Ramadan Mubarak! Ramadan Karim!

A Ramadan Greeting from Faith House Islamic Co-Leader, Rabia Gentile

O blessed month of Ramadan, welcome. 

Welcome, majestic month when God’s community comes forth and gathers together, leaving the worries of this world behind in favor of worship and devotion, of giving alms, of fasting from the limited self, from food and drink.

Oh blessed month when it is said God’s mercy pours down upon humanity in abundance: a month in which supplications are answered ten-fold. 

Oh blessed Ramadan, hidden within you is the exalted Night of Power or Layl’ tul Qadr, the night that Holy Quran tells us is worth more than a thousand months; the mystical night during which the revelation of Holy Quran was sent to the Prophet Muhammad. 

During this month we empty ourselves out, let go of our limited “i,” of limited ideas and merge with the One. While holding the physical fast, we become acutely aware of the reality of our condition- one of total reliance on God. We become aware that only God’s presence can provide us with the sanctuary we are longing for. 

During the month of Ramadan, the lover of God strives to be a vessel of God’s Mercy on earth, aspires to be transparent to God’s presence in every moment, with every breath, and longs to encounter Paradise on the earthly plane.

Through the openings that come during this holy month, each one of us manifests as a channel of divine Rahma or Mercy, as we live our day-to-day lives. Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi writes in his book, Atom from the Sun of Knowledge; “The hands of the perfect human being are ya Rahman and ya Rahim, the continuous invocation of Divine Mercy and Compassion.” During this month we strive to be insan kamil or Perfected Human Beings. 

Inshallah, each one of us will taste the beauty and breadth of this Ramadan and realize our true nature.

Ya Hu, (In the Name of Essence)

Rabia

BACKGROUND NOTES from CommonTables.org

The traditional greeting during Ramadan is "Ramadan Mubarak" (RAH-mah-dahn moo-BAR-ahk , “May God give you a blessed month") and the reply is "Ramadan Karim" (RAH-mah-dahn KA-reem, "May God give you a generous month").

In 2009, for much of the world, the observance of Ramadan [begins today] Friday, August 21st and will continue for 30 days until Saturday, September 19th. In North America Ramadan will start a day later - on Saturday, August 22nd.  Muslim holidays begin at sunset on the previous day, so this year observing Muslims will celebrate Ramadan beginning at sunset on August 20th/21st.

Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and is observed by more than one billion Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims around the world get up before sunrise to eat Sahur, the pre-dawn meal. They then stop eating and drinking before the call for Fajr (first) prayer starts and continue fasting until the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib.

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