What Muslim Do and Don't Do while Fasting
By Nadiah Alwi - Write at Home Mom On Sunday, September 07, 2008 At 11:25 AM | 
Here are some of them:
- Muslim do not eat, starting from 10 minutes before their pre-dawn prayer (Subuh) up to their sunset prayer (Maghrib).
- After their last prayer of the day (around 1 hour after the sunset prayer), they will pray together for several rakaats (rakaat is a measure of a prayer, each consists of standing, bowing and prostrating and sitting). Some do it for 11 rakaat, others for 23 rakaat.
- They spend more time to read Al-Qur'an.
- During the day, husband and wife are not allowed to have intercourse.
The pre-dawn meal is called sahur, and it is better for them to take it--although some think that they can still do their fasting without it--as the meal is blessed by Allah (God).- When they break their fasting, normally they eat dates.
- They feel closer to Allah as this is the month where Allah rain on them bunches of love and mercy.
Labels: islam
Interesting. Here in the west, we think of this fasting as such a time of self-deprivation. But one Muslim friend I know told me how much she misses her home during Ramadan, how family and friends would come together to celebrate and enjoy each others company in the evenings. It gave me a whole new way to look at it. :)
Thank you for sharing these interesting traditions.