viernes, 26 de mayo de 2017

Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered | MercatorNet | May 26, 2017 |

Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered

| MercatorNet | May 26, 2017 |









Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered

The origins and purpose of the 'spiritual training camp'.
Mohammad Hassan Khalil | May 26 2017 | comment 



Soldiers and locals observe Ramadan in Kandahar (US Army, 2013)
Editor’s note: The Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, starts Friday, May 27, 2017. Mohammad Hassan Khalil, associate professor of religious studies and director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University, answers six questions about the significance of this religious observance. The Conversation
Why is Ramadan called Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and lasts either 29 or 30 days, depending on when the new crescent moon is (or should be) visible.
The Arabic term Ramadan connotes intense heat. It seems that in pre-Islamic Arabia, Ramadan was the name of a scorching hot summer month. In the Islamic calendar, however, the timing of Ramadan varies from year to year. This year Ramadan will begin around May 27; next year it will begin around May 16. (An Islamic year is roughly 11 days shorter than a Gregorian year.)
What is the significance of Ramadan?
Ramadan is a period of fasting and spiritual growth, and is one of the five “pillars of Islam” (the others being the declaration of faith, daily prayer, alms-giving, and the pilgrimage to Mecca). Able-bodied Muslims are expected to abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to sunset each day of the month. Many practicing Muslims also perform additional prayers, especially at night, and attempt to recite the entire Qur’an (Koran). The prevailing belief among Muslims is that it was in the final 10 nights of Ramadan that the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
What is the connection between soul and body that the observance of Ramadan seeks to explain?
The Qur’an states that fasting was prescribed for believers so that they may be conscious of God. By abstaining from things that people tend to take for granted (such as water), it is believed, one may be moved to reflect on the purpose of life and grow closer to the creator and sustainer of all existence. As such, engaging in wrongdoing effectively undermines the fast. Many Muslims also maintain that fasting allows them to get a feeling of poverty, and this may foster feelings of empathy.
Can Muslims skip fasting under certain conditions? If so, do they make up missed days?
All those who are physically limited (for example, because of an illness or old age) are exempt from the obligation to fast; the same is true for anyone who is traveling. Those who are able to do so are expected to make up the missed days at a later time. (One could potentially make up all of the missed days in the month immediately following Ramadan, the month of Shawwal.) Those unable to fast at all (if they are financially able) are expected to provide meals to the needy as an alternative course of action.
What is the significance of 29 or 30 days of fasting?
By fasting over an extended period of time, practicing Muslims aim to foster certain attitudes and values that they would be able to cultivate over the course of an entire year. Ramadan is often likened to a spiritual training camp.
Besides experiencing feelings of hunger and thirst, believers often have to deal with fatigue because of late-night prayers and predawn meals. This is especially true during the final 10 nights of the month. In addition to being the period in which the Qur’an was believed to have been first revealed, this is a time when divine rewards are believed to be multiplied. Many Muslims will offer additional prayers during this period.
Do Muslims celebrate the completion of Ramadan?
The end of Ramadan marks the beginning of one of two major Islamic holidays Eid al-Fitr, the “festival of the breaking of the fast.” On this day, many Muslims attend a religious service, visit relatives and friends, and exchange gifts.
Mohammad Hassan Khalil is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

“Now that you’re here …  we’ve got a small favour to ask. More people are reading MercatorNet, but far fewer are donating. Unlike many online magazine, we haven’t put up a paywall and we don't have lots of obtrusive advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
MercatorNet’s independent, vibrant and informative articles take a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our views on human dignity matter – and because they might be your views as well.

If every fan of MercatorNet donated just $10, our future would be much more secure.
    Donate Now   
- See more at: https://www.mercatornet.com/above/view/why-ramadan-is-called-ramadan-6-questions-answered/19868#sthash.hwnOcm2P.dpuf

MercatorNet

May 26, 2017

This week we have finally caught up with a wonderful book, Surprised by Beauty, published last year as a guide to music lovers who are, to quote the author Robert Reilly, “thirsting for the beauty” that seems absent in modern music. And by that he means modern art music, not pop music.
In fact, it is not so much the book as the author who features in today’s article, with Mr Reilly (a man of many accomplishments) answering Michael Cook’s questions about what we normally think of as 20th century music -- that which tortures the soul with its atonality and unnatural rhythms – and the neglected stream of works that have kept up the link between beauty and the spirit.
It’s an eminently quotable interview, but here’s just one snippet:
One of the greats of the 20th century, Jean Sibelius, wrote: “The essence of man’s being is his striving after God. It [the composition of music] is brought to life by means of the logos, the divine in art. That is the only thing that has significance.”
One other article calls for special mention: Tamara El Rahi, who contributes to Family Edge, writes movingly today of the miscarriage of her second child at nine weeks. In a note earlier she said: “Writing this piece was helpful to my healing process I think. Please pray for us.” Thank you, Tamara, for sharing this sorrowful experience with us, one that so many mothers and fathers suffer.









Carolyn Moynihan 
Deputy Editor, 
MERCATORNET

Surprised by Beauty: modern music for the soul
By Robert R. Reilly
A new book offers a listener's guide to the recovery of modern music.
Read the full article
 
The usefulness of ‘useless’ knowledge
By Donald L. Drakeman
Intellectual freedom and private philanthropy built the modern world.
Read the full article
 
Mourning after miscarriage
By Tamara El-Rahi
A baby lost to this world but not to our hearts.
Read the full article
 
‘I’m macro-annoyed with micro-aggression theory’
By Christina Hoff Sommers
The Factual Feminist says friendship is the way to overcome bigotry, real or imagined.
Read the full article
 
Scholars beware: mobbing is the new discussion
By Barbara Kay
A lone academic defies political correctness.
Read the full article
 
Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered
By Mohammad Hassan Khalil
The origins and purpose of the 'spiritual training camp'.
Read the full article
 
Technology success stories from Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Senegal
By Eugene Ohu
Using technology to provide jobs and improve the lives of African youths.
Read the full article
 
The end of a dynasty?
By Marcus Roberts
Perhaps, unless more boys are born...
Read the full article
 
Lutheran songs: a musical gift for all Christians
By Chiara Bertoglio
The reformer planted the seeds of an extraordinary musical culture in Germany.
Read the full article
 
No, the norm of marital monogamy is not crumbling
By Alan J. Hawkins
Rumours of its death are greatly exaggerated.
Read the full article
 
The New York Times flies the flag for ‘open’ marriage
By Nicole M. King
But no matter what you call adultery, it still kills marriages.
Read the full article
MERCATORNET | New Media Foundation 
Suite 12A, Level 2, 5 George Street, North Strathfied NSW 2137, Australia 

Designed by elleston

No hay comentarios: