If you’re unfamiliar with Ramadan, start with this brief introduction video and find the definitions of some important terms below!
April 23, 2020
Dear Diary,
Today is the first day of *Ramadan. This is the first time I have been alive, where there is a pandemic going on during Ramadan. Honestly, I feel like there is so much missing because usually when it is Ramadan my family and I would go to the *Mosque and pray *Taraweeh. I remember going to the Mosque everyday and *Praying half of what we are supposed to so that I would still have time to go hang out with my really close Muslim friends. Another memory I have is last year on one of the last ten days of Ramadan, my friends and I stayed at the Mosque from 9 pm to 7 am just watching movies the entire time when we were really supposed to be Praying. During Ramadan it’s a tradition to go to our friends houses and invite friends to eat *Iftar with my family. Although there are many downsides for COVID-19 happening let alone happening during Ramadan. There are still some plus sides to it for example personally I get more time to focus on getting closer to god, also I have been isolating myself from things like instagram and snapchat (unnecessary things) and use my time for reading *Quran or helping my mom prepare Iftar. So although there are many negatives and some positives we just have to keep it pushing, and stay on the positive side of things.
—Fatma
May 13, 2020
Dear Diary,
Ramadan is going by so fast it feels like just yesterday it was the first day of Famadan, now there are only 10 days left. These last ten days are the most important during ramadan. The reason why is because in the last 10 days there is a special day called *Laylat-Al Qadr. Laylat- Al Qadr translates to, “Night of Decree, Power, Value, or Destiny”. The reason why this night is so special is because that that night was when the Quran was sent down to our Prophet Muhammad (saw). Although no one knows which day out of the 10 days Laylat- Al Qadr really is the reason for this is so Muslims would make the most out each of the 10 days, for example so that they are able to make prayers and pray to God. One reward you would get is if you dedicate one hour of being religious (ex pray, read quran, make Dua) that night will be as equal as doing the same thing for 1000 months.
—Fatma
Ramadan: the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset
Mosque: a Muslim place of worship.
Taraweeh: Taraweeh is derived from the Arabic word meaning “to rest and relax”, as it is seen as a special form of Islamic meditation. These special prayers involve reading long portions of the Qur'an, as well as performing many rakats (cycles of movement involved in Islamic prayer).
Praying: the second pillar of Islam is prayer; a prescribed liturgy performed five times a day (preferably in a mosque) and oriented toward Mecca
Iftar: the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan.
Quran: the Islamic sacred book, believed to be the word of God as dictated to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel and written down in Arabic. The Quran consists of 114 units of varying lengths, known as suras; the first sura is said as part of the ritual prayer. These touch upon all aspects of human existence, including matters of doctrine, social organization, and legislation.
Laylat-Al Qadr: the night when the Quran was first sent down from Heaven to the world and also the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the prophet Muhammad (saw).
Dua: Dua literally meaning appeal or "invocation", is a prayer of supplication or request