Hajj and Eid Al-Adha

JUST THE BASICS - FACTS:

Hajj
The largest pilgrimage in the world.
Two and a half Million - Three Million Muslims.
Muslims from all over the world attend.
Required of all able Muslims to perform Hajj at least once in their lifetime.
Men and Women.
The 5th pillar of Islam.
Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

History:
Abraham was instructed by God to leave his wife (Hagar) and infant son (Ishmeal) alone in the dessert.
The infant became thirsty.
Hagar ran back and forth seven times looking for water.
Infant cried and hit his foot to the ground/Angel Gabriel's wing scratched the ground.
Water miraculously appeared (well of ZamZam).
Years later Abraham was instructed by God to return to this place and build a place of worship next to the Well Zamzam.
Abraham and his son built the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Abraham was instructed by God to sacrifice his son.
Satan tried to persuade Abraham not to sacrifice his son.
Abraham and his son drove Satan away by throwing stones at him.
Abraham and his son proved their williness to sacrifice for God.
God replaced his son with an animal to sacrifice instead.

The pilgrimage commerartes this historical and religious history.

Day 1:
Pilgrims reach Mecca, shower and change clothes
Shedding all signs of wealth and societial distinction
Muslim men wear two white cloths, Muslims women wear simple white dress and headscarf.
Travel from Mecca to Mina
Pray, read Quran, rest for coming days

Day 2:
Leave Mina and go to the Plain of Arafat.
Muslims spend the entire day near the Mount of Mercy
Asking for forgiveness and making supplications.
(Muslims not in Hajj often fast this day)
Travel to open plain call Muzdalifah
Collect small pebbles for the following day
Spend the night praying

Day 3:
Travel back to Mina
Throw small stones that repressent the temptation of Satan (rememberance of Satan tempting Abraham not to sacrifice his son).
Sacrifice an animal
Return to Mecca
Circle the Kaaba seven times
Walk seven times between two small hills (in remeberance of Hagar search for water)
Drink from the Well of ZamZam

SEE HAJJ LIVE and learn more! : http://www.islamicity.com/multimedia/livetv/LiveHajjCoverage.shtml

Eid Al-Adha
The Festival of Sacrifice.
Animal sacrifice
Sacrificed animal, which must meet specific criteria
Symbolize God's mercy on Abraham when God replaced Abraham's son with a ram.
Sacrificed meat: 1/3 kept for family, 1/3 given to relatives, 1/3 given as charity to the poor.
Largest Holiday in Islam.
Follows the Pilgrimage of Hajj.

Morning of Eid rituals:
Wake up before sunrise, wash and pray Fajr Prayer.
Dress in best clothing.
Attend early morning Eid Prayer offered in congregation.
Sacrifice animal.
Visit family and friends.

Hajj is currently going on.
Eid is on Wednesday, November 16th this year.
Eid Al-Adha lasts for 4 days.
We are off work for the week.
Proper greeting: Eid Mubarak, Happy Eid.



Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak (Happy Holiday)

Hello to all and Eid Mubarak to all my Muslim readers. Eid Mubarak is one of the expressions we use to wish each other a Happy Holiday. What holiday?- my nonMuslim friends may be asking. For those of you who haven't read my blog recently or don't know about Islam: Muslims are just completing our month of fasting (the Islamic Month of Ramadan). At the end of this month we will have a 3-4 day holiday called Eid Al-Fitr.

Eid Al-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan. The holiday begins after a congregated morning prayer at the Mosque or conventional hall. Once the prayer is complete, the celebration begins and lasts between three to four days.

Visiting family entails most of the 3 day holiday. Visiting usually begins immediately after the morning prayer. To give you a clearer picture of what it means to visit family and friends, I will describe what I experienced last year...Prayer started around 700am and relatives started knocking on the door of my Mother-in-law (who we were living with at the time) around 800am and the visiting lasted well into the evening. One by one, group by group, the family members came by and visited. Some stayed 5-10 minutes and others stayed an hour or more. During their visit we drank tea or coffee, ate sweets, and wished each other a happy holiday. The following day, we drove to everyone's home, to home, to home. We visited with each family member over the next two days. Our visits lasted the same, either 5-10 minutes or an hour-depending on the relationship and how much time we had spent with the same family the previous day(s). The kids all ran around together, eating candy and getting money from the adults. It's an enjoyable time and it can be exhausting all the same (just as Christmas or another holiday you may relate to).

The nice thing about living in Jordan (a predominately Muslim country) is that we get four days off from work for Eid Al-Fitr. However, this year the holiday will fall on the beginning of the weekend, so the four days include 2 regular working days off and 2 days for the usual weekend. Either way, it will be nice to have the additional days away from work and home with family. My brother-in-law and his wife are expected to come in from Bahrain for the week, and we are looking forward to seeing them and spending time with them. Living in Bahrain has even better perks than Jordan-they get the 4 days off in addition to the weekend - so they will be with us the entire week, inshallah (God Willing).

People often ask if we exchange gifts or how else Eid is celebrated. Gifts are exchanged and new clothes are bought...mostly for the children. Special food and desserts are prepared as well. Over the past 1.5 weeks, the streets have been packed with parked cars, cars trying to get through the traffic, pedestrians crossing the street, and shoppers walking from store to store-all out shopping and preparing for Eid. Shopping for the gifts, new clothes, something special for the house, or special food they are planning to prepare. The houses, businesses and streets are decorated with lights. Special donations of food and money are given to the poor, as it is a requirement of Islam to give a monetary donation (not only on a yearly basis), but also before the Eid begins to ensure that all Muslims have food to eat and are taken care of by those blessed with more. Everyone is happy and excited for Eid and the blessings of Ramadan. Some are also sad to see the end of the month of fasting as it is an especially spiritual month and even though they can fast most any day of the year, nothing is as spiritual and special as Ramadan. No matter what religion you come from, you cannot deny the excitement in the air and the special time this is for Muslims around the world. Please, wish a Muslim a Happy Eid over the next few days and/or take the time to learn more about Islam for yourself during this time.

Hope everyone had a blessed Ramadan and a wishing every Muslims a Happy Eid Al-Fitr!

1.5 BILLION Muslims observing Ramadan

The 1.5 Billion Muslims around the world are preparing and will being their month of fasting over the next 24 hours.

In Jordan, it has been announced that the holy month of Ramadan will begin tomorrow. This means beginning at 4:27 am, Jordanian Muslims will be abstaining from food, drink, sex, and smoke until 7:25pm. The Ramadan fast is set to begin at dawn and be completed at sunset; therefore, the times will vary slightly from one day to another and Muslims around the world will fast during and based dawn to sunset in their area of the world. The actual month of Ramadan (in the Islamic Calender) is determined on a Lunar calender. This means that we have an idea of when Ramadan will begin; however, it is not known until the crescent moon is observed in the area in which you are living. In other words, this means its 1st day varies by 24 hours around the world, dependant on when the crescent moon is observed in each area of the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan
http://www.fastramadan.com/why_do_muslims_fast.php
http://www.fastramadan.com/why_do_muslims_fast.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

You can feel the excitement in the air. Muslims are excited to fast as we are instructed to do so in the Holy Quran. During this time of abstinance from food, drink, sex, and smoke-we are filling up our mind, body and spirit with Allah (God) and our religion. "O believers! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you in order that you become more conscious of God." [Noble Quran 2:183].

During this month, it is not unusual for Muslims to read the Quran from cover to cover, and to spend their days and nights praying, even more than the prescribed 5 daily prayers. In fact, many stay awake the entire night praying, either at home or in the Mosque. Each Mosque offers extended evening prayers, called taraweeh, where long portions of the Quran are recited: in doing so, by the end of the month the entire Quran has been recited. As many people are staying awake throughout the night praying, staying up late reading Quran or spending time with family, and they are getting up before Dawn to eat - the business hours are changed during the Holy Month. The Jordanian Prime Minister announced that all government business will have the working hours from 900am-230pm. Personally, my working hours will be from 1000am-400pm, rather than the usual 830am-500pm.

Ramadan is also a month of giving. Abstaining from food and drink for such a length of time helps us recognise the suffering of those who do not have the means to eat and drink at their leisure. Muslims are encourage in the Quran, hadiths and thru this personal recognition to give to the poor during this month. If one is unable to give money, food, shelter, a simple smile or gesture is also considered giving. During Ramadan, we naturally recognize the blessings God has given us and thank him for these blessing whether they be health, family, food, work, etc.

Muslims are encouraged not to over-indulge in the abstained once it becomes prohibited (such as over eating once the fast for the day is over). We are to eat slowly filling our stomachs with 1/3 food, 1/3 drink and 1/3 empty space.

People decorate the outside of their homes with special lights. Eat special foods and desserts. Vendors set up shop on the sides of streets to sell special juices and desserts. The shops close during the time to break the fast and then reopen after evening prayers. The shops are filled with shopper late into the evening.

Ramadan is a special time for the Muslim world, as well as for those Muslims living in the Christian world. "Ramadan Kareem", "Ramadan Mubarak", "Happy Ramadan" as interchangeably used to wish someone a Blessed Ramadan. If you live in the Christian world and know a Muslim(s), please wish them a Blessed Ramadan. They will be happy to hear this from you and may be excited to share with you what Ramadan means to them!

This Week in Islam: Hajj and Eid Al-Adha

Hajj is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. An estimated 2.5 million Muslims are performing Hajj, this year. The Hajj, or pilgrimage, is the 5th pillar of Islam. It is required of all Muslims to attend Hajj at least once in their lifetime, if they are physically and financially able.

During Hajj, Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham. One of Abraham's main trials was to kill his only son as commanded by God. Upon hearing this command, Abraham was prepared to submit to God's command. When he was ready to kill his son, God revealed to him that his 'sacrifice' had already been fulfilled-an animal had been killed instead. Abraham had shown God that his love for him superseded all others.

At the end of the Hajj, Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). During the celebration of Eid Al-Adha, Muslims commemorate and remember Abraham's trials by slaughtering an animal such as a goat, sheep, or camel. The meat is then split into thirds. One-third is to be kept for the family to eat, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The act symbolises our willingness to give up things that are of benefit to us or that are close to our hearts, in order to follow God's commands. It also symbolises our our willingness to give up some of our own bounties to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. We recognise that all blessings come from God and we should open our hearts and share with others.

It is important to note that the sacrifice itself, as practised by Muslims, has nothing to do with atoning for our sins or using blood to wash away our sins. Instead, this symbolism is an attitude, a wiliness to make sacrifices in our lives in order to stay on the Straight Path. A true Muslim, one who submits himself/herself completely to God, is willing to follow God's command completely and obediently. It is this strength of heart, purity of faith, and willing obedience that God desires from us.

On the first morning of Eid Al-Adha, Muslims around the world will attend prayers at their local Mosques. Prayers are then followed by visits to family and friends, and the exchange of greetings and gifts. The holiday is the larger of the two Islamic holidays. It will begin on Friday and is celebrated for 5 days.

The Things You're Not Suppose to Talk About.

So, I'm going to do it. It was bound to happen sooner or later....talk about the things you are not suppose to talk about. Politics and Religion. That's right, I'm going to talk about them both, in one blog posting. For those that don't know me, I am a Democrat, Muslim and I 100% believe in healthcare for all.....just getting that out there while I'm at it!

I have been reading the US news about the horrible shooting in Fort Hood. I want to first say that I feel awful for the families that lost their loved ones in such a horrific way. This post has nothing to do with them, their families or you and your families. This post has to do with how politics and the news continue to blame the religion of Islam on horrific crimes like these.

I want to complain tonight. That's right complain and my target is the US news. I sat and listened to it, read it, watched it and complained about it in my own home (and to a few of you) over the last however many years since 9/11 (when I truly became interested in it...don't we always start paying attention once it starts affecting our own life?!). Actually, I have also been one to watch TV programs and news programs from an objective eye. I have always liked to watch TV and get upset at how the black guy is always the one who is killing someone or getting thrown in jail and how the white person is always lending a helping hand to the black guy, like the black guy always need help or something. Or how the woman is always shown crying with a close up view, but if the man cries it is shown from behind in a group hug or something (unless its Brett Favre retiring, then it's okay to show his face..LOL). Seriously though, the media teaches us how to think. It puts the idea into our heads of what is okay and what is not okay. And when the US media is continuing to bombard their viewers that Islam is the culprit behind all the evils in the world, then viewers like you and me may start believing them.

The truth is that man who killed all the soldiers at Fort Hood, was a Muslim. But that doesn't mean that Islam is what caused him to kill the soldiers. In fact, Islam may have been what kept him sane for a little bit longer. I mean it may be what kept him from doing this act now instead of days ago, weeks ago or months ago. Lets look at other factors of his life. He was a physician. A psychiatrist. Pop quiz: Who knows what the highest suicide rate based on occupation...give up...physician's (suprising huh) and psychiatrist are amongst the highest number of those physicians who kill themselves. I know this guy didn't kill himself, but the idea of killing others and killing yourself fall along the same ideas. Their rates of suicide are based on the fact that they have demanding jobs with long hours and a intense stress level, many of them have type A personalities. On top of that psychiatrist deal with, listen to and try to solve other peoples problems and issues on a daily basis. They have little opportunity to discuss the cases they are working on or to have someone help them solve their own problems. The stress eventually wears on them in the form of relationship problems, divorce, substance abuse or...suicide. Now lets take another look at this mans life, he was in the military. From what I know from friends who live this life, the military is a very difficult, high intensity and high stress level as well. He was facing deployment. This alone raises many questions, fears and a new intensity of stress to any ones life. Lastly, he was an Arab and a Muslim. Many Arabs and Muslims report added stresses in the military because of 9/11 and the racists thoughts that came from with those terrible events. Lastly, he was human and sometime humans just snap for whatever reason if any reason.

The US media is so fast to find a Islam link and make a political link to continue to justify these horrible wars and to make the American people afraid of Islam for whatever reason. Sometimes they forget to look at themselves, Christians. They forget to mention that it was a Christian man, Hitler, that started WWII and all the terrible events that occurred in the camps. It is Christians who are members of the KKK and all the terrible things they do. In Oklahoma City bombing, it was Christians. In the USA there were 16,272 murders, 89,000 reported forcible rapes, 441,855 robberies, 834,885 aggravated assaults committed in 2008......I don't have the numbers for you, but I assure you that nearly none of these were not committed by Muslims! Just for interest, here are the rates for Saudi Arabia (the scariest, worst Islamic country per the media) 202 murders, 59 rapes, 598 robberies and 13,864 assaults. (USA population 307,881,579 and Saudi Arabia population 27,601,038.) I'm not saying that all Christians are bad, so quit saying/thinking that all Muslims are bad!

I guess what I am trying to say is, I don't know this man and don't want to know him. What he did was disgusting and horrible. And what he did had nothing to do with Islam. I am just so sick and tired of people/media blaming Islam. Islam is a peaceful religion that teaches us not to hate, not to kill, not to be wasteful, not to gossip, not to be jealous, not to hate, not to want bad for others. It does teach us to respect each other and our self, to take care of the poor, to take care of our families, to love our parents, to obey God, to appreciate all the things God has given us, to pray, to give charity, to learn and study, to do good.

I want to be clear that I am not defending this guy and what he did, so don't get any ridiculous thought about that. All religions and all people have bad people within their group. Just as all religions and all people have good people within their group. Let start focusing on the good of our religions so that we can better understand each other and start to work together.

Eid Al-Fitr in Jordan

What is Eid Al Fitr?!
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in pious activities such as charitable giving and peace-making. It is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr ("the Festival of Fast-Breaking").

Eid al-Fitr is a time to give charity to those in need and to celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.

Before the day of Eid, during the last few days of Ramadan, each Muslim family gives a determined amount as a donation to the poor. This donation is actual food (or money can be given to the Mosque to buy food and distribute) to ensure that the needy can have a holiday meal and participate in the celebration. This donation is known as "charity of fast-breaking".

On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in mosques or other arranged place to perform the Eid prayer. The Eid prayer consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer.

After the Eid prayer, Muslims usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts (especially to children), and make phone calls to distant relatives to give well-wishes for the holiday. These activities traditionally continue for three days. In most Muslim countries, the entire 3-day period is an official government/school holiday.

Eid Al-Fitr in Jordan
As described above, Eid Al-Fitr is a 3 day holiday and we are just finishing day three. We have been busy over the past 3 days visiting family and they have been visiting us. The visits can be long or short. Most visits last around a half hour. This length of time gives us time to visit Yanal's entire family...his Mom has 6 siblings, his Dad has 12 siblings and many of these siblings have grown families of their own to visit as well (Mashallah, God Bless Them)!

During these visits we wish everyone a Happy Eid, eat sweets, drink tea or coffee and talk for a little while before going to the next home. The kids have fun eating candy, playing together and sometimes someone will put a little money in the kids' pocket. It is common that everyone is wearing new clothes to these visits. These clothes can be formal or just something nice to wear through out the next year.

The kids are also given a gift or two from their parents and maybe their grandparents or other relatives during the Eid. --- We bought Aisha a small keyboard with microphone that plays back her beautiful singing voice! My little lady LOVES to sing and dance, so she LOVED the new toy. She also recieved her very own swing (for now, until Omar grows up and wants to swing--LOL) from Grandma Almanasir. My little lady also LOVES to swing. Bring her to the playground and that's all she wants to do is swing, swing, swing; so, she's having fun with her own swing. Lastly, she was given a new dress from Auntie Rasha and some money from other relatives. Omar recieved some money which we will use to get him something special. ---

Because about 95% of the country is Muslim and they are all celebrating Eid, the malls and stores were busy, busy, busy the week before the holiday! It was like Christmas in the US. The streets were jammed packed with cars and people walking everywhere looking for new outfits to wear and gifts to give! The highway by the mall, near our apartment, was backed up over a mile every day from all the people trying to get to the mall.

My mother-in-law owns a chocolate store. In addition to chocolate, during the holidays she also sells homemade cookies called Maamoul(-sp?!). It is a small, labor intensive cookie that is filled with dates or nuts. Her workers and the household have been working hard on making literally thousands of these cookies for weeks before the Eid! Mashallah, her store was so busy the night before the Eid that she was open until 200am! She ran out of cookies and the workers were up all night making more and they have continued making cookies until yesterday!

The salons are also just as busy! Everyone waits until the last days before the Eid to get their hair cut, colored and blow dryed. Many of the women here have curly hair and they get their hair dryed at the salon to straighten their hair and make it beautiful! Even though many of them cover their hair with the Hijab (headscarf), they still women and have the need to be beautiful! It is also common to get pedicure, manicures and sugaring (similar to waxing) prior to the Eid. Everone wants to look their best. It has been rumored that many salons were open all night, the night before Eid. I guess many women waited and waited to get fixed and they were unable to fix everyone, so people waited all night for nothing! --Reminder, appointments here are uncommon. You just show up and wait your turn...note to self, not a good idea the night before Eid!

Some people here decorate the outside of their homes with lights. It is becoming more common, but it is no where near the decor of Christmas in the US!! Maybe 1 out of every 6 homes have a string of lights, a cresent moon with a star or a lantern.

It has been a fun and tiring experience, Eid Al-Fitr in Jordan. It's neat to see the traditions of other people. I have experienced Eid Al-Fitr in Milwaukee, but it's different from here because there are soooo many people visiting back and forth.

Yanal has 1 more day off (total of 6 days in a row, with last weekend) until he heads back to work for a day and then it's the weekend off again! Gotta love the paid holiday time-off they get too! It's fun to have him around so much...Aisha can't get enough of him!! (Omar thinks he's fun too!)

A Month of Fasting

Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan! Ramadan is the Islamic month where Muslims around the world will fast from dawn to sunset. Those of you who know me, know that I have been fasting during this time for 8 years now. I really, truly enjoy fasting.

Fasting during Ramadan is much different than any other religious fasting that I know of. As mentioned, we fast from dawn until sunset for a month, which this time of year means roughly from 4:30am until 7:15pm.

During this time we do not eat anything, drink anything (including water), smoke, have sexual contact, or indulge in anything that is ill-natured or in excess. Fasting is meant to teach us patience, modesty and spirituality. During this time we ask forgiveness for our sins and pray for guidance. By refraining from everyday evils we try to better ourselves through self-restraint and good deeds. During Ramadan we also offer more prayer than usual. It is not uncommon for Muslims to stay up all night either at home or in the Mosque praying and reading the Quran.

Ramadan is a time of reflecting and worshiping God. Not only does the fast include physically refraining from the things mentioned above, but also requires the avoidance of obscene thoughts and sights. Purity of both thought and action is important.

The fast is a deep personal worship in which we seek a raised awareness and closeness to God. The act of fasting is to put aside worldly activities and to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. Fasting allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity.

Ramadan is a time to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self-reformation, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment, establishing a link between themselves and God through prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others. Giving to the poor and needy is common practice.

In addition to fasting, Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an. Some
Muslims perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, which are held in the mosques every night of Ramadan, during which 1/30 of the Qur'an is recited; therefore, the entire Qur'an would be completed at the end of the month.

Those exempt from fasting include the elderly, children before puberity, mentally ill, chronically ill, pregnant women, nursing mothers, women who are menstrating and those who are traveling.