New to KL Stories
by Jill Hodge
While enjoying a beautiful meal of curry with friends recently, the
topic of Hari Raya came up. These friends of ours are Muslim, and my
husband and I were very interested to become enlightened as to the full
meaning of the month of Ramadan, and the celebration that follows. I
felt ibu members would be interested too, as most of us come from other
countries, and would enjoy the opportunity to find out more about an
extremely significant holiday on the Malaysian Calender.
The month of Ramadan traditionally begins with the sighting of "anak
bulan", which means "child moon", meaning the first quarter of the moon,
although in these modern times a date is usually given using
calculations. This month is a special month for Muslims. It is a time of
realisation of how it feels to go hungry. It creates more understanding,
and encourages appreciation for those who are not fortunate enough to
have food on the table every day.
So, for 30 days Muslims must fast between sunrise and sunset. They must
not do the following: eat, drink, think bad thoughts, smoke, and no
"intimate relations" with their spouse.
Each night, to break their fast, they say a particular prayer, eat
something sweet, such as dates and have a drink. Then they go to the
mosque for Terawah prayer (long prayer), they can also do this at home.
Then they can have dinner. In the morning they wake at 4am and eat a
hearty breakfast and begin the fasting period again.
There are of course exemptions for those deemed unable to fast, such as
the sick; pregnant or lactating women; those on certain medication; and
those travelling long distances.
In the month of Ramadan, Muslims are asked to give donations called
"sedekah". A monetary donation which is called zakat, is a fixed amount
set by the state religious department, and once collected is then
distributed to the poor and the needy. "Fitrah" is another type of
donation of a personal amount.
The month of Ramadan officially ends when "anak bulan" is sighted again,
and again in modern times a date is given using calculations.
Celebrations do not begin until the next day, after the sighting. There
are special prayers on the first day, then followed by open houses,
celebration food, and generally a time of catching up with family and
friends.
I personally feel a great deal of respect for those who can show such
faith and empathy. Perhaps some of us who are so fortunate should
sometimes do a little soul searching of our own, and appreciate just how
fortunate we are too.
To those of our ibu members who are Muslim,
"Selamat Hari Raya Adilfitri".
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