
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skaif said:
Lol, its nice of them to post etiquette! What gets to me is that people make such a big deal about taraawih but completely disregard the isha prayer.....
On a side note, how is everyone finding it? I feel fine surprisingly! Did oversleep by about 30mins though :(
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dieting for last 2 months has helped tremendously, do not notice it at all :)
 
lmfy2k said:
cool. never heard of any mosques stopping children though, maybe the smaller residential ones?

The 2 i go to are Victoria Park mosque and Ithad-ul-Muslemeen (Duncan Road, Longsight)
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Those two are fine for letting in women and children, like you say it's these smaller (I guess more culturally inclined) ones that don't. VP does speed reading though, it's like they hire the fastest recital readers for the month who can give Busta Rhymes or Twista a run for their money :eek: :p

The Qaris at Disdbury or the Heritage centre are have great voices.
 
ispy said:
Entire of Islam is based upon belief in the unseen. We submit to the command of Allah. With respect to refraining from food and drink He is Aware of our needs what we can manage since He created us. Yes it is a challenge on some days, but never to a degree that you start contemplating deliberately breaking it. When it comes to breaking the fast we don't consider it a virtue to say I'll hold out for another 10-30 minutes and gain more reward, it would actually lessen the reward. The virtue lies in submission to the command, not your desires.

There is immense enjoyment in a fast on long hot days, yes sleep is permissible and advised for purpose of refreshing your body. Deliberately tiring yourself out beyond your personal capacity and making it more hard on yourself is not the objective as it would ultimately drain you mentally and physically and hard to maintain clarity of mind to focus on worship.

It's highly virtuous and emphasised to engage in acts of worship such as recitation of the Quran throughout the day.

Ramadhan is the month in which its revelation was initiated and is therefore recited to completion, over 25-29 nights, in the additional congregational night prayer, known as tarawih.
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Good post.

For an outside observer, the abstaining from food and drink may appear to be the only thing about 'fasting', but there is actually a lot more to it. I think it's something that needs to be experienced to truly understand. It's hard to really explain what drinking a glass of water feels like after opening an 18 hour fast.

It's ultimately about submission to God, our Creator, who knows whats best for us. Fasting is just one of the many forms of worship. I remind our Christian and Jewish friends that Jesus Christ and Moses (peace be upon them) both fasted. As we give our physical body less food, we aim to increase the food for our spiritual body/soul, through prayer, reflection, meditation etc. We live day to day with our desires controlling most of us, we act on them without any second thought but here with fasting we are trying to gain control over our desires.


majnu said:
Those two are fine for letting in women and children, like you say it's these smaller (I guess more culturally inclined) ones that don't. VP does speed reading though, it's like they hire the fastest recital readers for the month who can give Busta Rhymes or Twista a run for their money :eek: :p

The Qaris at Disdbury or the Heritage centre are have great voices.
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A few of my cousins go to Heritage, the Imam who reads there I think is Egyptian? Beautiful recitation voice I've been told. I go to Victoria Park as it's more local but no, they don't call in the faster reciter they can find :p it's the same Hafiz who reads here every year (and his son). Do they recite the entire Quran at Heritage? If they did and it's not recited 'fast', you'll be there up until fajr time!? We finished around 12.30am yesterday at VP.


Edit: First fast has been fine for me so far, not felt any hunger yet at all. It's amazing how the mind adjusts the body to fasting, normally I'm starving by 12.30pm (lunch time) yet today because I know there is no lunch, I've just got on with things. I expect the last hour to go very slow...
 
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skaif said:
how is everyone finding it? I feel fine surprisingly!
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I was just tired a little due to coming back from work a couple of hours later than expected. On the plus side my manager has given me full day off tomorrow. Rested 4-7pm, didn't feel hungry or thirsty although I was driving for couple of hours, in fact time went too quick today that I didn't get much time free to do what I planned.

I broke fast with few dates, small bowl of cut fruit, melons, pears etc. couple of samosas and some pakoras and glass of fresh orange. I felt so bloated and uncomfortable as I rarely eat to a stage that I feel full - don't like it. I'm going to keep it light.

e36Adz said:
As we give our physical body less food, we aim to increase the food for our spiritual body/soul, through prayer, reflection, meditation etc. We live day to day with our desires controlling most of us, we act on them without any second thought but here with fasting we are trying to gain control over our desires.
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Well put, Ramadhan isn't synonymous with fasting, that's just one aspect of it.
 
Theirs a Muslim guy on my team. I dont know how he does it without crashing.

Even when its not Ramadan every Friday we finish work at 1am. He gets to mosque for 9am and stays there all day, before being in work for 5am. And now he is doing that at the same time as fasting.

Not working any less on his shift, not complaining that he hungry or anything. I couldn't do it.

Only difference is although its his turn to stay late Friday night, I'll do it so he can go home and break fast with his family. Bit then I'm moving out my parents in a few weeks Si the overtime will come in handy ;)
 
Woden said:
Theirs a Muslim guy on my team. I dont know how he does it without crashing.

Even when its not Ramadan every Friday we finish work at 1am. He gets to mosque for 9am and stays there all day, before being in work for 5am. And now he is doing that at the same time as fasting.

Not working any less on his shift, not complaining that he hungry or anything. I couldn't do it.

Only difference is although its his turn to stay late Friday night, I'll do it so he can go home and break fast with his family. Bit then I'm moving out my parents in a few weeks Si the overtime will come in handy ;)
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Sounds like he's pretty committed which is nice! Also nice gesture from you to cover his shift :)
 
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Really sad this year that I can't fast - breaks my heart (even more!) :(

Whilst I know I am medically exempt I still give it a go yesterday to see if I could manage it (had a heart attack a month ago) - sheer amount of meds made it really difficult so I completed yesterday successfully but not fasting today.

Paid Fidyah instead (compensation for missing fast) - surprised its only about £2 per day (2x30= £60), so works out not that costly (for us here in the UK). Some islamic charities charging up to £4 per day, but most are about £2.

Please remember those of us not fortunate enough to fast in your duas (prayers) - it really is a sad month for me. First time in 10 years of practising not able to complete it.
 
Since moving to Egypt, the culture shift has been completely incredible. I wanted to join my Muslim friends in their fasting for Ramadan this month and I managed 1 day out of 2. My first fast was challenging and while working it was much more difficult to break my food and, most particularly , coffee habits. Their hospitality was overwhelming for the first Iftar. Filling my plate everytime I stopped eating and anytime I finished it. I ate too much and learnt a big lesson. All of this meant I couldn't eat or drink again before 3am. So I wasn't able to fast today with friends properly.

For today's Iftar I ate much less and I am now awake ready to start eating again before 3.

So far I have learnt to appreciate what I have more. Our access to food and drink is easy, instantaneous. The first sip of water after 18 hours is incredible and almost overwhelming. I am looking forward to the 29 days I have left as I want to complete the 30 days. I am looking at it as a challenge and now school has finished I have plenty of time to reflect on things more.

As a side note, Egypt is a beautiful wash of colour and kindness during Ramadan even if it can be crazy at times.

Ramadan Kareem to all!
 
robfosters said:
Does Islam allow for people to be excused on medical grounds, like hypoglycemics?
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Yes, if by fasting it entails severe hardship or harm to yourself or the child if one is pregnant.

One should seek opinion of qualified Muslim medical professional; who will make risk assessment and advise whether there is possibility of you fasting with changes to medication routine or if there is no alternative and advises that there will be undue hardship and risk to your health by fasting then in such cases you will be excused.

For all missed fasts they have to be made up as soon as possible, ideally before the next Ramadhan but they can be made up at any time before death.

Individuals who have a chronic illness and are not expected to recover from that illness pay a compensation known as fidyah. The amount payable for each missed fast, scholars differ on the exact amount, but on average it's the price of 1.75kg - 2.2kg of wheat, probably £2-3 pound but one should check with scholar / local prices to confirm amount payable.

Anyone who does not have a chronic illness and who expects to recover from their illness, even before death, does not pay fidyah but must make up the missed fasts as soon as they recover from their illness.

Anyone who has a chronic illness and has paid fidyah and it so happens that they eventually recover from the illness to a stage that they are able to fast again then the fidyah paid will be considered optional charity (sadaqah) and the missed fasts must be made up.

Scholarly rulings on following links

http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/25001
http://seekershub.org/ans-blog/2010/09/12/brief-overview-of-expiatory-payments-fidya/
 
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