RAMADAN

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RAMADAN

Postby Dr. Goodword » Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:50 pm

• Ramadan •

Pronunciation: rah-mah-dahn • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun proper

Meaning: The ninth month of the Muslim calendar is devoted to the Fast of Ramadan. That fast begins around the world today. One night around 610 AD, according to the Muslim faith, the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed, a caravan trader, in the vicinity of Mecca, and told him that he had been chosen to hear the word of God (Allah). Over the following days, Mohammed began reciting the verses that ultimately became the Qur'an (Koran).

Notes: Ramadan begins the day after the lunar crescent and ends with the next new crescent. During the Fast of Ramadan Muslims do not eat or drink during the daylight hours. Neither smoking nor sexual relations are allowed. The fast may be broken at the end of the day with prayer and a meal that usually begins with dates called the iftar. The fast is resumed the next morning after a predawn meal, the suhoor, which usually is prepared from the leftovers of the iftar the night before.

In Play: The end of the fast is celebrated as Eid ul-Fitr, the Festival of Fast-Breaking. On Eid ul-Fitr Muslims universally greet each other by saying, "Eid mubarak" (a blessed Eid). In 2012 Ramadan extends from July 20 to August 18. We wish all our Muslim readers around the world a blessed and happy Ramadan.

Word History: Ramadan comes from the Semitic root *rmd which appears in Arabic as ramida and ar-ramad, meaning "intense scorching, heat, and dryness". (Semitic roots usually contain only consonants. Different sets of vowels are inserted between them to convey the same meanings that suffixes convey in Indo-European languages.) The same root produced ramdaa "sunbaked sand" and the famous idiom: kal mustajeer minar ramadaa binnar "to jump out of the frying pan into the fire." Hebrew remetz "embers" is another member of this Semitic root.
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LukeJavan8
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Postby LukeJavan8 » Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:59 am

A Happy and Peace-filled Ramadan to all readers of the
Islamic faith.

I celebrated the post-sundown meal with a family one time
in Palestine. I enjoyed it immensely.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

Philip Hudson
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Postby Philip Hudson » Sat Aug 04, 2012 12:24 am

With due respect to Islamic readers, I must say that Ramadan fasting seems pretty tame to me. When Grandpa went on a fast he thought nothing of going twenty days without any food. I have been told that fasting is good spiritual discipline. I can fast for the day, but like my Islamic friends, I am glad for supper after sundown. Many people observe the same fast as Ramadan, without the spiritual dimension, every day of their lives. It is called "skipping lunch".
Notice that breakfast means "break or stop fasting" in the morning. I don't know if any other language has a similar name for the first meal of the day. Spanish desayuno and German Frühstück do not refer to breaking a fast.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

LukeJavan8
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Postby LukeJavan8 » Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:27 am

Or French "petit dejeuner" = Little Luncheon.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----


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