As the crescent moon is sighted, marking the end of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. The festival typically lasts for three days and is marked by a variety of traditions and customs that vary from country to country.
The gregorian calendar has been a staple of timekeeping in the western world for a long time, even before its namesake Pope Gregory XIII. That begs the question, where did we get our months' names?
Since the dawn of time, man needed tools to measure time and help him in secular and religious matters. Questions like: When do we plant? When do we go to war? When should the tax collector show up? The dates of religious festivals and popular events all require a well-calibrated system and knowledge.
Horror movies, huge pumpkins, candy, and costume parties. These things remind us of only one thing… It's Halloween again, but have you ever wondered about its origin? Why is it celebrated? How did this tradition begin?
Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion originated in the Arabian Peninsula 1400 years ago, and spread rapidly to form a majority of the population in the Middle East and many Asian and African countries. Islam now is followed by more than a billion people, making it the second largest religion in the world.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion originated in northern India with around 27 million followers around the world, most of whom live in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. It was founded by the Guru Nanak, also known as the First Guru in the 16th century.
Buddhism is one of the largest eastern religions in the world. It is embraced by more than 520 million people around the world, most of them live in East Asia, making Buddhism the fourth largest religion in the world after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.
Hinduism is one of the world's largest religions, followed by one billion people making it the third largest religion in the world. Most of the Hindus are in the Indian subcontinent. Nevertheless, they are not a religious majority except in India and Nepal. India has a Hindu population of 890 million.
Judaism is the oldest of the Abrahamic religions, and one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world, it is 3000 years old. Judaism is associated with the Jewish people, since the religion is not a missionary faith, meaning that it is not open to people of non-Jewish origins. Today, the Jewish population is approximately 14.5-17.4 million.
Sha'ban is the eighth month in the Hijri calendar, which began 1440 years ago, since the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from Mecca to Medina. It’s the month between Rajab and Ramadan, it’s one of the times of credit to God Almighty, and it is one of the few months that contain the days of whiffs, as it has the night of mid-Sha'ban. And it is the month in which the actions of worshipers are brought to God.
Christian holidays play a very significant part in this world’s daily agenda, even though many other people around the world are not Christians and vast areas in which Christianity has no followers. The Christian holidays are well known around the world, and they are also a critical factor in international business at certain times of the year. From its very beginning, Christianity set out to mark its historical events by holidays, creating these holidays to commemorate some meaningful event in the history of the religion birth.
Undoubtedly, the fast is regarded as divine hence; the ninth month of the Islamic is considered a blessed one. The Dhikr of Allah forms a significant activity of the fast. The peak of the month of Ramadan is a celebration known Eid ul Fitr used to offer thanks offerings to Allah. Muslims dedicate themselves to studying the Duas as well as the Quran and occupy their time performing the Dhikr.