Sunday, November 30, 2003

Ramadan




Wassup Player?

Hey! What?s going on Oak Cliff Spliff?

I wanted to call you and let you know that I?ve been checking out Servinemup?its TIGHT mane!

Thank you. I?m glad you?re enjoying it.

I do have one problem with it though.

What?s that?

I see where you?ve done a full article on Yom Kippur, and you?ve touched on several Jewish issues.

Yeah..and?

How come the Muslims can?t get no love?

Ahhh, its not like that, I?ve got love for EVERYBODY. I posted Yom Kippur after the Jewish holiday and I?m going to do the same thing for Ramadan.

Alright, just let me know if you need any help with the research.

The research for Ramadan is going along fine, but you know the majority of my audience is Christian. I?ve got to be very careful how I present it because a lot of Christians aren?t trying to hear ANYTHING that they feel is against the teachings in the Bible.

The Qu?ran isn?t AGAINST the Bible, as a matter of fact, it shares a LOT of the same ideologies found in the Old and New Testament. It even specifically states that there isn?t anything NEW written in the Qu?ran. It all has been written before.

Yeah, I know. But I also know that Jesus is just another prophet in Islam. He?s not acknowledged as the Son of God, no virgin birth, no resurrection.

True.

(laughing) Naw n?ga, that AIN?T true!! That?s the problem!!

I hear ya, but we?ve already had this discussion several times before. It comes down to what Book you choose to place your faith in. I was raised Muslim, you were raised Christian, we?re both bound to have our own myopic views of religion.

Yeah..but following Christ is the right one! (smiling)

The right one huh? Don?t forget about your Southside mantra?its not what it say, its what it DO..right?

Already!

Christians use Jesus as their shield and verification, but if you look at all the religious groups, Christians devote the least amount of their daily lives to actually serving God. They go to church on Sundays for an hour or two, say that ?God is great? prayer before they eat, then they go back to doing whatever. Islam is all about submitting. Our whole life is centered around worship. We pray at least 5 times a day EVERY day, our diet, professions, family and lifestyle is all structured around submitting to Allah.

Like I told you, I give ya?ll MUCH props for all of that. Everyone would be better off by devoting more of their time to worship. But the way I see it, God is perfect in every way.

True.

And for us to live our lives here on Earth and then go on to that ?upper room? to be with Him, we need to be presented appropriately. Our many sins make us like ?filthy rags? and there?s nothing we can DO to erase these sins. The only way to GET to that upper room is by grabbing on to that Wonderful Counselor who laid it down for ALL to have the opportunity to attain everlasting life. So what?s up? Come on down to the church with me so we can learn more about Jesus..they?re having pork chop plates this Sunday!

You funny mane.
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Worldwide, there are over a billion people who are members of the Muslim faith. Every year during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, they celebrate Ramadan. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar based, the days varies from the traditional calendar we use in America. This isn?t a one day holiday, Ramadan is a month long observance of fasting and prayer. Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur?an, the holy book of Islam.

Muslims practice sawm, or fasting, for the entire month of Ramadan. This means that they may eat or drink nothing, including water, while the sun shines. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam. As with other Islamic duties, all able Muslims take part in sawm from about age twelve. During Ramadan, families get up early for suhoor, a meal eaten before the sun rises. After the sun sets, the fast is broken with a meal known as iftar.

Fasting serves many purposes. While they are hungry and thirsty, Muslims are reminded of the suffering of the poor. Fasting is also an opportunity to practice self-control and to cleanse the body and mind. And in this most sacred month, fasting helps Muslims feel the peace that comes from spiritual devotion as well as kinship with fellow believers.

Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which occurred the day before Thanksgiving (November 26) in 2003. Literally the ?Festival of Breaking the Fast,? Eid-al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations (the other occurs after the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca). At the Eid-al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family. A sense of generosity and gratitude colors these festivities. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance at the end of Ramadan. As the month draws to a close, Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and making contributions to mosques.

Most people on the Souhside think all Muslims wear bow-ties and sell newspapers and bean pies on Scott St. or Reed Rd. Others think all Muslims follow Osama bin Laden and are just lurking around waiting to blow something up in the name of Allah. My reality is that the Islamic faith is actually very similar to Christianity. There is a defined law that some choose to distort and manipulate for their own endeavors, but by and large the faith is full of believers who have submitted themselves to the will of the Almighty. For anyone to label all Muslims as demon-possessed terrorists is just as bad as grouping all Christians as homosexual pedophiles. Christians have a lot to learn from the disciplined lifestyle of Muslims and Muslims are soldiers primed to receive the Amazing Grace of the Savior Jesus Christ. Once the people of God figure out how to strive together against our common oppressor, then maybe we can stop fighting against each other. One thing?s for sure, with all the wars and strife between Muslims, Christians and Jews, the only one pleased with all the chaos is Satan.