Today I went to teach the pastoral class at the school with the mean head teacher man...the one from last week that pulled me out of class and told me all those kids weren't supposed to be there. anyway, it went better today. i'm still very much afraid of this man. and it didn't help that when we arrived he was screaming at these kids for being late and sent them home. stupidest thing ever...why send late kids home from school? another boy was trying to sneak in late. they have this little assembly thing at the flagpole in the morning. so he was crouching down and trying to sneak into the group. and it looked like he was successful. i was really glad for him. BUT...no, then up comes this teacher with her whacking stick and she starts smacking his arms. and he had to go home. things went better though when we had class. everline, another girl on our team, was with me. and it really helped having her to speak swahili. and the teacher in the class kept things much better under control. and i think i'm winning her over b/c she gave me the curriculum book to take home to prepare for next week even though she said it had to be a secret b/c she's not supposed to.
then i went to get my visa renewed with steve. a 3 hour event. we got there and everyone kept cutting in line...if you don't push your way forward someone will just get in front of you. we were sent away and told we needed passport photos. so this took a while. and then upon returning we found that they closed for lunch. so after i came back by myself i gave them my stuff. then sat and waited. meanwhile they kept calling people back to some random room. i was worried they were going to interrogate me...and they had my passport, and i really wanted it back. but no worries, they just take you back to finger print you. so now i have been finger printing and there can be no more opening of books at the nakumatt (like walmart) or they may be able to trace me :)
yesterday at the juvenile we made those paper bag trees to go along with the theme of growing in Christ. they seemed to love doing this. and we had a really good discussion with them afterwards in small groups. a lot of the boys are really seeking christ and asked about whether Jesus could forgive them for the crimes they've committed. it was especially cool b/c one of the boys in our group is muslim, and he was asking most of the questions.
speaking of muslims, have i discussed this? there are lots of muslims here. and i just keep thinking about how oppressive it must be to be a muslim woman. i see them walking with the garments on their heads. and 1 it's hot here, so that can't be comfortable. and to never have your whole head showing is so restrictive. even worse are the women who have to cover everything except their eyes. i can't imagine trying to get in and out of a matatu like that. also ramadan is going on right now, which i think means there are many more prayer times at the mosques. my mom called one night and asked what the noise was...it's from the mosque. so you knowledgeable people, i'm thinking denny fritz, i would love to learn more about what exactly goes on during Ramadan. i need to read up more on Islam so that i can understand some of the children i'm encountering in class.
yesterday afternoon i was at the other juvenile home, let's start calling it the kabete rehabilitation center. i ate lunch with them, which was a bit awkward b/c i'm never sure what exactly to say and they aren't either. but i think it will get easier. i brought the baseball stuff for them to play with. the japanese guy has played before so i think he enjoyed it too. and then we had art class...self portrait drawing. i gave them back their journals they wrote in. i wrote comments on each one and them seemed very facinated by this. i'm guessing they don't get much positive feedback, at least not written. so i'm glad i did this. it took ages, but it was worth it. and one kid asked if i was going to read them the rest of the story of james. i thought they were talking about the book in the Bible, but then i realized it was james and the giant peach. so i guess they liked the story.
all righty then. have a happy weekend.
2 comments:
Ramadan or Ramazan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍān) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to Angel Gabriel, to deliver it to Prophet Muhammad. It is the Islamic month of fasting (sawm), in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from true dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance into the future, ask for help in refraining from everyday evils and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
Name origin
The name "Ramadan" is the name of the ninth month; the word itself derived from an Arabic word *rmd as in "ramida" or "ar-ramad" denoting intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of rations. It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadan are kept throughout the month.
Laylat al-Qadr, considered the most holy night of the year, is the night in which the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammed. It's believed to have occurred on an odd-numbered night during the last 10 days of Ramadan, either the night of the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th (in Sunni thought) or the 19th, 21st or 23rd (in Shi'a thought). Ramadan ends with Eid ul-Fitr, with much celebration and feasts. During the month following Ramadan, called Shawwal, Muslims are encouraged to fast for a further six days, known as as-Sitta al-Bayḍ, or "the white six".
Practices during Ramadan
Fasting
Main article: Sawm
The most prominent event of this month is the fasting (sawm). Every day during the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world get up before dawn to eat Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, and perform the fajr prayer. They have to stop eating and drinking before the call for this prayer (adan or azan) starts, until the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib (sunset), is due. Muslims may continue to eat and drink after the sun has set, until the next morning's fajr prayer call,
Ramadan is a time of reflecting and worshiping God. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds.Sexual thoughts and activities during fasting hours are also forbidden.[Qur'an 2:187] Purity of both thought and action is important. The fast is intended to be an exacting act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. Properly observing the fast is supposed to induce a comfortable feeling of peace and calm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and sympathy for those who are less fortunate. It is also intended to make Muslims more generous and charitable.
The elderly, the chronically ill and the insane are exempt from fasting, although the first two groups must endeavor to feed one poor person each day that they miss fasting. Also exempt are pregnant women, women during the period of their menstruation, and women nursing their newborns, all of whom must make up the days they miss at a later date. While fasting is not considered compulsory in childhood (which ends at puberty), many children endeavor to complete as many fasts as possible as practice for later life. Lastly, those traveling are exempt, but must make up the days they miss.
Ramadan - part 2 from Wikipedia
Prayer and reading of the Qur'an
Sunni Muslims tend to perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, called Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Qur'an (juz, which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited. Therefore the entire Qur'an would be completed at the end of the month.Tarawih is an Arabic phrase referring to those extra prayers. This prayer is performed after prayer salah of the night Isha'a, but before the witr rakat. Tarawih are not practiced by Shī‘ah Muslims.
Muslims also pay Zakat during the month. It is only applicable if one can afford it. For those who qualify to pay Zakaat, as per the Islamic Nisab (that is those whose wealth exceeds their necessities), of the leftover of their wealth earned in that Islamic calendar year. Although Zakat can be paid any time of the year, it has to be calculated on a year to year basis, and many Muslims use Ramadan as the month for calculation and disbursement.
Ramadan is also a time when Muslims are to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self-reformation, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment, establishing a link between themselves and God through prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others.
Since it is a festival of giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for their family and friends and for giving to the poor and needy who cannot afford it; this can involve buying new clothes, shoes and other items of need. There is also a social aspect involved – the preparing of special foods and inviting people for the Iftar meal (the meal to break the Fast).
In many Muslim and non-Muslim countries with large Muslim populations, markets close down in the evening to enable people to perform prayers and consume the Iftar meal (the meal to end the fast) – these markets then re-open and stay open for a good part of the night. Muslims can be seen shopping, eating, spending time with their friends and family during the evening hours. During the whole Ramadan season (about 29 to 30 days) , Muslims will not eat or drink from the brink of dawn (about 1 hour and 20 minutes before sunrise) until sunset.
Events of Ramadan
Laylat al-Qadr (Arabic: لیلة القدر) literally the "Night of Decrees" or "Night of Measures", is the anniversary of two very important dates in Islam that occurred in the month of Ramadan.[citation needed] Muslims believe that it was the night in which the Qur'an was revealed from God to Samaa Adunya (the sky of the world we live in). The Qur'an was revealed over many years to the Prophet. Muslims believe that any acts of worship undertaken on this night are rewarded in multiple thousands in comparison to the same act of worship done on any other day. There are two schools of thought on date of this event. Some Muslims are of the opinion that it lands on the 27th night of Ramadan while others believe that it may be any one of the last odd nights.
The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر) marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and the first day of the following month, after another new moon has been sighted. The Eid falls after 29 or 30 days of fasting, as per the lunar sighting. Eid ul-Fitr means the Festival of Breaking the Fast; a special celebration is made. Food is donated to the poor (‘Zakat al-Fitr’), everyone puts on their best, usually new, clothes, and communal prayers are held in the early morning, followed by feasting and visiting relatives and friends. The prayer is two rakaahs only, and it is an optional prayer as opposed to the compulsory five daily prayers.
Muslims are encouraged to fast six days in Shawwal, the month following Ramadan that begins after Eid ul-Fitr; these days need not be consecutive.[1] According to hadith, one who fasts the month of Ramadan and six days during Shawwal will be rewarded as though he had fasted the entire year.
Post a Comment