30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World

Ramadan 2006

(1427 in the Islamic calendar)

On the 24th of September 2006, many Muslims around you will begin to prepare themselves to fast. In fact, about 1.3 billion people across the Islamic world will all fast – men and women and even children from about seven years old.

This time of fasting happens during the month called “Ramadan”, from sunrise to sunset. Since the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, a year is 11 days shorter than ours (354 days). Thus, Ramadan moves slowly backwards each year – in 2005 it was in October. In many Muslim countries this year people will be fasting during long, hot days with approximately 16 to 18 hours of sunlight.

The fasting month of Ramadan belongs to the earliest obligations of faith in Islam; Muhammad mentioned this around the year 610 A.D. in partial support to Jewish fasting. Later it became one of the “5 Pillars” of the Islamic Faith.

In Islamic understanding, the patience and obedience of the believer is put to the test during this fasting month. People remember through fasting the qualities of Allah and his care for the poor. Because of the spiritual dimension to fasting, many Muslims study the Koran and visits increase to mosques during Ramadan.

At the same time, fasting becomes a lifelong, heavy burden. Many people don’t get enough water and health problems arise. Although fasting during Ramadan is a statement of Islamic faith, in radical Islam it is punishable not to fast.

World-wide, Christians pray in a united way during Ramadan for Muslims, who do not experience Jesus as their advocate with the father, their unconditional acceptance as loved children of God and the firm certainty of forgiveness and salvation. As Christians have prayed, many people in Islamic countries have in many different ways heard and entrusted their lives to Jesus.

To coincide with Ramadan, a small booklet in calendar format is produced in 42 languages. The calendar gives background on Muslim culture and beliefs, and countries and unreached people groups in the Islamic world. Each day the text focuses on a need and ends with specific prayer requests. This year, the colorful, fun-filled children’s version will be available in several languages.

Join us for “30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World” – 24 September thru 23 October 2006. Details for where to order booklets or to download special editions are on the web at http://www.30-days.net

Pass the message on and let this Ramadan be a time of rejoicing in the heavens as many come to find Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Ramadan: The Muslim Month of Fasting

Why are more than a billion people around the world abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking, and sex from dawn to sunset this month? They are Muslims who are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of the religion of Islam and one of the highest forms of Islamic worship. Abstinence from earthly pleasures and curbing evil intentions and desires is regarded as an act of obedience and submission to God as well as an atonement for sins, errors, and mistakes. Called Ramadan (or Ramazan), Muslims fast duirng this month from the moment when it first starts to get light until sunset. Muslims fast as an act of faith and worship towards Allah, seeking to suppress their desires and increase their spiritual piety. Fasting together as a worldwide community – Ummah – affirms the brotherhood and equality of man before Allah.

The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle. The month of Ramadan is the ninth month and begins with a combination of the sighting of the new moon and astronomical calculations. The exact time of Ramadan sometimes varies from place to place as some rely heavily on the moon sightings while others depend on science. An Imam (Muslim holy man) will declare the exact time of Ramadan just prior to its commencement. The fasting period ends upon the sighting of the next new moon, which occurs after 29 or 30 days.

The name Ramadan is derived from the Arabic word ramida or ar-ramad, denoting intense scorching heat and dryness, especially the ground. From the same word there is ramdaa, meaning ’sunbaked sand’ and the famous proverb Kal Mustajeer minar ramadaa binnar – to jump out of the frying pan into the fire. Some say it is so called because Ramadan scorches out the sins with good deeds, as the sun burns the ground.

Ramadan brings out a special feeling of emotional excitement and religious zeal among Muslims of all ages. Though fasting is mandatory only for adults, children as young as eight willingly observe fasting with their elders. Children look forward to the excitement of sighting the moon and eating special meals with their families. Adults appreciate the opportunity to double their rewards from God and seek forgiveness for past sins. As Ramadan emphasises Muslim brotherhood and community all feel a particular closeness.

Muslims have to change their whole physical and emotional selves during this 30 long days of fasting. A typical day of fasting begins with getting up early, around 4:30a.m. and sharing a meal called Sahur together before the fast begins at dawn, about 5:10a.m. As dawn breaks, the first of five daily prayers, Fajr, is offered.

As the day proceeds, fasting Muslims are constantly bombarded with messages from their stomachs that it is time for breakfast, snack, lunch, and so on. And each time, Muslims remind themselves that they are fasting for the sole purpose of pleasing Allah and seeking his mercy. They offer the second and third prayers during early and late afternoon, respectively.

Fasting helps one to experience how a hungry person feels and what it is like to have an empty stomach. It teaches one to share the sufferings of the less fortunate. Muslims believe that fasting leads one to appreciate the bounties of Allah, which are usually taken for granted – until they are missed!

Throughout the day Muslims are encouraged to go out of their way to help the needy, both financially and emotionally. Some believe that a reward earned during this month is multiplied 70 times and more. For this reason, Ramadan is also known as the month of charity and generosity.

To a Muslim, fasting not only means abstaining from food, but also refraining from all vice and evils committed consciously or unconsciously. It is believed that if one volunteers to refrain from lawful foods and sex, they will be in a better position to avoid unlawful things and acts during the rest of the year.

The fast is broken at sunset. The Prophet Muhammed recommended breaking the fast with dates. Muslims are urged to invite others to break the fast with them. These gatherings are called Iftar parties.

Just after breaking the fast, and before dinner, Muslims offer the fourth of the five daily prayers, which is called the Maghrib prayer. After dinner, Muslims go to their houses of worship, called Mosques, to offer the Isha prayer, which is the last of the five daily prayers. The day ends with a special voluntary prayer, the Taraweeh, offered by the congregation reciting the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam.

The last ten days of Ramadan are considered highly blessed, especially the 27th night which is also called the ‘Night of Power’, or the ‘Night of Destiny’. It is believed that on this night the prophet Muhammed received the first revelation of the Qur’an. For many Muslims, this period is marked by a heightened spiritual intensity and they may spend these nights praying and reciting the Qur’an.

After 30 days of fasting, the end of the month of Ramadan is observed with a day of celebration, called Eid-ul-Fitr. On this day, Muslims gather in one place to offer a prayer of thanks. It is traditional to wear new clothes, visit friends and relatives, exchange gifts, eat delicious dishes prepared for this occasion, and wait patiently for the next year.

 

Muslims follow a lunar calendar which is approximately 10 or 11 days earlier each year. Some nations vary as the starting date for Ramadan as it depends on the sighting of the new moon, which marks the beginning of the new month.

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In the Bible, we do not find any one method of fasting required of us, but the Lord Jesus did say however, “when you fast…” (Matthew 6:16), seeming to assume that His followers would imitate His own example. We fast as an outward symbol of our devotion to God, being willing to deny ourselves food for His sake. Fasting adds intensity to our prayer, and often leads to breakthroughs. We do not fast to convince or persuade Him, but rather to identify with His broken heart and with His desire for all mankind to know Him. “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free and that you break every yoke. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out.” (Isaiah 58:6 &7)

source www.30-days.net