Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Ramadan Mubarak

Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, begins when the sun sets (Magreb) in South Africa. This month offers Muslims an opportunity to think deeper about our purpose, our humanity, and our frailty.

It is usual to begin with the opening chapter of the Qur'an. It reads:


Translation of Surah Al-Fatiha (The Opening):
1. In the name of Allah (God), Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

2. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;

3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

4. Master of the Day of Judgment.

5. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.

6. Show us the straight way,

7. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

I have always been fascinated by the words of verse 2. Notice it ends with the word "worlds".

This is not a misprint but a recurring theme/point throughout the Qur'an.

God is saying that there is more than just one world, more than just this earth.

There are others out there too.

Nonetheless, peace to all and well-over the fast to my Muslim sisters and brothers.

Onward!

6 comments:

Dade Cariaga said...

Peace to you, brother. God is great.

Anonymous said...

Ramadan kareem, i wish you all the best in this holy month.

Ridwan said...

Peace to you too brother Dade! God is indeed great.

Please pass my Ramadan greetings on to Maty.

Onward!

Ridwan said...

Thank you kindly Eccentricyoruba! Much peace and light to you in this sacred time.

You have a very interesting blog by the way :o)

Peace,
Ridwan

Anonymous said...

Ramadaan Mubarak my brother
May this month strengthen your spirit and renew your faith, your blog is looking fantastic, lots of interesting discussions and a healthy dose of introspection too! you continue to inspire me and challenge my thinking. Aristotle said the mark of an educated mind is the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it...and of course upon finding this quotation, i thought about you. love and duas, your sister and friend, laila

Ridwan said...

Ramadan Mubarak to you too Laila. It is nice to read you here.

I trust you have settled into your new place and that the extra space and plushness has you smiling too :0)

Thank you for the Aristotle quote. It is absolutely so.

Lately though I have been hard pressed to find thoughts.

All I find is the usual process. Fill in this form and fill in that form ...

Nonetheless, I am so happy to read you here.

Peace and love.
Ridwan