Fasting: Meaning and benefits - Ramadan
Mohammed Abdu Yamani; 19/9/08
Fasting is a unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam. It does not mean just abstaining completely from food, drink, sex and smoking from the break of dawn till sunset during the whole month of Ramadan. Fasting is meant to teach us essential values such as patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a great month in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received the first verses of the Holy Qur’an through revelation. The first battle of Islam against the infidels took place in Ramadan. It is a pity that some young Muslims do not know the holiness of this month. They turn it into a month of sleeping and laziness. Some of them spend the whole night playing cards or watching TV. They go to bed after sunrise and sometimes miss noon or afternoon prayers, which is a great sin.
See: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=114523&d=19&m=9&y=2008
Students find Ramadan spirit by helping underprivileged peers
Holli Chmela; 19/9/08
For the students at Bunat Al Ghad Academy in Jubeiha, Ramadan is an opportunity to give back to their communities and learn from their less-privileged peers. A new private school which prepares students for international study under the American SAT programme, the academy earlier this week hosted more than 50 impoverished children from the Sweileh Centre for Orphans as part of its activities to celebrate the holy month and teach the students lessons for life. Since the beginning of the school year, Bunat Al Ghad students prepared for Tuesday’s iftar by collecting monetary donations, chocolates and sweets, assembling gift bags and practising songs and passages from the Koran to perform for their guests. “In general, our students come from wealthy families, so we like to show them how other people live - that not everyone has everything like they do,” said principal Safaa Rahal, headmistress of the school for boys and girls grades 1-6.
See: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=10852
Tags: Asia, Jordan, Ramadan, Religion, Saudi Arabia