Moon Sighting vs Calculation: EID August 8 or 9? M.Akhtar Ph.D With so many other critical issues that face Muslims today, we still quarrel about moon sighting for determining the start of Ramadan or Eid. It should not be that way. Muslims are divided – possibly 40 for moon sighting and 60 not. They disagree on so many other things and for so many reasons – legitimate or power driven - yet all Muslims are unanimous on the need to have one and the same day for Eid. Observing it collectively by thousands and millions of people the same day and sharing the joys or spirituality of the experience together enhances the impact manifold. This is established as a socio - psychological fact. So is the general requirement in Islam of praying together, and doing pilgrimage and other practic...

Gift of Ramadan - Syed Ashraf قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚإِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! -- Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. As Ramadan yields way to that what which Allah (s) has measured out, the above is a Divine gift for the believer. May Allah (s) accept all our sacrifice and efforts and all of our yearnings. His Greatness is immeasurable and the vastness of...

Moon Sighting: A Tragedy in Slow Motion. Adnan Jumani In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the All Knowing. "Verily, We have sent it down in the Night of Power. And what will make you know what the Night of Power is. The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord's permission with every matter. There is peace until the appearance of dawn." (Quran 97) [Following is fictitious dialogue between two Angels, and only Allah knows the knowledge of unseen.] As the sun set on the horizon, the Angels started to descend, and brought with them the commands of Allah for the ...

President Barack Obama hosts an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan in the State Dining Room of the White House, July 25, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) Last Night, continuing a White House tradition, President Obama hosted his fifth Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan. The Iftar is the meal that breaks the day of fasting during Ramadan, when Muslim families eat together after sunset. During his remarks, the President thanked the Muslim community for the sacrifices they’ve made for the United States. "Throughout our history, Islam has contributed to the character of our country, and Muslim Americans, and their good works, have helped to build our nation -- and we’ve seen the results. We’ve seen those results in generations of Muslim immigrants -- farmers and facto...

Athletes During the Month of Ramadan POPULATION-SPECIFIC CONCERNS Angy H. El-Khatib;strong> Timothy A. Tolbert, PhD, ATC; and Gary E. McIlvain, EdD, LAT/ATC • Marshall University international journal of Athletic Therapy & training september 2012 In predominantly Muslim countries, Ramadan is a time when business, schooland work slow down to concentrate on the fast during the day. A typical day in Ramadan starts with a very early breakfast, or “Suhoor" which begins hours before the break of dawn.Following Suhoor, a Muslim may then go to the mosque for dawn prayers and to recite verses of the Quran. Many Muslims then go back to bed before carrying on with daily activities. At sunset, the fast is broken with a meal called “Iftar.�...

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