Thanks for the comment Feral- Fox. Fortunately in commenting you have exposed a common misconception... Muslims don't Worship the Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him.
One of the things that is very clear if you learn about Islam and look at the tenants of the faith, Islam tries to free people from Worshiping the creation and to focus on worshiping the Creator.
Also, This is one of the wisdoms behind why we as Muslims don't depict any of the Prophets. Out of reverence and respect for them. I understand why you might have an issue with what you mentioned. However its important when looking at things historically not apply modern day morals retrospectively. What's normal by todays standards socially was not socially acceptable even 10-15 years ago, Let alone 1400 years ago. Honestly I'm happy to discuss less publicly if you have some questions. Feel free to reach out.
Not to give any oxygen to that instigatory troll FF - well done deflecting his attempt to get a rise btw - and this is a more general question about Islam anyway, but isn't the depiction of the Prophets being forbidden a fairly modern phenomena? For instance, nobody batted an eye when Muhammad was depicted in South Park in 1999, but eleven years later there were death threats and all sorts about the same issue. What changed?
My best friend is Muslim and I always celebrate it with his family. I love eating their lamb over rice after breaking fast. I also won’t eat in front of him out of respect, I don’t want him to drool over my food haha.
Hey Starbreaker. Its something that has been forbidden from the time of the Prophet peace be upon him. There are several narrations that indicate the impermissibility of doing so there are many descriptions of him however I would prob attribute the reaction to how much more digital the world has become.
If you we ever interested to know what the Prophet actually looked like here is a few detailed descriptions of the Prophet. Before I became Muslim i always found this interesting.
Hey Wood, great question, let me give you the historical background.
The historical roots of Ramadan can be traced back to the early years of Islam and the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The key event associated with the origin of Ramadan is the revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during the month of Ramadan.
The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the archangel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The process of revelation began in the year 610 CE when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), while meditating in the Cave of Hira near Mecca, received the first verses of the Quran. This event is known as Laylat al-Qadr, or the Night of Power, and is believed to have occurred during one of the last ten nights of Ramadan.
The specific details of the first revelation are mentioned in the Quran, in Surah Al-Alaq (Chapter 96), where Allah says:
"Read in the name of your Lord who created. Created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, Who taught by the pen, Taught man that which he knew not."
This event marked the beginning of the prophethood of Muhammad and the commencement of the gradual revelation of the Quran. The practice of fasting during the month of Ramadan was established later, in the second year of the Islamic lunar calendar (approximately 622 CE).
The obligation of fasting is derived from the Quranic verses in Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter 2), where Allah says:
"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous." (2:183)
I appreciate the information. I did not know that. I understand, and please correct me if I am wrong, that the practice during the month is typically to fast from sun-up to sun-down.
I guess a follow up question is this: does that mean fast from food and water? Just food? In addition, I have heard that there are those that say they don't even swallow their own spit so as to not break the fast? Is this true or just hyperbole.
I apologize for the string of questions. Just want to better understand the holiday from the Muslim perspective (though I know that is somewhat relative.)
No way, as a matter of fact I'm actually glad that someone is genuinely interested in knowing why and how it is done.
You are correct. The practice during the month of Ramadan involves fasting from dawn (before sunrise) to sunset (after sunset).
During the fasting hours, we must abstain from consuming food, drink, smoking, and engaging in sinful behaviors. The fast is not only a physical act of abstaining but also a spiritual and mental discipline.
About swallowing spit during fast, some individuals avoiding swallowing their own saliva during fasting hours is indeed a practice observed by some devout Muslims. While it might seem extreme to some, it is not uncommon for individuals to adopt this level of discipline during Ramadan. However, it's essential to note that this is not a universal practice, and different Muslims may interpret and observe the rules of fasting in various ways.
What you need to know is, the primary goal of fasting during Ramadan is to abstain from consuming food, drink, smoking, and other specific activities during daylight hours. Swallowing saliva is generally not considered a violation of the fast, and the vast majority of Muslims do not practice the avoidance of swallowing saliva as a strict rule.
So Ramadan is the 9th Month of the Islamic calendar. The Islamic Calendar follows the Lunar calendar so is10 days shorter then the Gregorian calendar so the Islamic events move 10 days forward each year.
Fasting Ramadan is one of the 5 prescribed pillars of the faith. Fasting is obligatory on all able bodied Muslims that are accountable ( Hit puberty) .
There are some whoever who are exempt from fasting 1- those with sickness, illness. 2- those traveling, 3 -any women pregnancy and breastfeeding, 4- senility and old age
Ramadan has been prescribed as a commandment in the Quran.
“O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (pious).” Surah al-Baqarah 2:183
Not frowned upon at all! You could initially try the non Muslim version of intermittent fasting and see how that goes, if it works out you could try adding in no drinking (and no smoking if that's something you do) to get the full experience.
One of my co-workers is muslim. Typically, I would grab my lunch and then head back to the office and eat it at my desk. Would it be more respectful to not eat my lunch infront of him during the month of fasting, very happy to eat outside of the office if other muslims would suggest it would help him in some way.