Cranbrook Muslims joined fellow worshipers across the world Wednesday evening in welcoming the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan, held from March 22 to April 20 this year, is the most sacred month in the Islamic calendar. It marks a period of soul cleansing and spiritual growth and is observed through daily fasts, which last pre-sunrise to sundown. Observation of the ritual ends with the start of Eid al-Fitr.
“Ramadan is about establishing a connection with God. It’s us asking the question of our existence in this world. It’s a month where we reset our soul,” said Hamza Iqbal, member of Kootenay Muslim Association.
READ MORE: https://www.cranbrooktownsman.com/news/for-canadian-muslims-second-pandemic-ramadan-is-a-time-of-hope-and-sadness/
Iqbal said celebrating Ramadan in Cranbrook is a different experience from his birth country, but one that is no less holy.
He emigrated from Saudi Arabia five years ago, a country where the entire nation worships at local mosques and people can attended religious lectures and classes.
There is no mosque in Cranbrook, Iqbal explained, and the local Muslim community is small, so gatherings tend to be close-knit. Friends and family pray together and visit each other at their respective houses for iftar, a meal that takes place after sundown when the daily fast is complete.
“We do tend to be very supportive and really helpful,” he remarked.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and Muslims believe it is in this month that the first verse of the holy book Quran was revealed to the the Prophet Muhammad thousands of years ago. Fasting and spiritual growth is one of the five pillars of Islam, the others being declaration of faith, daily prayer, alms-giving and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
@gfrans15
gillian.francis@cranbrooktownsman.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.