Ramazan , the month of faith , fast and invocation ,

The holy month of Ramazan has begun.Ramazan is the ninth month of Islamic calendar.

This month is sacred because the revealation of the holy Quran started in the blessed month of Ramazan.This is the month of fasting, faith and invocation.The fasting starts from sighting of the cresent moon.

There are five pillars of Islam.

Faith (Sahada)

Prayer(Salat)

Alms(Zakat)

Fasting (Sawn)

Pilgrimage (hajj) 

Ramazan is the fourth pillar of Islam.

   During Ramzan Muslims fast from dawn to sunset everyday for thirty days.Fasting is fard (obligatory)to all Muslims who are healthy and willing to have fast.During mensuration and breastfeeding women abstain from fasting.When I observed the first Ramazan fast I was nine years old . There is Roza Khushai ceremony for those child who fasts for the first time.Guest are invited for iftar party.They give gift  and  money to child .

Fasting is also an exercise in self-control whereby one's sensivity elevated to the hunger of the poor .

Muslims across the globe are obligated to pray five times a day.These five times prayer are obligatory.

Taraweeh is the sunnat prayer that is performed after the Isha (night)prayer in Ramazan .

Taraweeh namaz is sunnat for both men and women that means not obligatory.

This is a congregational prayer (namaz)

While women performed this namaz inside the house.

There are two meals every day during Ramazan when Muslim families in  India relish delicacies .

Ramzan it  is as much about eating as it is about fasting .The idea of the Sehri meal is to eat food that is high in protein and easily digestable and doesn't leave you thirsty for the rest of the day .

Sehri or Suhur is religious requirment also.There is no need of menu.You don't have to say butter chicken and chicken biryani.If you are anglicised then you can say,it is spaghetti or pasta.It is just the Indian way of eating.Omlette slice bread,Puri sabji you can eat  .

Khajla(a kind of pan cake)and pheni(a kind of vermicelli)and lachcha sewaiyan sweet  dish are integral to North India . Mostly Muslims eat during sehri time . Non-veg curry ) with chapati is part of the pre-dawn meal of Muslim families in some part of India .

During Ramazan every Muslim neighborhood used to have one or more man designated to wake devotees for the pre-dawn meal and to reconnect with the community .

They are known by various titles around the  state or area .In old Delhi known as town crier and in my village in Bihar known as kafila and in some part they are known as Sahar khan .  The practice of drum beating by a Sahar Khan remains a most popular way to prepare the faithful for the religious obligation. Along with beats ,the drummers either recite koranic verses or sing  hyms in praise of the month Ramazan.  Ramazan drumming is a centuries old tradition in Kashmir . The tradition  of Sahar Khan in the valley has come from central Asia  . During the medieval  era people used to rely fully on these human alarms .Today people want to invest their time and energy only when they see monetary returns.They don't think of spiritual reward (sawab ) every passing year with people using mobile phone to set alarms this culture is vanishing somewhere in History .

Now after pre-dawn meal we recite this dua , followed by namaaz  ,Bisawmi ghadin nawaiytu min sahri Ramazan.(I wish to observe the Ramazan fast for tomorrow  .)

After this dua we don't eat anything and wait for Azan (The call to pray ,to remind Muslim to come to mandatory prayer .

The first time I went to Ballimaran Street

and Jama masjid in Old Delhi.These places are famous for its all-night Ramazan feasts . There are one or more areas where most of the Ramazan feastings is concentrated . The Jamamasjid area is more crowded and noisier.

On the sehri meals I feel Ramazan at old Delhi will feel like a timeless feast .

 The iftar meal is the second meal of the day . Women in the families spend their afternoon in the kitchen for preparing

 iftar . Traditionally the devotees break their fast by eating dates .It is customary for Muslims to break fast by consuming dates as it is blessed practice .

Sweet drinks like Rooh-Afza , Refreshing Thandai , Shikanji, or lemon sharbat is common at the iftar dastarkhwan (table cloth). Fruits, Fruit chat, blackChickpeas are common at Iftar time.Because ,

 BlackChickpeas are versatile source of protein and iron . That's why iftar meal is incomplete without blackChickpeas .

At the iftar time we recite this dua 

"Allah humma lakasumto wabika amantu wa alaika tawakkaltu wa ala rizqika aftartu.(o Allah I fasted for you and I believe in you and I break my fast with your sustenance).

Iftar generally contains foods from all food groups fruits and vegetables.Some traditional meals for iftar include , Biryani,and Korma Roti.

The month of Ramazan begins with hope and ends with happiness and celebration of Eid