Narrative Experience Of Ramadan

Hajj is a once-in-a-life time obligation upon Islamic adherents whose health and means permit it. It is an essential part of Muslim faith and practice as it is the fifth pillar of faith, symbolises central concepts of Islam and commemorates the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim. Hajj provides individuals with the opportunity for spiritual rebirth through developing a closer relationship with Allah as well as fulfilling the five pillars of Islam. The global Islamic community are also united through submission to the will and communal worship of their “one God” Allah.

It was around 5 in the afternoon. The air was crisp, we sat on a bench in front of a contraption full of screaming children and blaring calliope music. The sight of all the lights around me was overwhelming, I had to squint to prevent myself from going insane. Something about it was enjoyable, in its own twisted way. Along the streets beside us we saw giant mice marching around and being followed by hoards of tiny humans. All of the aspects this estate had in store were beautifully put together. I had spent hours wandering around the vast lands of Disney with my brethren beside me. We had gone through all of its obstacles. All of its obstacles but one. The tallest spectacle of them all. A towering attraction known to induce horror inside of anyone who dares to enter its grasp. It is widely known among the public, but only few are fearless enough are fearless enough to face the dangers of: The Tower of Terror.

It was once a word unfamiliar to American ears. But in recent years it has become all too familiar. The actions of Muslim militants and terrorists have seared the word into American consciousness.

Hajj, as stated before, has been one of the fastest growing pilgrimages to date. It is rapidly growing each year due to the number of increasing Muslims who want to embark on the mandatory journey. Hajj hosts millions of Muslims every year, and even hosted up to 3.1 million Muslims in 2012. Looking through the lens of Eade and Sallnow’s idea of contestation, the Great mosque, where the Kabah is held, acts as shrine, which is a ritual space that accommodates diverse meanings and practices. This is because all different types of Muslims go there, coming from all different countries around the world to the one place to commemorate their religion. Although they are from all across the world, Hajj is that one sacred journey they can all embark on collectively that means the same to everyone.

Presently, diverse technology resources exist throughout the nation in a broad range of settings collectively across-the-board (Ruggiero & Mong, 2015). This qualitative narrative study could promote social change through technological transformations and media literacy within the instructional practice using technology as a tool in the learning process (Helms, 2014). In addition, technology alone has gained the attention of various educational and political leaders seeking to restore educational practices and technology development in K–12 curriculula (Blau & Peled, 2012).

The setting for my ethnography study was Ottawa Main Mosque, located on Northwestern Avenue. The masjid (the Arabic word for mosque) is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The certain features present on the architectural design of this mosque are, the brick walls, the domed roof, and the highly visible minarets. On the interior of the masjid, there are two separate different sides with their own entrances, one for men and the other for women.

Throughout the current era in America, Islam, the third most practiced religion in the World, has been misunderstood and imprecisely defined in American culture, presenting a pressing issue for Muslim-Americans resulting in discrimination socioculturally. Americans are ignorant as to comprehend the definition of the Islamic term, Jihad, clouding their judgment into accepting the culture of Muslims living beside them. Merriam Dictionary defines jihad as a holy war waged as the religious duty in the name of Islam, but “just north of ten percent of Muslims worldwide support and sanction religiously motivated violence against civilians.” As a result, Americans have unlawfully punished the victims themselves for hate crimes and inhumane discrimination due to radicals taking the term far more literally than intended (Source 2 and 4). The word is translated into English as to strive, struggle or effort, but due to the misinterpretation of the scripture, wars are waged by eminent Islamic terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. Efforts conducted by the Islamic Supreme Council of America to exemplify Jihad's intended translation are still in effect by educating and patient examination of the error of the poor definition to drive of naive Americans and extreme Muslims practitioners into peace. Jihad must be redefined in Western Culture to more efficiently accommodate to the religious explanation to a holy war within oneself as well as other Muslims, and not a declaration of war in

When the importance is known, no group would dominate the other to overpower it with their morals. The most rival groups, Hindu and Muslim will also observe that ‘Diwali’ has the name ‘Ali’ and ‘Ramadan’ has the name ‘Ram’. The two groups will come to realize that apart there minor differences, there are similar ideas and concepts that can bring them together, a wall of hatred and dominance is futile. Hence, the wall must be demolished keeping all the differences apart, and shaking their hands in the name of unity and

Eid has for a long time defined Muslim customs, being among the most popular annual festivals marked within the religion. Both Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha are significant events during which Muslims show thankfulness to Allah. A rich history defines the festival; hence all Muslims take pride in commemorating it every year. As part of the Islamic culture, different Muslims have different ways of commemorating the festival, hence its celebration differs from region to region. However, the central idea of cleanliness and goodwill guides Muslims worldwide so that they have a positive impact on society during the festival. This essay will provide a detailed account of Eid celebrations ranging from its history to the rituals associated with the festival, as well as changes in its commemoration as a result of changes in technology. First hand experience will be used with research information from scholarly articles and books towards providing a plausible written depiction of the event.

The Ramayana is an Indian Epic and one of the most influential stories in India. The epic embodies dharma and other values from Hinduism making it a reference for the Hindu religion. The story is a good versus evil story, with a humble King Ram who represented good versus a ten-headed evil King Ravana who represented evil. Ram was the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, his mother was Queen Kaushalya and Sita was his wife. Ram was very courageous, intelligent and obedient whereas Sita was very beautiful, generous and positive. Ram met Sita in a Swayam (Swayam is the practice of choosing a husband from a group of suitors), which was assembled by Sita’s father, King Janak of Mithila. It was organized for the search of good groom for Sita. At the event, many princes and kings from many states were invited. The condition for marriage was that whichever suiter could lift a holy bow and pull the string of the bow will be married to Sita. All of the suitors tried, but none could move the bow. When Ram’s turn came, he lifted the bow with one hand and pulled the string with enough force that the bow broke into two pieces. Thus, a union of Ram and Sita was formed.

In the Ibo culture, one of the most awaited holidays is the New Yams Festival, and in the Afghan culture Eid al-Fitr is the greatest celebrated holiday. While this festival, “…celebrates the transition from a time when food is scarce to a time of plenty,” (Encyclopedia of World Holidays, vol 4), Eid al-Fitr is a celebration for those who have spiritually gotten closer to God in the previous month of Ramadan. The Ibo festival lasts two days and is named after the well-known vegetable that helps the Ibo people survive in the country of Nigeria. Eid is celebrated for one day longer than the Ibo festival and is Arabic for “the festival of the breaking of the fast”.

Starting with the collection (zakat), the collection and to determine, assess and determine who is eligible or not. Zakat has a very close relationship with fasting because fasting during Ramadan all Muslims have to pay zakat fit rah. Ramadan is a month for Muslims purification themselves from the evil character that can damaged their faith. Zakat is a way for us to free ourselves from sin and thus in the month of Ramadan many Muslims must pay zakat fit rah because the nature of the name indicates that we need to return to the original nature where we not have bad character. From payment of zakat we can help other people in distress. After Ramadan will be the inclusion of Syawal then zakat money by Muslims can be given to people who don’t have afford to find the money. As we do we can also ease the burden of others who do not have the ability like us. Zakat is associated with fasting because without charity we would be arrogant and selfish despite the fasting month of Ramadan then we just got disobedience of Allah. Fasting also has to do with the charity because of the fast we can encourage people to pay zakat caused when fasting Muslims to be thrifty and from the benefit of fasting Muslim people have extra money to pay zakat while fasting Muslim people to do good deeds. The poor can be helped and lightened the burden and the rich can cleanse themselves from stinginess and

“Honey, fasting is a day-long commitment. Also, it is more than not eating or drinking anything.” It took a long time for me to satisfy my mom; however, I was allowed to start my first fast. Furthermore, my first Ramadan experience taught me more than not eating or drinking for a religious value; in fact, it disclosed me to a book of principles to live by, making family unity, patience and consistency, and respect and contribution a part of my individuality.

I gasp as my eyes spring open. For a moment, I forget where I am, and scan the room for something familiar. The plant on the windowsill. Four months ago, I reached the city limits of Twisted City. In a few weeks, I would be moving in with Alice. I was taught it was good manners to bring a thank you gift when someone invited you to their home, but what could a homeless girl like myself bring along? I had become accustomed to begging, scavenging, and even bargaining, gathering money wasn't my problem, choosing an appropriate gift was. A few blocks from the compound I lived in, was a flower shop. One day as I passed by, a plant in the window caught my attention. The small plant hid beneath it's much larger siblings, away from the sunlight and attention of consumers. Nevertheless, this plants beauty exceeded above the other supposedly elegant plants. The green of the leaves matched Alice's eyes, and the single blue flower matched my own. Of course, I had to purchase this plant, to grant it freedom and sunlight it was lacking. I had just enough to purchase the plant but would have to find an alternative for a saucer. Maybe the shop keeper felt pity for me, for she gave me a terracotta pot to house my little plant in. Alice loved the plant, she placed it in the window with pride and even became upset when the little plant's life began to fail. I took over its care, though Alice still admires the plant.

This summer, I had the opportunity to “recreate” my identity—to really “be myself”— when I went to a six-week residential summer program in Pittsburgh. As my parents saw me off at the airport, they cheerfully waved and said, “Be yourself and have fun!” And so I did—or tried to, at least. There, no one knew me, and I knew no one, so it was the ideal place for me to take a step back and reflect on who I was—to figure out who I was. There, I wasn’t the annoying, (apparently) haughty, and obnoxiously energetic “baby” of the Sato family. Nor was I the reserved, quiet high school student at AB, the soccer player, the piano player, the list goes on. I wanted to become someone completely different—my true self. But then, does that mean that all of these different versions of me were, in some way, fake?