question about the dates Ramadan seems to appear earlier every year until it catches up with itself, so to speak. Is this because Islam relies on an uncorrected lunar calander?
I assume that: As-salamu aleikam! means the same thing as shalom alechem! Aren't semitic languages wonderful? We read the creation story from Genesis on the second day of Rosh Hashanna (which is not traditional practice, BTW). The first word of the first book of the Hebrew Bible is "B'reshit", meaning literally "at the head" or, of course, "In the beginning". Odd. The word itself isn't Hebrew! It's Aramaic! This is one reason why I suspect that many of the earliest stories in the Bible long predate Jews of any sort.
Marina and I were in Egypt during Ramadan last year. I had not realized what a festive time it is (at least in Cairo and Luxor): street fairs, parades, children in jolly costumes, carnivals, breaking out the hookahs after dark, etc.
Ramadan in Iceland? If any of our Muslim posters are experts in fiqh, I have an odd but serious question concerning the daytime fast in Ramadan. What do Muslims do, should they find themselves in Iceland, say, or another circumpolar area, and Ramadan falls during a period when the sun never truly sets? Are the daily fast's start and end reset for such Muslims by a Muslim authority; do these Muslims go somewhere more, well, reasonable and seasonable for Ramadan; or do they work it out somehow without guidance? One can easily see this as an issue for members of the diplomatic corps, for Russian Federation Muslims in the far north, for Muslims in the various navies in the Antarctic waters, etc.
Interesting question from Uncle Janko. Perhaps they could synchronise their fast with the sun setting time in Mecca or another high-profile Muslim city? In 2003-2004 I was primarily working as a supervisor for part of a testing crew in an ExxonMobil oilfield in Chad, Central Africa. Perhaps 60% of the crew were Muslims. In 40-45 degrees C heat they toiled away through Ramadan as any other time of year. I felt guilty drinking water and used to do so somewhere out of sight. When the sun went down Christian and Muslim, black and white, would eat together. Tough times, but happy memories... Peace, Dave C.
If you lived in a country where prayers are amplified at all hours of the day and night, through the assistance of several loud speakers, turned on full blast and mounted on top of the local mosque, you might not be as welcoming of the Ramadan season. And just see what would happen if the Christian, Hindu, Buddist communities tried the same!
David Hume, I've spent a little bit of time in predominantly Muslim countries before, during and after Ramadan. I reiterate my good will towards the Muslim community. It goes without saying that I have spent a great deal of time in predominantly Christian countries. I've also spent a little bit of time in predominantly Buddhist countries. Unfortunately, I have not yet made it to the subcontinent. The Christian, Hindu, Buddhist communities have their own cultural observances that others may find offensive. There are even a few here at Degreeinfo that appear to find everything about Christianity offensive.
Whilst I pen these words I am experiencing prayers from not one, but 4 mosques in my local area, coming into my flat at the volume of a sound speaker that my neighbours in the West would have by now complained about and probably called the police! I am not complaining about the people; they are good people and have if they had the chance, would probably rid themselves of this noise polution.
Re: question about the dates Yes; the Islamic calandar is exactly that. Also, "Asalam Walaikum" does indeed carry the same meaning as "Shalom Alechem" (and the modern Aramaic "Shlomo" (don't know how Toroyo/Aramaic speakers do the second part of that). *Very* interesting observation about "B'reshit". Well, of course the stories predate the Hebrews; they're supposed to *predate* Abraham! Ramadhan (or Ramzan in much of the world east of Iran) is a very festive and joyous occasion in the evenings accross the Muslim world, bringing with it some of the finest cuisine in the known universe. This came as a surprise to me when I first encountered it, but to put it in context, Ramzan is essentially meant to be the celebration of the revelation of the Qur'an, of the "Word of God coming to earth", which is rather what Christmas is meant to be to Christians (except Christians understand the Word to have become a Man rather than a Book). As for DH's complaint about blaring loudspeakers from several mosques at the same time, I suspect that that may often be a matter of competition between mosques. Just a guess, really. To any Muslim friends who have surfed in, and indeed everyone else, "As-Salam walaikum, wa rahmatullah, he barkatehu" Matt
The Hebrew calendar is also lunar but we add an additional month (Adar II) in something like nine of seventeen years...I forget the exact adjustment. This is necessary because the Hebrew calendar is an agricultural device used to time planting and harvest. It can't be allowed to get too far out of season. Knowing when to add Adar II is not always easy; I've thought of inventing an adar detector... (yuck yuck yuck)
