Ramadan Season 2011

Today was the first day of Ramadan. Out of the 12 months in the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan is when Muslims are supposed to fast. Fasts begin at sunrise and last until sunset. My family starts their day by waking up really early and then fueling themselves for the day ahead. After the morning prayer, everyone goes about their day as they normally would, but without eating or drinking. About an hour before sunset, preparation begins for Iftar, the time at which we break our fast.

People usually greet each other by saying Ramadan Mubarak or Ramadan Kareem. [Because of the recent events in the Middle East, many Egyptians are avoiding anything with the term Mubarak in it.]

Click here to read last year’s post on Ramadan.

I have a few goals this Ramadan that I wish to accomplish:

(1) Memorize Juz ‘Amma

Explanation: The Koran, the Holy Book of Muslims, is divided into 30 parts to make it easier to read in a month, or to memorize it. The whole Koran contains 114 Surah (chapters). Juz ‘Amma is the 30th part of the Koran. Since the Surah are shorter in this part of the Koran, Muslims start memorizing the Koran with Juz ‘Amma.

For a better explanation of what a Juz is, click here.

(2) Memorize Surah Mulk

Explanation: In simple terms, a Surah is a chapter of the Koran. Each Surah has a name and this particular one is called Surah Mulk. Since Surah Mulk is 30 ayaat (verses), it is an ideal Surah to memorize during Ramadan (which also lasts for 30 days), which means we memorize one ayah (verse) per day.

To access Surah Mulk, click here.

(3) Read Islamic fiction/non-fiction

Explanation: To keep with the spirit of Ramadan, I want to promote Muslim women writers. I will read books, essays, short stories, and anything else written by Muslim women and review it on my blog.

I will be using a Facebook page created by a friend for recommendations. Click here to take a look.

(4) Reach out to my non-Muslim connections

Explanation: This is probably one of the most important goals I have this Ramadan. I have a lot of non-Muslim friends and acquaintances, which is why I wanted to reach out and include them in my Ramadan celebrations [I have already asked one of my friends to fast with me for one day].

In the coming days, I will be sharing book reviews by Muslim women writers and some recipes of my mom’s Iftar dishes.

^Iftar feast, clock-wise starting from upper left: dahi bade, chhole, pakore (traditional Indian/Pakistani cuisine for Ramadan).

How are you planning to spend your Ramadan? Do you have any goals? If you are not Muslim, what are your thoughts on Ramadan? If you have any questions, feel free to ask them too!

Technorati Tags: ramadan,muslims,islamic,food,koran

Weekend Video: Agnostic Jewish Woman on the Koran

 

Snippets:

"Part of the problem is that we can't read the Koran like any other book"

"The Arabic has a hypnotic quality that begs to be heard rather than read"

Lesley Hazleton blogs at The Accidental Theologist.

I plan on reading her book “After the Prophet: the Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam”, as well as her upcoming book about the Biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Technorati Tags: islamic,muslims,video

Prayer Desktop Gadget

This is a neat desktop gadget that tells you what time the prayers are in your zipcode, plus it gives you a countdown to the next immediate prayer. You can also go to the settings and get a short verse of the Quran recited both before and after the Azaan (the call to prayer recited immediately before the prayer starts). You can even choose where you want the Azaan recited from!!

 

Here’s how to install it (I have Windows 7 starter):

Go to the Start Menu

Click on ‘All Programs’:

Click on ‘Desktop Gadget Gallery’:

Click on ‘Get more gadgets online’ on the lower right hand side corner:

(Your browser will automatically open a new window with the ‘Windows Live Gallery’)

Once you’re at the Windows Live Gallery in your browser, scroll down and click on ‘Get more desktop gadgets’:

Click on ‘Miscellaneous’ on the left hand side menu and look for Prayer Times gadget:

Click Download and follow instructions.

Happy Praying=)

Ramadan Season 2010

Are you excited? Well, you should be. Ramadan is almost here.

I have a strange relationship with this month. When it comes near, I go on panic mode. I don’t know why, so don’t ask me. I just know that towards the end of Sha’ban (the month before Ramadan), I start to freak out.

“Oh no, Ramadan is almost here!”

“I won’t be eating from sunrise till sunset!”

“Will I be able to do it?”

And the thoughts keep coming. Maybe this would be a good place to tell you that sometimes my thoughts really get the best of me.

I am inspired by others who have such a positive attitude before this month. And that is how it should be. I don’t know if I will be alive for Ramadan next year and it’s a blessing to be alive to experience Ramadan for this year. Plus, the benefits of Ramadan are numerous; the main benefit being the self-discipline that one achieves.

Most problems can be remedied by the self-discipline approach. We should promote Ramadan as a beat-your-bad-habit-in-the-rear-and-become-a-new-person-in-thirty-days type of program. It really is a thirty-day boot camp that seeks to rid individuals of the spiritual and social toxins that  are ruining their relationship with not only God, but with other human beings as well.

And this last point brings me to the main reason I opened up a blank post (even though my post jumped from how ridiculous I act when Ramadan approaches to how some people don’t, to how that is a good thing, to how Ramadan is beneficial, and finally to my main point). How wonderful would it be if we could get our Non-Muslim buddies participating in this month, fasting side by side with us?

I recently posted on a community at blogfrog about Ramadan. Then, I asked if anyone wanted to participate in fasting from either food, water, a bad habit, or all three. Surprisingly, some people responded right away and said they would be willing to give up one thing for the month. I definitely think that’s a start.

Here’s my request from you. If you are a Muslim, would you like to make an agreement that you will try to recruit your Non-Muslim friends (from either online or not) to participate in this Holy Month? Wouldn’t that be a great opportunity to educate others about Islam? If you are Non-Muslim and reading this, would you like to participate with me. Just leave a comment or send me an email (whichever you are comfortable with) and let’s set goals together=)

"O you who have attained to faith! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain conscious of God" [2:183]

Technorati Tags: ramadan,islamic,muslims

Depression in Islam

 

I recently saw a video on the Islamic perspective of depression by Shaykh (scholar) Sulaiman Moola.

One problem that I have with the perspective of many Shyookh (plural of Shaykh) is the failure to acknowledge the clinical aspect of depression. Most Shaykh will tell you that depression is the cause of sin and vice. However, from my personal experience, I would like to tell you that this is not true. Yes, the way you think and act will have an effect on your brain, but for many people it is much more complex than that. For some, it is not something they can ‘control’ since their brain chemistry can actually be working against them.

Depression can have serious ‘side effects’-the worst being suicide. It is important, therefore, to stop and think before judging someone who might be depressed. Often times, individuals come to decisions about committing  suicide because they feel no one cares or understands them. It is our responsibility as members of this community to not allow this to happen because depression and suicide affects more than just the individual that is suffering. It affects the family and peers of the individual as well.

Let’s ask Allah¹ to make it easy for us to cope with any problems that come our way and help us to get closer to Him. Ameen².

¹ Allah: God in Arabic

²  Ameen: Amen

For more information on depression, visit the following websites:

ULifeLine

Psychology Today

WebMD Slideshow

Here are the videos:

 

Islam in Korea

I visited a blog recently and found this video. I really enjoyed it and thought I would share it here:

Some important matters to note:

Imam=someone who leads in prayer. This particular imam in the video is also a Shaykh.

Shaykh= someone who is learned in Islamic matters, through schooling and training through an Islamic institution.

Allah= The One God, not just of the Muslim faith. If *you* believe in One God, then you believe in the existence of Allah. Surah Ikhlas (a chapter of the Koran) explains it:

“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only! 
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; 
He begetteth not nor is He begotten. 
And there is none like unto Him.”

Click here to go to a website that has the Koran in Korean.

My New Love of Comics!

I found this Muslim lady who makes really cute comics about Muslim stuff. Her website can be found here.

I posted some of her comics on my facebook as well.

Now, here’s my attempt at a comic.

Since Muslims are not allowed to “date” in the Western sense, they have come up with various ways to find out more about their prospective mate. Among these include getting parents involved or perhaps a more complicated approach: asking a friend to go through a  friend who might be friends with the friend of the prospective mate=)

Enjoy!!

* Halal means permissible and it refers to the permissibility within the Islamic guidelines.

How does a person who is deaf say his/her Shahada?

Shahada is the declaration of faith of a Muslim:

Ash-hadoo An-La ilaaha ilAllah wa Ash-hadoo An-na Muhammad Ar-RasoolAllah

I testify that there is no god besides Allah (The God) and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

(Listen to the Arabic here)

If someone wants to become Muslim, all they have to do is recite the above words in Arabic* and believe in their heart that those words are true. This is usually done amongst at least one other person as witness. Quite simple.

However, I was sitting just now pondering over whether I should study for developmental and cell biology laboratory final (which is tomorrow!) and a thought came to my mind: How would a person who is deaf say his/her Shahada? (There goes the studying…)

First of all, they cannot hear it. It would have to be conveyed through sign language (and yes, there IS Arabic sign language), but that person would have to KNOW Arabic sign language. Then, they would also have to know what they are saying in their own sign language as it cannot be said without understanding.

In other words, someone would need to explain to this person about the Shahada in the language of this ‘prospective Muslim’ and then they would have to ‘repeat’ it in Arabic sign language.

So I googled.

But I did not find anything at all useful. Instead, I found a website called GazaMom. It sounds unrelated, but she had a link to a website about an organization that works with men and women who are deaf in the Palestinian occupied territory. For more information, click here.

Then, I youtubed.

No luck.

So, now I am guessing that very few converts are from the deaf community and we should definitely look into that. Note to self: become an interpreter for people that are deaf. Golden West College in Huntington Beach offers a certificate course in this (more info here).

*why Arabic? Because the last Messenger came from among the Arabs. If Allah wanted to reveal a Quran in English, to bring about a miracle of prose and poetry, etc., He could have done that.
*But still ,why everything in Arabic? This is a unifying element that remains in Islam. Wherever Muslims go, they can pray together. Ex. If a Muslim from Sri Lanka visited Beijing, and if they called out the  Azaan (which is the call to prayer) in Chinese, the Sri Lankan would not know that it is time for prayer. (The mosques in China and Sri Lanka do not look alike either, by the way).

Update (12/22/2011): Guess what I found?!

Adhaan in British Sign Language from Aligraphy on Vimeo.