Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a lunar calendar. Because the lunar calendar is in synch with the moon and not the sun, Islamic holidays move each year. This year Ramadan began on Sep 24th and it continues through Oct 24th. For millions of Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a month of prayer, fasting and charity... among other things. It is also a "holy" month of increased violence, because during Ramadan, Muslims also enjoy the Night of Power.
The Night of Power is the night in which the Islamic code of guidance, the Holy Quran, was revealed from the Lord of the Universe to Prophet Muhammad. It’s a special night in which Muslims can get bonus points for being hyper-righteous, pious, faithful, charitable,... or whatever deeds they choose to carry out in the name of Allah. See where I’m going with this? The Night of Power is like the Night of Extra Credit. So to die on the Night of Power doing something spectacular in the name of Allah is a thing to strive for in some Islamic religious circles. Paradise squared awaits them. I don’t know if that means a martyr gets more than 72 virgins, or that the virgins are just better somehow. I’m not familiar with all the specifics of the holy tenants governing this special day. I’m not trying to be culturally insensitive. I really don’t get it and I'm curious.
Some Muslims believe that the exact date of the Night of Power is not known. It is presumed to be a secret and only Allah knows the exact date and time of the super power convergence. This is to insure that everyone gives 100% throughout the entire month of Ramadan, instead of saving it up for the Night of Power and the potential bonus points. Sort of like what Christians do on Christmas and Easter.
Most say that the Night of Power is the 27th night of Ramadan. There is a mathematical formula for how this number was determined. I’ll skip that part. If you’re curious, Google it. The calculation runs in the same vein as Nostradamus predictions and e-mails that promise they can guess your weight if they know your birthday, eye color and the number of letters in your name. It's County Fair math.
Back to the point. If the Night of Power is the 27th day of Ramadan, that makes it Oct 19th this year. This is the night it should all "go down!" I await the spectacular deeds of Muslim religious zealots. Happy Ramadan-ing!
5 comments:
I read an article on Ramadan and the Night of Power and found some interesting parallels to the christian book of revelations. The relationship of the return of Jesus and the chaos before. the lines that say the return will come but you will not know the hour, or the day, etc. I don't know so much about the Night of Power by martyring oneself or doing things in the name of Allah. The parallel there is with the United States so called christian movements that use religion to persecute or control through their interpretation of the bible. To say that you must do works that are worthy of the Lord or be a certain way or you don't get into heaven certainly parallel the ideas shown in the celebration of Ramadan. Is it possible that there are muslim extremists who do the same with the Quran? It is sad that love for the Lord or Allah seems to take a backseat to violence to prove the point.
So, How was it? Hopefully not too bad. Thinking of you all out there...
I like your writing style. Stay safe and God speed home!
Trish
I like your story style, Stay safe and God speed home!
Several members of the band Notary Sojac have seen your blog, and would very much like to send you their cd. You've probably gotten several of these comments by now, as they are trying to get in touch so they know where to send it to. My email is chrisbliss@pobox.com, in case this is the first one to reach you.
Thank you for your service, and you write quite well, so keep it up!
Chris Bliss
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