Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Fasting - Sawm ,Prayer and Reading of The Qur'an,Events of Ramadan,Medical Benefits of Ramadan
Name Origin
The name "Ramadan" is taken from the name of this month; the word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadan are kept throughout the month.
Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), which falls during the last third, commemorates the revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an and is considered the most holy night of the year. Ramadan ends with the holiday Eid ul-Fitr, on which feasts are held. During the month following Ramadan, called Shawwal, Muslims are encouraged to fast for a further six days.
Fasting - Sawm
During Ramadan, Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds. Sexual activities during fasting hours are also forbidden.[Qur'an 2:187] Purity of both thought and action is important. The fast is intended to be an exacting act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God Almighty. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. Properly observing the fast is supposed to induce a comfortable feeling of peace and calm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, sacrifice, and sympathy for those who are less fortunate, intended to make Muslims more generous and charitable. Muslims can eat after the sun has set. Pregnant women, the elderly, the ill and children less than 12 years of age are all exempt from fasting as lack of food could damage health.
Prayer and Reading of The Qur'an
Sunni Muslims tend to perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, called Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Qur'an (juz, which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed. Tarawih is an Arabic phrase referring to those extra prayers. This prayer is performed after salah of Isha'a, but before the witr rakat.
Muslims also pay Zakat (only applicable if one can afford it) during the month. For those who qualify to pay Zakaat, as per the Islamic Nisab (that is those whose wealth exceeds their necessities), of the leftover of their wealth earned in that Islamic calendar year. Although Zakat can be paid any time of the year, it has to be calculated on a year to year basis, and many Muslims use Ramadan as the month for calculation and disbursement.
Ramadan is also a time when Muslims are to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self reformation, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment, establishing a link between God Almighty and themselves by prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others.
Since it is a festival of giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for their family and friends and for giving to the poor and needy who cannot afford it, this can involve buying new clothes, shoes and other items of need. There is also a social aspect involved - the preparing of special foods and inviting people for the Iftar meal (the meal to break the Fast).
In many Muslim and non Muslim countries with large Muslim populations, markets close down in the evening to enable people to perform prayers and consume the Iftar meal (the meal to end the fast) - these markets then re-open and stay open for a good part of the night. Muslims can be seen shopping, eating, spending time with their friends and family during the evening hours.
Events of Ramadan
The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and the first day of the following month, after another new moon has been sighted. The Eid falls after 29 or 30 days of fasting, as per the lunar sighting. Eid ul-Fitr means the Festival of Breaking the Fast, a special celebration is made. Food is donated to the poor (�Zakat al-Fitr�), everyone puts on their best, preferably new, clothes, and communal prayers are held in the early morning, followed by feasting and visiting relatives and friends. The prayer is two rakaahs only, and it is an optional prayer as opposed to the compulsory 5 daily prayers. According to one current school of thought (Ankaboot), it is suggested that North American Muslims arrange their work-schedule for Eid by requesting the two most likely days of Eid as Holidays or simply as days off from work. This allows for quality family time, and is akin to the Christian/North American tradition of taking Christmas and Christmas Eve off as holidays. This also allows for time off to celebrate the Eid prayer at a mosque and with family. The fast always ends after 29 or 30 days of fasting, and thus the request would be for the 29th and 30th day after the start of the fast.
Muslims are encouraged to fast six days in Shawwal, the month following Ramadan that begins after Eid ul-Fitr; these days need not be consecutive. According to hadith, one who fasts the month of Ramadan and six days during Shawwal will be rewarded as though he fasted the entire year.
Medical Benefits of Ramadan
Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self training, with the hope that this training will last beyond the end of Ramadan. If the lessons learned during Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on after Ramadan, there effects will be long lasting. Moreover, the type of food taken during Ramadan does not have any selective criteria of crash diets such as those which are protein only or fruit only type diets. Everything that is permissible is taken in moderate quantities.
The difference between Ramadan and total fasting is the timing of the food; during Ramadan, we basically miss lunch and take an early breakfast and do not eat until dusk. Abstinence from water for 8 to 10 hours is not necessarily bad for health and in fact, it causes concentration of all fluids within the body, producing slight dehydration. The body has its own water conservation mechanism; in fact, it has been shown that slight dehydration and water conservation, at least in plant life, improve their longevity.
The physiological effect of fasting includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure. In fact, Ramadan fasting would be an ideal recommendation for the treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity, and essential hypertension.
In 1994 the first International Congress on "Health and Ramadan", held in Casablanca, entered 50 extensive studies on the medical ethics of fasting. While improvement in many medical conditions was noted; however, in no way did fasting worsen any patients' health or their baseline medical condition. On the other hand, patients who are suffering from severe diseases, whether type I diabetes or coronary artery disease, kidney stones, etc., are exempt from fasting and should not be allowed to fast.
There are psychological effects of fasting as well. There is a peace and tranquility for those who fast during the month of Ramadan. Personal hostility is at a minimum, and the crime rate decreases. Muslims take advice from the Prophet who said, "If one slanders you or aggresses against you, say I am fasting." This psychological improvement could be related to better stabilization of blood glucose during fasting as hypoglycemia after eating, aggravates behavior changes. There is a beneficial effect of extra prayer at night. This not only helps with better utilization of food but also helps in energy output. There are 10 extra calories output for each unit of the prayer. Again, we do not do prayers for exercise, but a mild movement of the joints with extra calorie utilization is a better form of exercise. Similarly, recitation of the Quran not only produces a tranquility of heart and mind, but improves the memory.
One of the odd nights in the last 10 days of Ramadan is called the night of power when angels descend down, and take the prayer of worship to God for acceptance.
Fasting is a special act of worship which is only between humans and God since no one else knows for sure if this person is actually fasting. Thus God says in haddith Qudsi that "Fasting is for Me and I only will reward it". In another haddith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said "If one does not give up falsehoods in words and actions, God has no need of him giving up food and drink".
(Qur'an - Surah 97 - Al Qadr)
Types of Translation and Interpretation
General translation/interpretation is just what you think - the translation or
interpretation of non-specific language that does not require any specialized
vocabulary or knowledge. However, the best translators and interpreters read
extensively in order to be up-to-date with current events and trends so that
they are able to do their work to the best of their ability, having knowledge
of what they might be asked to convert. In addition, good translators and
interpreters make an effort to read about whatever topic they are currently
working on. If a translator is asked to translate an article on organic
farming, for example, he or she would be well served to read about organic
farming in both languages in order to understand the topic and the accepted
terms used in each language.
Specialized translation or interpretation refers to domains which require at the very least that the person be extremely well read in the domain. Even better is training in the field (such as a college degree in the subject, or a specialized course in that type of translation or interpretation). Some common types of specialized translation and interpretation are
Specialized translation or interpretation refers to domains which require at the very least that the person be extremely well read in the domain. Even better is training in the field (such as a college degree in the subject, or a specialized course in that type of translation or interpretation). Some common types of specialized translation and interpretation are
- financial translation and interpretation
- legal translation and interpretation
- literary translation
- medical translation and interpretation
- scientific translation and interpretation
- technical translation and interpretation
Saturday, July 9, 2011
How to acquire knowledge of God?
Now the question arises of how to acquire knowledge of and belief in God, his attributes, his law and the Day of Judgment?
We have already referred to the countless manifestations of God around us and in our own selves, which bear witness to the fact that there is one and only one creator and Governor of this universe and it is he who controls and directs it. These manifestations reflect the divine attributes of the creator: his great wisdom, his all-embracing knowledge, his omnipotence, his mercy, his all-sustaining power-in short his attributes can be traced everywhere in his works, but man’s intellect and capacity for knowledge have argued that there are two gods, others have professed belief in a trinity, and still others have succumbed to polytheism. Some have worshiped nature and others divided the creator into the gods of rain, air, fire, live, death and so on.
Similarly, men have put forward many erroneous nations about life after death for instance, that man is reduced to dust after death and will not rise to life again, or that man is subject to a process of continuous regeneration in this world and is punished or rewarded in future cycles of life.
Even greater difficulty arises when we come to the question of a code of living. To formulate a complete and balanced code that conforms to God’s pleasure merely using human reason is an extremely difficult task. Even if a man is equipped with the highest faculties of reason and intellect and possesses matchless wisdom and experience, the chances of his formulating the correct views on existence are slight. And even if, after a lifetime of reflection, he does in fact succeed, he will still lack the confidence that he has really discovered the truth and adopted the tight path.
The fullest and fairest test of man’s wisdom, reason and knowledge might have been to have left him to his own resources without any external guidance, but this would have meant that only those with the determination and ability to find the path of truth would find salvation, God, therefore, spared his human creatures such a hard test. Through his grace and benevolence he raised for mankind men from among themselves to whom he imparted the true knowledge of his attributes, revealed to them his law and the right code of living, gave them the knowledge of the meaning and purpose of life and of life after death and thus showed them the way by which ma can achieve success and eternal bliss.
These chosen men are the messengers of God his prophets. God has communicated knowledge and wisdom to them by means of revelation and the book containing the divine communications are called the book of God, or the word of God. The test of man’s wisdom and intellect therefore lies in this does he recognize God’s messengers after observing their pure and pious lives and carefully studying their Nobel and flawless teachings? A man of wisdom and common sense would accept instructions given by the messengers of truth, if he denies the messengers of God and their teachings, his denial would signify that he was devoid of the capacity to discover truth and righteousness. He would fail his test. Such a man will never be able to discover the truth about God and his law and life after death.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
How does the Qur’an present its bearer?
From time immemorial, saintly figures were born for the guidance of the humankind who, by the power of their precept and practice, showed them the straight path of truth and righteousness. Nonetheless, their favors always encountered injustice from the human beings. They were not only persecuted by their opponents in the way that their message was neglected, their truthfulness was brought under doubt, their call was rejected and efforts were made to deter them from the right path by inflicting tortures on them; but also they were subjected to the injustice of their own followers, who later corrupted their teachings, introduced interpolations into their instructions, distorted their revealed books, and glorified their personalities to the extent that they raised them to the status of godhood godhead due to their excessive admiration for wonders. The injustice meted out by the first type of persecutors remained confined to their life span on the earth or even at most, it continued up to a few years further after their disappearance. However, the injustice of the second group continued for centuries to come and the same is still happening with many great men of God.
Almost all the righteous reformers sent so far on the planet dedicated their entire life into uprooting the so-called godly status of these false deities whom the human beings had started to worship as gods excluding Allah Almighty, the only God. But it has always been happening that after them their followers started to consider them as Gods or at least partners in godhead due to their ignorant beliefs. They were also made a part of those idols for smashing which they had invested all the labour and energy of their entire life.
As a matter of fact, the human being has been so distrustful of himself that he hardly believes in the possibility and the existence of sacred and angelic characteristics in the mortals. He has always been considering himself as a combination of weaknesses and base desires. His mind is often devoid of the greatest concept and belief that Allah Almighty has bestowed in his mortal existence the potential that might even elevate him to the position more glorious than that of the holy angels despite his being purely mortal and possessing mortal traits. That is the reason whenever a person placed himself in this world as a messenger of God, his fellow beings, first of all, considering him to be a normal human being like them, made of flesh and bone, declined to accept him as a pious man of God. When at last they acknowledged his duty dazzled by the observation of extraordinary qualities in him, they started to develop the concept that the being, possessing such unexceptional good attributes, might not be a mortal. Then a certain group raised him to the status of godhead, others invented the doctrine of personification that God transmigrated into him, while some others found in him divine attributes and godly authorities whereas some others thought that he was a son of God. (Praise and glory be to Him! (for He is) above what they attribute to Him!) (6:100)
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