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Hi lindo,Ive missed visiting you. Thanks for dropping by to say hi. if
you have time read the answer I left your comment. Happy Ramadaan to you. Coming from South Africa where we had a large Muslim population,especially where we lived in Durban we were also caught up in your celebrations so I understand what fun it can be despite the fasting. I remember how fellow colleagues (teachers) and students in the class would describe the feast they were looking forward to at the end of each day. And the lovely clothes everyone wore at the end of the fast,we felt quite envious. Your Ramadaan is similar to the christian/catholic lent where we can fast from food or things like alcohol or smoking and when it is a time to look inwards and try to change our weaknesses into strengths.
posted by
proc
on September 12, 2007 at 1:05 PM
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Hi Lindo,
it's me again. Fasting starts on Sept 13 here in Malaysia.
posted by
richinstore
on September 11, 2007 at 8:25 PM
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Lindo
Interesting read as always. I would welcome a reason to restrict my intake - over indulgence during the summer. I learn something new from your posts each time I read, keep on blogging!
posted by
Dolls-43
on September 11, 2007 at 11:16 AM
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Wow my lindoG
What a fulsome praise you bestow upon me. And, as for my profundity, as you've written in my blog, doesn't it sometimes become a little too taxing to the understanding? I must adopt a less harsher lingo ... oops ... spelling mistake ... it should have been lindo. shouldn't i? Thank you once again. You raise my spirits to a soaring high up there !!!
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on September 11, 2007 at 9:18 AM
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My pleasure Factorfiction
You'd be surprised at how much your body can adapt once you set your mind and heart to it. for us, Muslims, it is easier becuase we know that it is required for us. Many children can't wait to start fasting because it makes them feel grown up so there is the tradition of the "Minaret steps" where children fast for part of the day (for example till noon) and they fast for progressively longer periods as they grow older., so by the time they reach puberty they can take the full day fast.
But i have to admit that it is not easy all the time, in summer it is quite hard, i have no idea how Muslims in the early day could do it since they lived in the desert and they had to go on with their daily chores without food and water, wars were fought in Ramadan under the scorching sun and they would go on with the fast regardless.
About the church run schools, i would probably not have enrolled my son in one if i were a Christian. There are schools here run by Orthodox Muslims but i would never send my son to them. The beauty of sending Adam to a Chrisitian school is that he would get to understand two things :a. what is christians really like, and b. what it is like to be a minority. Muslims are the majority in Syria, it wouldn't hurt him if the boot was on the other foot for a change!
posted by
lindo
on September 11, 2007 at 8:41 AM
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Hi Rich
Long time no see. yes it will indeed and it the fact that we don't know when exactly that makes Ramadan more interesting
posted by
lindo
on September 11, 2007 at 8:30 AM
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Hi there Taps
I'll stop by your blog in sec. Just wanted to say thanks.
posted by
lindo
on September 11, 2007 at 8:28 AM
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Justi
Thank you for stopping by.
posted by
lindo
on September 11, 2007 at 8:26 AM
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lindo
I haven't read you in awhile. This is a beautiful sharing of your Holy time. Thank you.
posted by
Justi
on September 11, 2007 at 12:46 AM
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lindo
Your post and Bhaskar.ing's comment have been fascinating reading for me. It makes me want to hear more people tell what it means to them.
posted by
TAPS.
on September 11, 2007 at 12:06 AM
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My God BhaskarG
You shamed me by this eloquent well informed comment. I agree with you one hundred percent, i tink the fast is one of the most enjoyabe experiences of our faith and it does challenge one to rethink his/her approach to everything in our daily life from our obsession with food and our disregard for the less fortunate and above all our neglect of our spirituality in the race to make ends meet. You reign supreme when it comes to talking about the spirituality and devinitaion . Thank you
posted by
lindo
on September 10, 2007 at 11:41 PM
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Thanks for addressing this lindo
I also want to tell you a few things-
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question so well!
As much as I like the thoughts behind Ramadan, I would never be able to physically do it. I feel really ill if I do not eat when I am hungry...plus I have a terrible habit of water-drinking...LOTS of it. I'm thirsty thinking about it...
After reading your blog the other day, I went looking for my friend from 17 years ago in grad school. And I found her...so now we will catch up with each other. 
I found your prior post interesting,too. I have no desire to send my children to church run schools, although my husband went to Catholic school throughout. My husband hated the required religion classes and I have to say he did quite well at never learning anything there... 
Although he has been know to tell me that Catholics don't read Bible stories. I was raised Lutheran and I learned too many parts of the Bible. 
posted by
FactorFiction
on September 10, 2007 at 6:09 AM
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Hi lindo
Fasting will start in a couple of days time.
posted by
richinstore
on September 10, 2007 at 6:04 AM
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Hi there lindoG
Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. There are as many meanings of Ramadan as there are Muslims.
The third "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam (it means 'submission' in English), fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Quran, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds. For Muslims (Submitters), Ramadan is an opportunity to gain by giving up, to prosper by going without and to grow stronger by enduring weakness.
As a secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence. It throws the toxins out.
posted by
Bhaskar.ing
on September 10, 2007 at 4:43 AM
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Soul builder
One is not meant to go to bed with a stomach full of food. After Iftaar ( the sunset meal) Muslims are required to pray Taraweeh ( a special prayer for Ramadan), it is a long prayer split into Raqaats (kneelings) that are repeated from 8 -20 times depending on your endurance. Since prayer in Islam is rather physical this takes care of any full stomach. the faithfull are encouraged to pray and read the Qoran just before dawn and the final meal of the night Suhour ( an early breakfast of sorts) and this splits the intake of food into managable quantites. Hope this answers your question.
posted by
lindo
on September 9, 2007 at 9:57 PM
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Bandanafish
Soul builder has answered the question, you are not allowed to drink or eat anything including water. It is not determental to one's health since you are getting all the nutrition after sunset. In fact, many believe that most health problems occuring during Ramadan are due to binging and overeating: if your stomach has been empty for 10-14 hours and then you overfill it in half an hour this will cause problems indeed.
posted by
lindo
on September 9, 2007 at 9:51 PM
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lindo
I have lived among people who do this fast. At night you can eat as you break your fast. But, of what use is it to go to bed with a stomach full of food?
posted by
Soul_Builder101
on September 9, 2007 at 8:29 PM
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Sorry to sound so ignorant, but you see, I am
terribly uneducated in the Muslim faith, so allow me to ask, when you say "fasting for thirty consecutive days", do you mean you absolutely cannot eat anything (except water)? Because isn't that detrimental to one's health?
I do admire the purpose and idea behind the fast.
posted by
bandanafish
on September 9, 2007 at 2:38 PM
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