Ramadan Dictionary


Fasting

Fasting, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, is the name given to the act of abstaining yourself from eating food, having intercourse, and other deeds resulting in the breaking of fasting, from dawn time until the sunset....

How To Revive Ourselves in Ramadan
As we welcome the holy month of Ramadan, the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and in which we dedicate ourselves to fasting, self-purification and spiritual training, we should strive to do righteous deeds and focus on the goals of Ramadan so that we can become closer to Allah.

A new surah for every week

Trying to memorize a new surah every week will help us to br...

Prophet Muhammad's (saw) Ramadan Preparations
Understanding the preparations made by Prophet for the month of Ramadan is possible through the information narrated by the Companions of the Prophet as well as the Sunnah on this matter. When one examines the narrations on this topic, two issues emerge as the most important: Determining the beginning of Ramadan (The sighting of the crescent) Determining the beginning of Ramadan occurs through t...

The Last Sermon of the Prophet
O People!

Lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.

O People!...

Hajj in 23 Questions
1. What is Hajj? The dictionary meaning of the word "Hajj" connotes facing a big and important matter that is respected, visitation and going somewhere and coming back. As a term of Islamic jurisprudence, it signifies a worship that is performed by Muslims who have the means in specified period of time in a fashion that follows religious requirements in the Kaba, Arafat, Muzdalifa and Mina. Hajj...

Hajj - Jihad Without Conflict
A Muslim spends their time, with both their belief and worship, in a continuous and widespread jihad (struggle), thus Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) qualified both the hajj and umrah (greater and lesser pilgrimages) as "jihad without conflict". Reported by Imam Bukhari, Aisha related: "I once asked the Prophet "O messenger of Allah, we (the women folk) consider that jihad is the best deed; why then may w...

After Ramadan
Sometimes we want to stop time and live some moments forever, but time, luckily, doesn’t listen. It passes as it always does. Time flows in the same speed for everyone everywhere, but depending on the situation we find ourselves in, one day may seem like an entire century, or like the blinking of an eye.

For me the moments that I wish wouldn’t end are the ones when fasting women, tired from suhoor...

The Three States of Ramadan
Ramadan, the beginning of which is mercy, the middle forgiveness, and the end release from Hellfire, is a lot like the prayer with its standing, the bowing down, and the prostration.

When Ramadan came we all rolled our sleeves and got ready for worship. Just like standing at the beginning of our prayer. Every believer did this in his/her own way. Just like how everybody has his/her own way of stan...

Ramadan Butterflies
One of our friends who has written a reflection about Ramadan upon our request is dear Ayşe Şebnem Yeşilkaya. She compares our Ramadan joy to the gaiety of butterflies in spring; our enthusiasm in charity to the flight of butterflies from flower to flower; our refining souls to the elegance of butterflies; and the transitory nature of this season of happiness to the short life of a butterfly:

“The...

Our Feelings in Ramadan
Today I am sharing sister Sare Çizmecioğlu’s reflections on Ramadan, with great gratitude to her for sharing her feelings with us.

“I saw the crescent in the sky of the dark blue night, in the red of the flag, on the top of the dome, above the Neretva.* I had a difficult time fasting through the long hours. The gates of divine help opened wide. The sun hid its heat, and the clouds wished the faste...

Narrowing the Ways of Satan
In a hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim our Prophet says: “Satan circulates in the body like blood. Make his passage narrow by means of hunger.”

In the words of al-Ghazali, lusts are grazing grounds for the devils. As long as there is something to be grazed on, Satan will be present. Fasting, through which one establishes a mastery over one’s most fundamental (and unmanageab...

Fasting as Told by Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır
Today I would like to cite a few quotations about fasting from Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, a famous Turkish Quran commentator known for including subtle philosophical and psychological analyses in his tafseer. He firstly points out that the struggle against the lower self is possible only through fasting and states that no other means are as effective as fasting in calming the ambition that the human be...