Ramadan blessings across various continents – Doha experience

Written by: Ahmad El Khalaf
- Senior News Producer & War Journalist

The Holy Month of Ramadan, where the Quran’s first verses were sent via the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) to Allah's Messenger: Muhammad PBUH, Islam's final Prophet.

Thirty days of fasting on the Lunar and Hijri calendar – one that started with what Muslims believe is God, Allah’s best creation: Muhammad PBUH, and his migration to Medina, or the city which was known as ‘Yathrib’. Accompanied with his best and loyal friend, Abu Bakr Alsideeq, the two great characters in Muslim belief started this Hijri calendar when they fled the intolerable and extreme bullying, they and thousands of Muslims were subject to by the Idol worshippers of Makkah (Mecca) - at the time.

‘Iqra’, was the first word believed to have been delivered from Allah via his most senior Angel Jibreel PBUH to his most beloved creation: Muhammad PBUH.
Iqra, which translates from Arabic to English as: ‘read’, was the first message to reach the eyes of a Prophet and spoken from his honorary mouth, a Messenger that does not know how to read nor write – a miracle put to practice amongst many miracles to come by the generous Almighty (Allah).

Billions of Muslims worldwide start the holy Month of Ramadan by congratulating family members, loved ones and friends with kind messages and even gifts. Family visits to other kind households takes place very frequently so that breaking fasts at sunset is done via a group effort. Muslims believe that Allah teaches his worshippers with a kindness aspect of: the more, the merrier.

Within the dozens of Holy Chapters of the Holy Quran, one distinguishes itself as the explanatory verses of the journey of this Holy Book, and how the Quran has made its way to Earth. Omar Almahmuud said that: “My Beautiful God Allah has stated that He has sent his Holy words (Quran) in ‘Laylatu Alkadr’” said the 24-year-old. The Masters’ degree graduate said that most scholars believe that the night of Laylatu Alkadr is believed to be on the 27th of Ramadan, with some scholars believing it to be appointed on an odd number on the last ten days of the holy month, further adding that: “the whole of Ramadan is a month of peace and blessing, and the holiest night amongst them all is Laylatu Alkadr”.

The God of ‘Everyone and Everything’ as said by Muslims, explains the outstanding significance of Laylatu Alkadr’s blessed night within His holy verses, stating that the night of Laylatu Alkadr itself is better than one thousand months. By making this beautiful comparison, the significance of this specific night is dwelled upon by the readers.
The Merciful further adds that Laylatu Alkadr is a Peaceful night until the rise of daylight. Most Muslims put their timekeeping skills into action by prioritising worshipping Allah the Almighty in this night to be exact, having consumed and understood its significance, as explained by the Merciful Himself.

As noted earlier, Holy Names such as Allah, The Merciful and The Almighty were used. Ali Al-Muhammad said that: “All Muslims believe in One God, and that this One God has 99 Names. When we [Muslims] mention Allah with his selection of Holy Names in our sentences, most non-Muslims think that somehow, we are forced to, when that is not true, we pride ourselves by loving our God more than anything else, and mentioning Allah is the, and has been in the lifestyle and nature of the Billions of Muslims for over a thousand
years”.

“Ramadan is a month to remind people of the true Muslim characteristics that our beautiful and most favoured Messenger PBUH’s teachings offered. There are many teachings that our peaceful religion has, amongst them is how Prophet Muhammad PBUH, through the teachings of Islam and the guidance of Allah the Almighty and Peaceful, was the first to grant women rights” said Almahmuud.

Besides simply withholding consumption of food and drink from morning until evening, or sunrise until sunset, many more roles are expected from Muslims to act by throughout this period. Headlined with being truthful with one’s actions, being kind, patient, considerate and generous to all encounters especially neighbours – are a few examples of essential skills to excel for a great fast of Ramadan to become ethically fulfilled. Even though these are basic skills to grow as a Muslim in general, Ramadan functions as a booster which gives these essential Muslim skills another glance, so the progress becomes further improved.

Dozens of Countries that include and are not limited to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Nigeria, Bahrain, Libya, Somalia, Turkey, Sudan, Afghanistan, Mali, Senegal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Turkmenistan etc. have all joined this yearly activity of fasting the Holy month of Ramadan, the month which headlines the best example of Peace, generosityand the kindness of Muslims to Muslims, Non-Muslims, humans and animals.

Witnessing the Ramadan experience in the Qatari Capital of Doha first-hand, does give a unique effect to this holy and blessed period. Many cases such as strangers encountering with love and respect often takes place, Doctors, cleaners, taxi drivers, engineers etc, all roles abide with love when it comes to Islam. Ss Muhammad PBUH once said: There is no difference between an Asian or an Arab etc. only with their close encounter with Allah by their acts of good deeds. This exemplifies that the peaceful, blessed and glorious Islam knew much more about the employability and ethical elements since the Hijri calendar started over1400 years ago – compared to now.