An explanation of Ramadan

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TomH1 said:
In the Catholic Church ‘fast’ means a reduction in the quantity you eat.
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In Islam a fast is complete abstinence from food and drink. I’m a Catholic yet I’ve adopted this fasting style as well as I’m not satisfied with the Catholic fasting tradition.
TomH1 said:
I often wonder if it would be better to refer to it as an abstinence from food, drink, sex, etc. during daylight.
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For the Muslims I know, it is indeed so.
TomH1 said:
I realise very much my question is more about semantics than the actual practice. It would be interesting to know what the Arabic term is and what that term usually gets translated into English as.
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The Standard Arabic term for a fast is “syam” (صيام)or “sawm” (صوم). It translates to fast. We Catholics also call our fast a “syam”. The term for Lent in Arabic is “al sawm al kabeer”, which means the great fast.
 
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TomH1 said:
I realise very much my question is more about semantics than the actual practice. It would be interesting to know what the Arabic term is and what that term usually gets translated into English as.
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I think “fast” is the correct term. In English, “fast” usually refers to refraining from eating for a period of time. That is why the morning meal is called “break fast” - you are breaking the fast from the last meal of the day before to the first meal of today. Some Catholics do entirely abstain from food on fast days, although I do not know any that refrain from drinking water.
 
An interesting query indeed.

Language, of course, is not a conscious choice, we don’t get together and decide which words we want to speak. I think it’s somewhat logical to derive it from Ramadan, the Muslim fast month, since Malta was a conquered territory of the Muslim Arabs once. The Maltese must have adopted their overlords’ words rather than the words of Arab Catholics they had no contact with.

What do you think?
 
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What do Mubarak and Kareem mean in English? I take it they are adjectives?
 
TomH1 said:
Does it also apply to smoking? If it does is the rule you can’t smoke during daylight
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It does apply to smoking during daylight.
TomH1 said:
From what I have observed it seems that once it is dark there is no restriction on the quantity of food you can eat
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Many Muslims need to be made aware of this:

“Children of Adam! Take your adornment at every place of worship; and eat and drink, but be you not prodigal; He loves not the prodigal.” - Qur’an 7:31

This is a general rule whether you’re fasting or not.
 
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What if you live somewhere where you have to fast 18-21 hours? That’s a huge difference from the 14 hours or less one has to endure in the Middle East.

It’s 100% obvious that your prophet was familiar with Christians and how they fasted during Lent. We abstain from meat, eggs, dairy, and sex, as well- and Eastern Christian also don’t drink, eat, or engage in sex from the midnight before they plan to take communion as a matter of course. However, you only abstain from things during the day but can eat and have sex at night. People actually gain weight during Ramadan. So, Ramadan is not this amazing thing to me, at all. Sorry.
 
I am a Catholic and I try to write in the point of view as a Catholic. Just about everything that is good in Islam comes from Christianity.
 
CoffeeFanatic said:
People actually gain weight during Ramadan.
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Because many Muslims are unaware that overeating is a sin (see Qur’an 7:31), they try to make up for not eating during the day. I used to be someone who gained weight during Ramadan, now I lose it…
 
Salibi said:
The Muslims of my country have a saying: “Baad al aasha’, ef’aal kama tasha’”. This translates to “after dinnertime (at sundown), do whatever you want”. They have no restrictions on eating, smoking, having sex,etc… but only after sundown.
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Unfortunately, many Muslims are unaware that overeating is a sin (see Qur’an 7:31). I used to be unaware of this also. In fact, in 2017 I was the fattest in my life, I weighed at least 16.5 stones, but thank God, today I weigh less than 11 stones.
 
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SalamKhan said:
Mubarak means “blessings”
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Not to be contradictory but “mubarak” (مبارك) actually is more suitably translated as “blessed”. That’s why you guys say “Ramadan Mubarak” or “Eid Mubarak” ( Blessed Ramadan , Blessed Feast).

Blessings would be barakat (براكات) in the plural form and baraka (بركة) in singular.
 
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I pretty much had deduced that myself with no knowledge of Arabic.
It appears, like Spanish, the adjective
follows the noun?

I guess President Mubarak of Egypt is blessed to have his last name. ☺️
 
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Can someone take water with medicine?

Can you brush your teeth?

What is it like to not drink even water all day? I can’t imagine that. Also many Islamic countries are pretty hot. Do people faint?
 
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Feanor2 said:
Can you brush your teeth?
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I know they do it at their own risk. If you accidentally swallow water the fast is invalidated.
Feanor2 said:
What is it like to not drink even water all day? I can’t imagine that.
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Varies according to the person. It didn’t bother me when I took up that style of fasting for Lent.
 
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I know they do it at their own risk. If you accidentally swallow water the fast is invalidated.
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That’s not as wild as finding out that if they fart while praying their prayers are invalidated.
 
CoffeeFanatic said:
That’s not as wild as finding out that if they fart while praying their prayers are invalidated.
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I don’t know if it’s mainstream, but my Muslim friends forbid me from wearing perfume when they’re fasting because they believe that smelling perfume breaks their fast.

I thought they were pulling my leg. They were dead serious.

All I could tell them was, do you guys fast or tie yourselves into pretzels😂.
 
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