Ramadan Exclusive

EID MUBARAK

2011-08-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

AA;
Eid Mubarak

We are not a monolithic lot, we are different and we must learn to accept and respect every tradition without denigration - Eid is a joyous moment and not the time to criticize others for celebrating the Eid on a different day. I hope the article Politics of Ramadan is enlightening

I am blessed to have written nearly 40 articles on Ramadan and have visited mosque of just about every denomination of Muslims including the Beit al Muqadas and Al-Aqsa Mosques last year. Much earlier I have prayed at both Madinah and Makkah. It was a pleasure to do the Iftaar with Muslims from Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Sufi, Shia, Sunni, WD Muhammad and Muslims of every race, ethnicity and many cultures.
...........................

Spirit of Ramadan: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/spirit-of-ramadan_b_939961.html
............................

Politics of Ramadan: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html
............................

Rituals of Ramadan: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/09/traditions-of-ramadan.html
...........................

Insha Allah, next Ramadan, I will make a movie on our diversity and welcome ideas and facilitations from you. You can share your comment at the end of this article at: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/eid-mubarak.html

Jazak Allah Khair

Mike Ghouse
Muslims Together
www.IslamTogetherFoundation.com
www.MikeGhouse.net

The Spirit of Ramadan - Eid Mubarak

2011-08-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Rituals signify the mile stones of our daily life. Every significant moment of the day is a ritual. It is an unwritten way of measuring our progression; a memory pattern to bring discipline to our actions.

From the moment we are born to the last rites of our life and every moment in-between is laden with rituals, though some of us may deny it. Whether we go to the gym, eat our food; go to sleep, wear clothes, drive some place, in our intimate moments, or picking that phone up, we follow rituals.

Discipline is necessary to do things on time, managing personal relationships, driving to a destination or keeping within budget to achieve the goals; the result is worth the discipline to most people. When joyous, whether we are a theist or not, we have to express that sentiment, otherwise a sense of incompleteness lingers in our hearts.
The Spiritual masters have captured the human gravity for rituals and have molded it with the art and science of self-discipline in their respective religion. The noble purpose of each one of them was to bring a balance in our lives and a balance with things that surround us; life and environment.

The Spirit;

Every faith is composed of a set of unique rituals to bring discipline and peace to human life. Fasting is one of the five key rituals that Muslims around the world observe.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is generally observed with a ritual precision; it is an annual training or a refresher. It requires one to abstain from food, drink, intimacy, ill will, ill talk, ill actions or any temptations from dawn to dusk, every day for a month. One has to rise above his or her baser desires. Islam gifts this month to its followers to inculcate discipline to bring moderation in their daily lives. Twenty five hundred years ago, Buddha, the enlightened one taught that human suffering is caused by unrestrained desire to own and had recommended a middle path, and the same recommendation was made by Prophet Muhammad fourteen hundred years ago.

Although Ramadan is popularly known in the West for its culinary delicacies and fancy Iftaar (ceremonial breaking of fast at sun down), the spirit and intent of Ramadan lies in a human transformation in a month long inner spiritual journey of finding oneself in tune with spirituality.

God has no need for the hunger or thirst of someone who hurts others, violates their dignity or usurps their rights, said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The fasting of the stomach must be matched by the fasting of the limbs. The eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet all have their respective fasts to undergo. The tongue's temptations, for example - lies, backbiting, slander, vulgarity and senseless argumentation - must be challenged and curbed to maintain the integrity of the fast.

Consciousness of behavior and vigilance over action are the most profound dimensions of fasting: the fasting of the heart focuses on the attachment to the divine. That is when Ramadan really becomes a source of peace and solace, just as Christmas goes beyond the rituals to bring forth kindness, charity and caring.

True fasting is self-purification; and from this, a rich inner life that bring about values such as justice, generosity, patience, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and empathy - values that are indispensable for the success of the community.

Knowing about hunger is different from knowing hunger. Empathy is not an intellectual equation; it is a human experience. Our hardness of heart often springs from our distance from the human condition of others. The poor, sick, disenfranchised, oppressed - we rarely walk a mile in their shoes, not even a few steps. "Rest assured," cautioned one teacher, "if you do not taste what it feels like to be hungry, you will not care for those who are."

For fasting to be truly universal, its benefits must extend beyond the fraternal ties of Muslims and must extend to forging a common humanity with others. Fasting is meant to impart a sense of what it means to be truly human, and its universality is reflected by its observance in Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Zoroastrian and other faiths.

Ramadan will come and go with such stealth that we cannot but be reminded of our mortality. What is it that we value and why? Habits, customs, even obsessive behavior like smoking can be curtailed with relative ease in the face of a higher calling.

More:
Politics of Ramadan - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html
---
Rituals of Ramadan - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/09/traditions-of-ramadan.html

---
Spirit of Ramadan http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/spirit-of-ramadan-eid-mubarak.html
---
Mike Ghouse is President of America Together foundation and is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Islam, interfaith, Justice and Peace. He is available to speak at your place of worship, work, school, college, seminars and conferences. Mike's work is reflected in 4 websites and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/ and his current writings at www.TheGhousediary.com

Day 19 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

Day 19 of Ramadan 2011 at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-19-of-ramadan-2011.html

Friday, August 19, 2011 | Ramadan 19, 1432

Terminology: At the bottom of this write up.

Church: Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, Dallas
Sahri (Pre-dawn meal at home): Cereal with Yogurt
Iftaar (refreshments): Straight Dinner
Iftaar (Dinner): Salad, Rice, Non-spicy stew like lamb, Dolma (Grape leaf rolls stuffed with minced meat and rice) and Baklava for dessert.
Culture: Interfaith Dinner- Christians and mainly Turkish Muslims, perhaps I was the only Subcontinentan there.

PURPOSE: To share and appreciate the diversity within Islam.

THE PLAN: Visit a mosque a day and be with every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others. You are welcome to join me or experience it yourselves, we have to learn to respect the differences and appreciate the uniqueness of each tradition. God says the best among you is the one who knows each other for peaceful co-existence.

......................................... ...

If you think of sharing your own Ramadan experience, time is to start now.

The Dallas Islamic Center, an organization supported by Fateh Gulen, a Turkish Muslim reformer is doing a great job in the Islamic theme of “knowing each other” to create a better world. http://www.dallasislamiccenter.org/

A few pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157627477918142/show/

Hamidullah, Imam Yesil
and Mike Ghouse

Over the years they have done a fabulous job of reaching out to neighbors, conducting interfaith dialogue, dinners and classes on Quraan. I am yet to visit their center in Richardson and now I have the incentive to really be a tiny part of the good work they do. I discovered today that Imam Nihat Yesil and I have met some 4 or 5 years ago, fortunately both of us remembered my effort to connect him with Dr Kavakci, another Turkish Imam whom I brag about.

Now this is a different experience altogether for Muslims.

About 250 people attended the dinner event, mostly the guests were the congregation of the United Methodist Church and some 50 Turkish Muslims and few others including me, perhaps the only one from the subcontinent ethnicity.

Yasin moderated the event, he was amazing when he walked up on the stage and shared the three things Pastor Dr. Copeland had talked about in their meeting originally at the Dallas Islamic Center. (OMG, I had that last night, and I have lost it this morning). I will add back if it comes to the mind.

Hamidullah, a PhD student from Afghanistan opened the evening with Azaan. I wish I had recorded it, it was simply beautiful. It is an art in how you call the prayers in a melodious voice and I loved ever moment of it.

Ok here is a major difference in pronunciation. Much of the world calls the prayer call “Azaan” including Turkey, Iran, the Central Asian Muslims, the Subcontinentian Muslim and elsewhere in Philippines and Indonesia. Whereas the Arabic speaking people call it “Adaan”. The pronunciation of the word “Ramadan” in Arabic is “Ramzaan” in most of the world. All the speakers were toggling from one pronunciation to the other as most Americans respond to the word Ramadan rather than Ramzaan.

Pastor Copeland gave a beautiful sermon relating to the hospitality of Abraham, the fountain head for the three religions. It was that hospitality we are carrying forward, to share a meal with others. He mentioned that most of the congregants may have Google Ramadan before entering the hall and he shared the basics with the friends.

The traditional breaking of the fast followed by Prayers and dinner was modified to suit the audience, or perhaps that is the Turkish tradition. If you know about it please share and I will make an effort to learn about it. I was thrilled to find myself not knowing the tradition, and it made sense for me to know about the others. Indeed, I am driven by working and developing cohesive societies, and the emphasis in Quraan to know each other to create a better world excites me.

Imam Nihat Yesil, like Imam Dr. Kavakci, breaks the stereotyping of Muslims about their appearance. He did not have a beard nor wore a Muslim garb (Juan William, there is no such thing) or the cap. He wore a suit. Muslims are not a monolithic lot, each one is different with different traditions and practices, each costume is beautiful to the person who wears it and we cannot but appreciate the uniqueness. The year 2010 witnessed a dramatic change in Muslim presence in the media. Till them, a typical Muslim who spoke on national TV wore a beard and a cap as it had become a trade mark. 201o changed it all, Bill OReilly brought in Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Harris Zafar and Sean Hannity pulled me in and you saw Raza Aslan on CNN and ABC, NBC pulled in Irshad Manji, Asra Nomani and whole new breed of Muslims were added to the Muslim spectrum which truly represented the diversity in Islam. We need more of our young men and women to pursue a career in Journalism and add the accentless category to the spectrum.

Imam Nihat Yesil shared Rumi’s story about humility, how he met a pastor in the market place and bowed to him for his knowledge and did not want to lose the humility. I am losing my mind ascribing the following story to either moderator Yasin or Imam Yesil. It’s about the responsibility to reach out to the neighbors. The neighbors were defined by 4o homes around you and one must reach out to them. The other versions are 7 neighbors around you, and then the circle expands to the town, region, and the whole wide world. He was sharing the origins of Adan to call for prayers to reach the neighborhood and the whole town… and added with a chuckle that if KERA radio relays the Adan, the entire listenership would become our neighbors.

I was thrilled when they showed the translation of the Adan on the big screen, something I had always wanted to do and have debated extensively on the content and the meaning of it. The non-Muslims who object to this, really would appreciate if they really know the meaning of it.

Enjoy this beautiful Adan, there are plenty on YouTube, I picked this one as it shows beautiful mosques around the world, it is a delight to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUHDYlJHaOQ&feature=related

Here it is:

4x	الله أكبر	Allahu Akbar = God is Greatest
2x	أشهد أن لا اله إلا الله	Ash-hadu al-la ilaha illa llah = I bear witness that there is no God except the One God³	.
2x	أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله	Ash-hadu anna Muħammadan rasulullah = I bear witness that Muhammad is God's Messenger
2x	حي على الصلاة	Ħayya 'ala-salah = Come to salat (prayer, worship)
2x	حي على الفلاح	Ħayya 'ala 'l-falaħ = Come to success
2x	الله أكبر	Allāhu akbar = God is Greatest
1x	لا إله إلا الله	La ilaha illallah = There is no god except Allah.

One of the many purposes for me to visit different Mosques and do my Iftaar is to open up myself and share the experience. We have to learn to accept the diversity, no one worships in a weird way, that language needs to be respectfully replaced with … each one of us has our own unique way and each should be respected. To paraphrase what Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would have advised “Respect your brother or sister as you respect yourselves”. That is the key to successful communities.

I pray that in this holy month of Ramadan we Muslim shed our biases and believe that God alone can judge what is in one’s heart; and let’s not burden ourselves with misunderstandings and myths about others. Let everyone live their life as they wish and let’s make an effort to live a regret free life in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
..................................
MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
POLITICS OF RAMADAN: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html

Coming up – Rituals of Ramadan and Spirit of Ramadan
..................................

TERMS:

Sahri - Pre-Dawn meal before early Morning Prayer (fajr).
Iftaar - Sunset Meal as a conclusion of the fast.

Sawm - fasting from sunrise to sunset - No food, no water, no nothing and no intake of any food or water. More critically it is a practice to abstain from ill-will, malice, anger, temptations and human desires. Don't hear, see, speak or act less than goodness.

Rituals - There are several variations in rituals and they vary from place to place. In Bangalore where I am from, the whole family gets up early around 4:00 AM and together cook extensive meals for Sahri /Suhoor, while others choose to cook earlier night and just warm it up and eat in the morning. The Iftaar is done elaborately at mosques, homes or other gatherings where friends from different faiths are invited to break bread and nurture goodwill.

Prayers - The ritual Muslim prayers involve several postures... I will update the details before the end of Ramadan.

Day 18 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Day 18 of Ramadan 2011 at Dallas Islamic Center, Richardson
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-18-of-ramadan-2011.html

Thursday, August 18, 2011 | Ramadan 18, 1432

Mosque: Richardson Mosque, the first Mosque in Dallas, Texas
Sahri (Pre-dawn meal at home): Oatmeal and Fruits
Iftaar (refreshments): Dates, Fruits, punch and water
Iftaar (Dinner): Salad, Rice, Broiled Fish and Halwa (Sweetened Lentil Paste)
Culture: Interfaith Dinner- Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Hindus and others

THE PLAN: Iftaar at a mosque from every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others. You are welcome to join me or experience it yourselves, we have to learn to respect the differences and appreciate the uniqueness of each tradition. God says the best among you is the one who knows each other for peaceful co-existence.

PURPOSE: To share and appreciate the diversity within Islam.

11 PICTURES AT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157627474310570/show/

......................................... ...

Alhamdu Lillah, all praises to the creator for blessing the world with diversity. I am pleased to highlight the uniqueness of each tradition on a daily basis and I hope we can cherish it. If you think of sharing your Ramadan experience, time is to start now.

The Richardson Mosque has been in the forefront of dealing with a majority of issues since bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma. This mosque has been a community center for the people of Dallas/Fort Worth fro nearly thirty years. The community has grown in size and we have nearly 30 Mosques and Mussallas (Temp) in the area.

Dr. Imam Yusuf Zia Kavakci has been a pillar of this mosque for over 20 years; the mosque opened its door in the early 80’s. We are blessed to have his wisdom; he is recognized as one of the 500 Muslim scholars around the world.

He and I have had several beautiful interfaith moments over the years and I hope to put them all in the upcoming book. He is also one of the first Imams that we have encountered who wore three piece suits, no beard and no head gear. But over the last several years, he has started wearing the cloak, beard and the cap. He has gone through quite a lot of media scrutiny after 9/11 and particularly in 2003. We had organized a group of 30 people into a group called MRRT, Muslim Rapid Response team to deal with the media and we had over 50 letters published that year in the Dallas Morning News. It was a rough time.

After 9/11, with the leadership of Muhammad Suleman, this Mosque had initiated the Open Houses on Sundays. I was able to contribute in the open house by reminding the organization to coach the volunteers not to jump and start talking the differences when people visited. I remember a few of them welcoming the Christians with a note that “We don’t believe that Jesus was a son of a God but a Prophet”. All of that has improved over a period of time and interfaith understanding has matured since then.

It was also the first time in a US Mosque history that Hindu prayers were chanted along with others and thank God, except one or two Muslims most were gracious. The fingers of course were pointing at me. I have been in just about every place of worship including the Native Americans, but frequently in the Hindu Temples and a few had repeatedly said to me that Muslims don’t invite them to the Mosques and few even wrote in one of my groups; Dallas Indians, that they will not be allowed in a Mosque, that is a myth and perhaps is true in a few places in Asia, but it is not common. So I extended the invitation to ten with a personal note to a few, unfortunately they all had commitments. Next time, I had make the time to call.

I believe until we listen to God’s wisdom – where he says his creation is intentionally diverse, and the best among us are the ones who take time to know each other – so that we can mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill and learn to respect the otherness of other for creating peaceful societies.

Brother Muhammad Suleman pulled off a great gathering this evening and it was such a delight to see so many people out there from different faiths. Glad to see a few Hindu friends in particular, we need to pull all of us into the same tent.

Food service by the volunteers was exemplary, they carried huge trays with several plates on it and delivered the food to nearly 300 people in no time. The Boys and the girls, the men and women had a genuine smile on their faces. It was nice, very nice for Dr. Hind Jarrah and Dr. Nia McKay to get down and serve. As an individual and as a member of the community, I want to appreciate the volunteerism of every one whether some one mentions their name or not. Jazak Allah Khair.

One of the nicest things the Islamic Center did was to honor Peter Stewart who is a pioneer in the intercultural movement. His dream to have a cultural center where all people can come together and pray or share a meal came true 50 years ago in the form of Thanksgiving Square. It was good to see Imam Yahya, who was a leader during the 70's is back in Dallas. Indeed, he led the Friday prayers at Thanksgiving Square some 25 or 30 years ago. Thanksgiving Square is One of our landmarks. I am so happy to see this moment.

Dr. Imam Yusuf Zia Kavakci did something extraordinary… after breaking the fast, he stayed with the group for dinner and many stayed including me instead of going to the Maghrib (evening) prayers with the intention of praying later. I was giving company to Chris Slater, the Executive Director of Thanksgiving Square, loved his spirit of interfaith. Dr. Kavakci understood the priority of the moment and this is a good step forward.

When we break the fast, it is usually with fruit, in particular a date, if you are driving and got stuck in the traffic, you can sip the water (I keep water in my car all the times).

Like most things of life, we have to verbalize our intentions. God knows it, but verbalizing defines our intentions. It is a common practice in all faiths, God wants you to ask him. and how to frame the asking was a full sermon on the American Family Radio, they were promoting a book on the topic. Those who are skeptics can ask a psychologist, he or she would perhaps say that verbalizing clears the dust and brings clarity to oneself; a big relief indeed.

So when we break the fast we always say the grace, a short prayer. The Shia and Sunni versions (Ahmadiyya is same as Sunni) are very similar with a variation in few words. There is a slight variation within the Shia denominations, the Dawoodi Bohra verses are little different as well. This is a mere statement of Intention in Arabic. I used to do that in Urdu language and now I say that in English.

(APOLOGIES - I gave up adding the Arabic version of the short prayers, here it was just not coming through)

Allahumma! Laka sumtu wa 'ala rizqiqa aftartu wa a'yalyka wa alayka tawakkaltu. O my Allah, I fasted for You and I believe in You and I break my fast with Your sustenance

Allahumma! Laka sumtu wa 'ala rizqiqa aftartu.
"O Allah! For you I have fasted, and with what You give me I break my fast."

Allahumma! Laka sumna wa 'ala rizqiqa aftarna, fa-taqabbal minna. Innaka antal-sami al-'alim. "O Allah! For you we have fasted, and with what You give us, we break my fast, so accept it from us. Indeed, You are the one who hears, who knows."

I pray that in this holy month of Ramadan we Muslim shed our biases and believe that God alone can judge what is in one’s heart; and let’s not burden ourselves with misunderstandings and myths about others. Let everyone live their life as they wish and let’s make an effort to live a regret free life in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
..................................

MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html

POLITICS OF RAMADAN: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html

Coming up – Rituals of Ramadan and Spirit of Ramadan
..................................

TERMS:

Day 8 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

HONORING NAVY SEALS | A MINUTE OF SILENCE PLEASE

In memory of our soldiers and Navy Seals who died on Saturday, please observe a minute of silence honoring them. May God bless them and give patience to their families. May God give us the wisdom to end Wars and find solutions through mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill. Amen

I urge fellow Muslim Americans to pray for their well beings, Insha Allah I will pray special prayers for them after Iftaar and Maghrib prayers this evening.

Day 6 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-06T21:46:00.001-07:00

Day 6 of Ramadan 2011 - Ahmadiyya Mosque, Allen

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-6-of-ramadan-2011.html

Saturday, August 6, 2011 | Ramadan 6, 1432

PURPOSE: To share and appreciate the diversity within Islam.

THE PLAN: Iftaar at a mosque from every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others. You are welcome to join me or experience it yourselves, we have to learn to respect the differences and appreciate the uniqueness of each tradition. God says the best among you is the one who knows each other for peaceful co-existence.

......................................... ...

Alhamdu Lillah, all praises to the creator for blessing the world with diversity. I am pleased to highlight the uniqueness of each tradition on a daily basis and I hope we can cherish it. If you think of sharing your Ramadan experience, time is to start now.

DAY 6 OF RAMADAN

Terms: Meanings Listed at the bottom
Sahri (Pre-dawn meal): Fruits and Vegetables
Iftaar (refreshments): Dates and Rooh Afza (Refreshing drink)
Iftaar (Dinner): Salad, Naan, Lentil and Goat Korma (curry), Ice Cream
Mosque: Ahmadiyya Masjid Bait-ul-Ikram, Allen, Texas
Culture: Muslims from Pakistan, India and Indonesia.

....................

The tradition is to gather and listen to a pre-Iftaar lecture (Dars) based on verses from Quraan. The talk was about Prophets Moses and Khizr (knows as the Green man, apparently because of the legend that he lived a long life) and obedience to God’s commandments. A similar tradition is followed at the WD Muhammad denomination.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community has initiated a blood drive with a lofty goal of donating so many bags of blood by 9/11. It is a symbolic gesture of giving to America the most precious item one has; blood. We are working on having the announcement to be made on the Unity Day on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 5:00 Pm at the Unity Church in Dallas. Details are at www.Unitydayusa.com you are invited to join us. The Muslims of the Bay area are also doing something similar there per the Shia Imam I met last night. These are great initiatives.

Breaking the fast :: About 8:26 the guest speaker finished his talk (Dars) in time for breaking the fast, they brought trays full of Dates for each one of the congregants to grab a few, utmost three. It was a tradition of Prophet Muhammad to snack-on up to three dates prior to the prayers. I cannot get over the math– 3 x 1.6 Billion Muslims, i.e. 5 Billion dates on any given day and for 30 days you are looking about 150 Billion dates consumption. As much as I know most every Muslim around the world observes the fasting and snacks on the dates. The dates from California, Morocco and Madinah (Saudi Arabia) are delicious, popular and meaty.

The Evening (Maghrib) Prayer consits of 3 units of prayer (Rakat) and the same verses from Quraan are recited every where in the world. I heard the word “Amen” out loud in unison by the congregation at the end of recitation of first chapter in the first and 2 units (Rakat) of prayers.

The Sunni and Ahmadiyya traditions are the mirror images of each other. In the Ruku (kneeling) posture the congregants quietly recite “Subhana Rabbi al Azeem” three times, simply put God is great and at the Sajda (prostration) “Subhana Rabbi Al Aala” again it means God is supreme and is repeated three times as well. The rest of the rituals are identical including turning the head to the right and to left to conclude the prayers with blessing of peace to the people on the right and the left.

The three units (Rakats) of prayer are the obligatory prayers for the evening (Maghrib) followed by optional prayers of two sets of two or four units of prayers. One thing I noted but not sure about is – after the obligatory (Fard) prayers every one moves to a different spot to pray in the Sunni congregation (Jamaat), here the individuals prayed on the same spot and perhaps because of lack of space.

My reference to Sunni is not because it is a standard or some such thing, but simply because that is the tradition I am familiar with and that’s the way I have learned to explain. It also makes sense to share it with the majority of Muslims (85% Sunni) who are not familiar with the other traditions. I must make a point to admire one of my favorite Imams Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci who is an amazing pluralist, he may not relate with the word but I see it that way. When he talks about the dos and don’ts of fasting, he invariably makes a point to say how it is done in the Hanafi, Shafii and other traditions without making the slightest point that one is better than the other, it is simply a different tradition. I pray that we have more Imams like him.

One of the timeless advise Prophet Muhammad shared was to live a regret free life, meaning do not judge people without verifying and regretting it later for being judgmental. Quraan 49:6 “If any iniquitous person comes to you with a tale, use your discernment, lest you hurt people unwittingly and afterwards be filled with remorse for what you have done.” There is a lot of myth created about the Ahmadiyya Muslims from a pure political point of view, and the fodder they get is also from the same myths. It is like the right wingers who keep reading mistranslations of Quraan and for clarification they go back to the same mistranslations again and draw deeper but false conclusions.

I pray that in this holy month of Ramadan we Muslim shed our biases and believe that God alone can judge what is in one’s heart; and let’s not burden ourselves with misunderstandings and myths about others. Let everyone live their life as they wish and let’s make an effort to live a regret free life in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad.

The dinner was ready and everyone got their plate and the food. Fresh Salad, Naan, Daal and Goat curry. I went back for the Daal for the second time as it was good. A few of us seniors (LOL I never thought I was one and I am taking that identity without resistance) gathered around the office conference table and shared stories. One of the seniors was the general secretary for the Ahmadiyya mission in the United States, he flew in from California, he is a son of the legendary Muslims of the pre-partition India; the Johari brothers. I completely forgot to take the picture and was blessed to sit with a few Buzurgs (endearing term for the seniors). OMG, I am one of them now! I don’t know how my nieces and nephews view me as a senior... ?

The Buzurg talked about the upcoming conference in California where the people of different faiths read their holy scriptures on a given theme. Suhail Kauser my friend shared about the Quraan conference we held and possibility of the Sharia conference in March next year.

Murabbi (Imam/pastor) Zafrullah Hanjra will be here in Dallas for a week from tomorrow, he is the mission Chief for the South west Region. I have grown to like him, he is man of patience and wisdom and I enjoy visiting him in Houston.

The Ahmadiyya literature has quite a lot of research on science and religion, I believe one of their Khalifas (Religious leader) had said, Quraan is God’s word and Science is his action. Dr. Jari Khan presented a book to me “Revelation and Rationality – knowledge and truth” and I hope to read it in the coming weeks. Meanwhile I am reviewing a book on Peace in Israel and Palestine to be released on the day of United Nations vote for the statehood of Palestine. I hope to contribute a few good paragraphs in the book.

May you be blessed, Insha Allah, I will be at WD Muhammad Masjid tomorrow.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
..................................

MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
POLITICS OF RAMADAN: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html
..................................

TERMS:

Day 5 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-5-of-ramadan-2011.html

Friday, August 5, 2011 | Ramadan 5, 1432

......................................... ...

God willing, I will highlight the uniqueness of each tradition on a daily basis and I hope we as Muslims can cherish it. I encourage each one of you to experience it and write about it.

DAY 5 OF RAMADAN

Terms: Listed below

Sahri (Pre-dawn meal): Oat meal in Soya Milk
Iftaar (refreshments): Dates, Chana Masala (spiced Chickpeas) and Milk
Iftaar (Dinner): Fresh Salad, Pita Bread, Rice and Chicken Korma (curry)
Mosque: Shia Masjid, Momin Center, Irving
Culture: Urdu Speaking Muslims from India and Pakistan and others

....................

Praise the lord, they have expanded the Shia Mosque in Irving, it’s almost double the size from last year and they have added a room, a beautiful sanctuary with hardwood floors. Several picture frames were set on the wooden cabinets with the names of twelve Imams in the Shia tradition with the name of Abbas son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib (first Shi'a Imam and fourth Rashidun Caliph) placed prominently in the middle and a brass plate with hand symbols hung in the middle. I believe they call the sanctuary the Imam Bara. I just could not resist noting my Dad’s election symbol which was the hand when he ran for the Mayor of Yelahanka Town Municipality in the early fifties.

Of all the Mosques I have been to, this Mosque has the best carpet with inlaid design for the prayer rows demarcations, and I loved the color of the carpet – it’s kind of greenish Khaki. Mujahid, one of the leaders of the community said that it was imported from Turkey and they had placed heavy padding under the carpet. Indeed, it was a luxury to sit on that carpet.

Iftaar:

The breaking of fast occurs nearly 20 minutes after the sunset; the dusk is interpreted as the disappearance of light after the sunset an uniquely Shia Tradition. The fast ends with Azan (Adhan) the prayer call and everyone breaks the fast with dates and other refreshments, water or the Milk followed by the prayers. The Iftaar dinner is after the prayers and they had the delicious Chicken Korma (curry) that reminded me of my Taiba Uncle's curry, which will never fade out of my memory. Apparently it was cooked by the Aunt of Abbas a friend I have known for nearly 16 years. Compliments to her for the wonderful Chicken Korma.

The 2^nd Prayer call is to gather the worshippers for the ritual prayer called Namaz or Salat. During this call, when the name of the Prophet Muhammad is recited, the Muezzin (the reciter) and the congregation both recite the full Darood (Peace prayer to the Prophet and his progeny). This practice is unique to the Shia branch of Islam.

As the people gather up, the prayer begins, unlike the Sunni Mosques where the Imam invariably asks the congregation to stand in straight lines and shoulder to shoulder, this Mosque assumed that they do and did not make the call.

Another unique item is the biscuit size round clay tablets placed on the floor to rest the forehead during the prostration posture.

As the prayer begins, the worshippers drop their hands to their sides while the Sunnis bring their folded hands together on the abdomen. At the end of the recitation of first chapter of Quraan, the word “Amen” is uttered silently.

During the Ruku (kneeling) the Imam (prayer leader) recites out in audible voice the name of God three times along with sending peace and blessings (darood) to the Prophet, a Shia Tradition. The process is repeated during the prostration as well.

On the 2^nd Unit of the prayers, in the standing position, after reciting the first chapter of Quraan and an additional chapter, the Shias lift their hands and do the supplication prayers, the only other place I have seen that practice is at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Finally at the end of the 3^rd Unit of prayer – they do not turn their head to the right or the left while saying As-salaamu aliakum o Rahmatullah as the Sunnis do.

During the month of Ramadan, most mosques bring guest Imams and here at the Momin Center, Imam Nabi Raza was visiting from San Jose, California. He is from Richmond Town, Bangalore, and a fellow Bangalorean and has been in the states for nearly 20 years. He was excited about my visit to every mosque during Ramadan so we can learn to respect the uniqueness of each tradition. He talked about the extensive programs they have in the bay area Mosques where all the Sunnis and Shias gather up on occasions. He mentioned that they gather up 15-20,000 Audience in Bangalore to celebrate Prophet’s birthday (Maulood, Milaad). Insha Allah, God willing we may coordinate visiting Bangalore as I give a talk “Prophet the peace maker” every act of the prophet had one thing in common – conflict mitigations and goodwill nurturance.

Nabi Raza’s talk topic was Sura Baqara, verse 2:183

Al-Baqara (The Cow) 2:183

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (2:183)

2:183 (Asad) O YOU who have attained to faith! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain conscious of God: -

He talked about what constitutes Muttaqeen, the pious one and he honed on Hazrat Ali’s speech, the number one item (of the 101) is to “speak precisely and to the point” He referenced Prophet Muhammad’s saying where he had said, the most important gift to human beings is intelligence and the tongue (ability to speak) and must be used discreetly, as it is the tongue that can hurt others, can bring troubles in the communities and families.

One of the final attainments in the stage of piety is the ability to receive guidance from God – he used the word Wahi, the revelations. When you have achieved the purity of your being, all that comes to you is God’s wisdom. Indeed, I believe in that as the Sufis do and most Christians subscribe to that whereas it is not a part the Sunni tradition.

The most appealing item of his talk was – God does not need your prayers or fasting, it’s for your benefit that you do. He said if all the humanity abandons God, it does not make any difference to him, or if the whole humanity worships him every minute of the day, it does not make any difference to him, we are a speck (Carl Sagan?) in his unlimited Universe. Indeed the Bhagvad Gita says, even serving others, helping other is for selfish reason; it is an act of self preservation and self balancing. Just the other day, I was sharing with a few friends that I am a Muslim for me and not for anyone else. Several of my Sunni friends attempted to correct me – You are a Muslim for the sake of God. I reiterate that I am a Muslim to be in tune with the universe to seek my own balance in the whole.

Islam is not a monolithic religion and it will take another generation of constant exposure for Muslims to learn to accept and respect the otherness of other. The same goes with the Christian denominations, they are in the same boat of not accepting the other denominations as legitimate and you will find that in every religious tradition. That is not religion; religion is indeed about humility and not arrogance. Together we all have to grow up to enjoy the beauty of humility and valuing the God given uniqueness of each one of us.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
..................................

MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
POLITICS OF RAMADAN: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html
..................................

TERMS:

Day 3 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-3-of-ramadan-2011.html

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 | Ramadan 3, 1432

PURPOSE: To share diverse cultural experience of Ramadan.

THE PLAN: Iftaar at a mosque from every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others. You are welcome to join me or experience it yourselves, we have to learn to respect the differences and appreciate the uniqueness of each tradition. God says the best among you is the one who knows each other for peaceful co-existence.

......................................... ...

DAY 3 OF RAMADAN

Terms: At the bottom.

Sahri (Pre-dawn meal): Honey bunches of Oates cereal with Yogurt
Iftaar (refreshments): Dates, watermelon and Milk
Iftaar (Dinner): Chana Masala (spiced Chickpeas), Chicken Biryani and Kheer (Rice Pudding)
Mosque: Madinah Masjid, Carrollton
Culture: Predominantly Urdu Speaking Muslims

You can click on the pictures to see it in large size)

Madinah Masjid is perhaps the only Mosque in town where you find a steady presence of people for Iftaar, be it a weekday or weekend, Iftaar refreshments and meals are served for the full length of Ramadan, 29 or 30 days.

I could not resist taking the picture of sun going down almost touching the ground over the horizon way away in the clear skies. Would you believe the temperature was 105F at 8:25 PM? It was like standing in front of the open fire pit.

It was nice to see the organization at works; two rows of white sheets were laid out for people to sit around; in all four rows with about 80 people. On the men side eight individuals wore brown chef jackets and were ready to serve. They were wearing hand gloves and setting the plates on the floor, it was incredible to see this formality in the mosque.

At 8:27 PM, two minutes before the time to break the fast, the Imam started reciting scriptures of blessings followed by Amens for each verse. At 8:29 the Adan (Azan), the call for prayers began and once again with a short grace, we broke the 15 hours fast with the Dates. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) obviously chose the dates to break his fast and Muslims around the globe emulate to honor the prophet (please check day 2).

This Mosque opened up in the early 2000 and has carried the unique tradition of celebrating Milaad (Prophet Muhammad’s birthday), Observing Muharram (Ashura, mourning of the death of Imam Hussain), Gyarveen (honoring a saint) dinners, Chehlam (remembrance of the departed souls on the 40^th day) and a host of other festivities that most Mosques do not allow. There is a room for everyone here, although a few Muslims may not visit the Mosque as they are not comfortable with a few traditions. I thank God for blessing me with the mind to appreciate all the uniqueness and to respect the devotion by each Muslim as well as people of other faith or no faiths.

The Ritual prayer is called Salat in Arabic and Namaz in most of the subcontinent and perhaps Turkey, as I heard Imam Dr. Kavakci utter the word Namaz in my conversation with him on the first day of Ramzan (Ramadan). Like the Makkah Masjid (Day two), in this Mosque the word Amen is said quietly after reciting the first chapter of Quraan in units one and two of the three units of prayer. Similar practice of reciting dua (supplication) after the Namaz is followed in the Mosque as in Makkah Masjid.

After the optional prayers, men were asked to sit around the sheets on the floor while the volunteers in the uniforms served the dinner; it was all clean and hygienic work! Another volunteer walked by and collected the paper plates and cups in a bag.

Javed Hyder is a friend who heads the volunteer services at the Mosque and I have watched him consistently serve the community for over four years. He is a fellow Home builder and a fellow Bangalorean and was an office neighbor. I asked them to gather up for a picture and they did, not only that, Javed asked me to take the picture of the volunteer women folk and it was good to see familiar faces and teens on the team.

If you wish to get a complete picture of the different practices, please review the daily record as I will do my best to avoid redundancy over the next thirty days.

Please do not forget to read the Politics of Ramadan; it is written for Non-Muslims to relate and understand the traditions. Hence you find a constant reference to Jewish, Christian, Hindu and other traditions. Unless people can relate with our practices, they won’t be able to grasp it. We are guided in the Quraan to know each other. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to an acceptance and appreciation of a different practice.

....................

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
..................................

MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
POLITICS OF RAMADAN: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html
..................................

TERMS:

Politics of Ramadan on moon sighting

2011-08-03T14:03:00.001-07:00

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html

Muslims around the world will begin fasting from Monday, August 1, 2011 and for a whole month thereafter, however, for some it will begin only if the moon is sighted. The story is same with the Jewish and other traditions that follow lunar calendar. Rosh Hashanah like Ramadan comes 11 or 12 days earlier each year.

Since the beginning of Islam, there have been debates as to what constitutes moon sighting. Some interpret that there has got to be a minion to declare that they have seen it themselves with their own eyes and some do not accept it unless they have seen it themselves. It is also acceptable if the moon is sighted elsewhere, but now, each group has to have their own moon sighting. In the United States there is an organization that monitors moon sighting and announces it in advance. The Islamic Society of North America has announced that Ramadan begins on Monday, August one. Over the millennium we learned to accept and respect the otherness of other.

Politics plays a crucial role in our Temples, Synagogues or Churches, Mosques are no different. A few scientifically-inclined-Muslims have adopted NASA’s calculations believed to be precise. However, four different traditions are operating concurrently; i) Strictly Calendar, ii) NASA and iii) Sighting with bare eyes and iv) sighting by others in the community.

The NASA-oriented and the Calendar-group misses out the fun, joy and exhilaration of waiting and watching the needle thin moon on the horizon. The whole family gets out on the roof tops, or higher grounds, some even climb electric poles, and a few will drive out where they can see the sky without obstacles, kids would climb on parent’s shoulders, and a few run from place to place shouting in excitement, did you see it? It is like the belief in Santa Claus, Angels and other myths, each tradition fulfills one’s emotional needs and every one becomes sentimental. After all, if celebration does not have the excitement, it is not a celebration.

America’s spirit of freedom touches every soul, no matter what religion or tradition they follow. American Muslims are no different, they prefer to have a pre-set date to start fasting and the celebration called “Eid” pronounced as Eeed as in Eeel. The idea is for them to take a day off from work or get an optional day off for their children from the schools. Always, the joy multiplies when the family and friends celebrate it together. They prefer to start on a pre-set date and trust the calculations.

The conflicts are the same everywhere on the earth. Each group subscribes to one of the four systems mentioned above. America is no different; you will find celebrations on one or three different days in any given city, the Sunnis, being the largest group has the greater division within, while the Sufis, Shias, Ismailis, WD Mohammad, Bohra and Ahmadiyya follow the pre-determined dates.

The consensus may be attributable to having central spiritual leadership in all groups except the Sunni. However like the American Public wishes to see the Republicans and Democrats drop the party lines and focus on what is good for America, the Muslims also wish they could celebrate the Eid on one single day. It ain’t going to happen, it is human to differ. It is against the spirit of Ramadan to denigrate, diminish and devalue other practices.

The essence of Ramadan is to become humble, simple and free from ill-will, anger, meanness and hate. Let’s fill our hearts with goodwill and honor Ramadan by saying “Eid Mubarak” or Happy Eid to everyone who celebrates on a different day in the same town. The essence of Ramadan is joy and let’s not prick any one’s bubble; God has not signed a pact with any one behind others back, let’s rejoice the differences of interpretations. If you want to celebrate every day, go to every celebration.

In the spirit of Ramadan, I pray that Ramadan gets into our hearts and minds and make us embrace all factions of Muslims without undermining their tradition and further pray that we treat every human on the earth with dignity, respect and care.

That is indeed the wisdom expressed in Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of God, is the best in conduct. God Knows and is Aware of everything you do."

The Next article is “The Rituals of Ramadan” followed by the “Spirit of Ramadan”.Ramadan Mubarak!

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer and a frequent guest on Hannity show and nationally syndicated Radio shows and Dallas TV, Radio and Print Media. He runs America Together Foundation and is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. Over 1000 articles have been published on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, India and cohesive societies. Two of his books are poised to be released this fall on Pluralism and Islam. He is available to speak at your place of worship, work, school, college, seminars or conferences. His work is encapsulated in 27 blogs, four websites and several forums indexed at MikeGhouse.net.

Day 2 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-2-of-ramadan-2011.html

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 | Ramadan 2, 1432

PURPOSE: To share diverse cultural experience of Ramadan.

THE PLAN :: Iftaar at a mosque from every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others. You are welcome to join me or experience it yourselves. Cherish the differences.

......................................... ...

TODAY’S EXPERIENCE
Terms: Below the note

Sahri (Pre-dawn meal): Rotisserie Chicken and Bananas
Iftaar (Phase I - Refreshments): Dates, Haleem (Ground meat and lentil) & watermelon
Iftaar (Phase II - Dinner ): Taco bell’s beef baja chalupa and crunchy taco supreme
Mosque : Makkah Masjid in Garland
Dominant Culture: Gujarati and Sindhi Memons.
....................

During the work week, very few can make it to the Mosque for Iftaar (breaking the fast with refreshments and at times combined with meals). I went in early to the Mosque in Garland, which is predominantly frequented by Memons, a group of Muslims from Gujarat and Sindh areas of India and Pakistan.

A group of about 18 people gathered in the eating area of the mosque and sat down on the floor in a circle. After the grace prayers, every one breaks the fast in unison. Dates are the most common item the world over, indeed, if all the 1.5 billion Muslims were to fast, that’s at least 5 billion dates consumed in one evening. The other items are usually Milk or Yogurt products and a fruit or two with varied items, here in this mosque Haleem (ground lentil and meat) was on the plate. Refreshments are shared to prepare the stomach to receive full meals after the prayers.

Ritual prayers: The same three units of prayers are prayed in congregation throughout the world, however, the rituals vary, and Muslims are as diverse as they can be.

In the standing position, one stands with his or her hands folded over chest, tummy or navel while the Imam (prayer leader) recites the first chapter of the Qur'an in Arabic. At the end of this recitation, in most mosques the entire congregation says “Ameen” out loud in melodious unison. However, in this Mosque, the Ameen was said silently. It reminded me of the Mosque in my town where we followed the same practice, however it has changed there now. In last November I was in Bangalore, the practice was to say Ameen out loud. I felt like Rip Van Winkle.

At the end of the prayers, God’s name is recited in three versions on the fingers or the worry beads for a total of 100 times followed by the common prayers, where the Imam says short verses followed by Ameen by the congregation on each verse. This is not common in all the Mosques where everyone gets up at the end of the prayers. I will chronicle the uniqueness of each group and sub-group as I visit a mosque a day for the Iftaar, Insha Allah.

On a slow day, I will share the pictorial diagrams of various prayer postures.

....................

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
..................................

MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
..................................

TERMS:

Sahri - Pre-Dawn meal before early morning prayer (fajr).
Iftaar - Sunset Meal as a conclusion of the fast.

Sawm - fasting from sunrise to sunset - No food, no water, no nothing and no intake of any food or water. More critically it is a practice to abstain from ill-will, malice, anger, temptations and human desires. Don't hear, see, speak or act less than goodness.

Rituals - There are several variations in rituals and they vary from place to place. In Bangalore where I am from, the whole family gets up early around 4:00 AM and together cook extensive meals for Sahri /Suhoor, while others choose to cook earlier night and just warm it up and eat in the morning. The Iftaar is done elaborately at mosques, homes or other gatherings where friends from different faiths are invited to break bread and nurture goodwill.

Thomas Jefferson’s Iftar

2011-08-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

“Ramadan,” said President Obama at a White House iftar dinner in 2010, “is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan — making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago.”

The dinner to which the president referred took place on December 9, 1805, and Jefferson’s guest was Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, an envoy from the bey (chieftain) of Tunis who spent six months in Washington. The context of Mellimelli’s visit to the United States was a tense dispute over piracy on American merchant vessels by the Barbary states and the capture of Tunisian vessels trying to run an American blockade of Tripoli.

Mellimelli arrived during Ramadan, and Jefferson, when he invited the envoy to the president’s house, changed the meal time from the usual hour of 3:30 p.m. to “precisely at sunset” in deference to the man’s religious obligation.

Jefferson’s knowledge of Islam likely came from his legal studies of natural law. In 1765, Jefferson purchased a two-volume English translation of the Quran for his personal library, a collection that became, in 1815, the basis of the modern Library of Congress.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)

Obama on Ramadan

2011-08-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

President Obama Monday is marking the beginning of Ramadan, the month-long Muslim holiday of fasting and reflection.

In a statement issued by the White House, the president said, "Times like this remind us of the lesson of all great faiths, including Islam - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us."
He also said he will be hosting an iftar dinner at the White House, an event he hosted last year as well.

Obama's full statement:

As Ramadan begins, Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world. Ramadan is a festive time that is anticipated for months by Muslims everywhere. Families and communities share the happiness of gathering together for iftar and prayers. Bazaars light up the night in many cities from Rabat to Jakarta. And here in the United States, Muslim Americans share Ramadan traditions with their neighbors, fellow students, and co-workers.

For so many Muslims around the world, Ramadan is also a time of deep reflection and sacrifice. As in other faiths, fasting is used to increase spirituality, discipline, and consciousness of God's mercy. It is also a reminder of the importance of reaching out to those less fortunate. The heartbreaking accounts of lost lives and the images of families and children in Somalia and the Horn of Africa struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and compel us to act. Now is the time for nations and peoples to come together to avert an even worse catastrophe by offering support and assistance to on-going relief efforts.

Times like this remind us of the lesson of all great faiths, including Islam - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. In that spirit, I wish Muslims around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House. Ramadan Kareem.

Day 1 of Ramadan 2011

2011-08-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-1-of-ramadan-2011.html

Ramadan Mubarak
Monday, August 1, 2011 | Ramadan 1, 1432

Sahri - Pre-Dawn meal before early morning prayer (fajr).
Iftaar - Sunset Meal as a conclusion of the fast.

Sawm - fasting from surise to sunset - No food, no water, no nothing and no intake of any food or water. More critically it is a practice to abstain from ill-will, malice, anger, temptations and human desires. Don't hear, see, speak or act less than goodness.

Rituals - There are several variations of the terms, and rituals vary from place to place. Whole family gets up early around 4:00 AM and together cook extensive meals for Sahri /Suhoor and some just pre-cook earlier night and choose to eat on time. The Iftaar is done elaborately at mosques, homes or other gatherins places where friends from different faiths are invited to break bread and nurture goodwill.

Purpose of this site: To share diverse experience of Ramadan with our friends and families Muslims and others.
......................................... ...

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Sahri - Bagel Sandwich
Iftaar - Grilled Fish

Alhamdu Lillah, (Praise the Lord) today is the first day of fasting in the month of Ramadan 2011. It's Monday, Yasmeen my wife, dropped me off early in the morning at Louisville Airport, and on the way we grabbed a Bagel sandwich from McDonald's for Sahri aka suhoor (early morning meal). I reached Dallas at 8:00 AM

Theoretically Ramadan should commence on the same day for all Muslims, but it seldom happens. It is the same moon that every one follows, but sighting technicalities makes it different for different groups, usually a day or two apart. Most Muslims wish it were on the same day. I suggest that we learn to appreciate that wish, but ask people to resist the temptation to think anything less of others who begin a day earlier or later. The article “Politics of Ramadan” is about to be published, God willing I will share that on this blog. Ramadan is about humility.

For Iftaar (meal to break the fast) I went to Richardson Mosque, the oldest Mosque in Dallas built in the mid eighties. I was early and went straight to see Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci (links below) in his chambers. He is such a delight to talk with and he has more than once said that he finds that he could talk with me about anything comfortably.

Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci has been recognized as one of the 500 influential Muslim leaders in the world. He is a lawyer, a scholar of Islam and an Imam. He has now established an institution with his name to impart education to the youth born and raised here in the D/FW Metroplex. The future American religious scholars will be influenced by his wisdom and he has both male and females students learning to be the future leaders. One of them is Rashad Hassan, US Ambassador to OIC, Organization of Islamic countries.

We talked about the Sharia conference briefly and the need for Muslims to have a plan, rather than react to situations. The situation in Murphree, Terry Jones and other topics and ended up talking the Chapter I am writing on Muslim Agenda which puts together a blue print for Muslims to define where we need to be twenty years from now and how we are going to get there. The need to become participants and contributors towards the safety, security and prosperity of America is crux of the Agenda. He was enthused about the plan and mentioned about the Late Dr. Dilnawaz Siddiqui who was planning on writing one. The phrase Insha Allah jumped quickly and repeatedly out of my mouth. I panicked.

Well, he and I shared his fruit plate and yogurt for breaking the fast. I enjoyed it very much. He is a great host!

Being the work day, there were about 150 people at the congregational evening (Maghrib) prayers which he led.

After the prayers I ate my meal in the car which I had picked up from Silver Spoon Restaurant I used to frequent some 15 years ago. Waqar and Ursula have run that operation for over 20 years and I enjoy their home cooked meals, listened to NPR while I enjoyed the curried grilled fish.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp

** * I did not realize that I have written at least 7 articles about him.

.........

Honoring Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci today http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/04/honoring-imam-dr-yusuf-zia-kavakci.html

.........

Article dedicated to Imam Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2010/04/there-is-only-one-islam.html
..................

Can Muslim pray in Cordoba Masjid?
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/01/can-muslims-pray-in-cordoba-masjid.html
....................

THE PLAN :: Iftaar at a mosque from every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others.
..................................

MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
..................................

Ramadan Message

2011-07-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Let's start cleaning our hearts from prejudice and judgment against our own and everyone else. Let there be no politics in religion. Let us fulfill a major task God assigns to the humanity, the best among you is the one who knows each other and cares for the other.

Insha Allah, I will write three articles this month covering every aspect of Ramadan; the politics, the rituals and spiritual contentment. The first one deals with the issue of Moon sighting and hope you’d like the message of respecting all the four traditions; Calendar, sighting yourselves, accepting others sighting and NASA, each systems is valid and dear to the followers. Let’s not denigrate the other or brag our tradition is superior. Ramadan is about humility in our attitudes and behavior. Insha Allah the articles will be published in Huffington post.

This is truly a test of our humility and our Taqwa. Should our Ramadan make us find deficiencies with other traditions? Should our Ramadan find faults with others? Should it free us? Should our Ramadan impel us to be a tyrant and push others to observe (Saudi and a few other nations)? Should our Ramadan strengthen us in our discipline and encourage others to enjoy their food, accompany them to restaurants and live a normal life? Are we strong enough in our faith to let others do what they want, without affecting an ounce of our faith? Alhamdu Lillah, last year I was with my clients and friends for lunch, I encouraged them not to give up anything for me and urged them to eat great foods and live their life. Fasting is for me and those who follow it and not for others. Thank God, my determination remained un-shaken.

Ramadan is about reflection about ourselves and who we are and who we want to be. I urge each one of us to reflect on what Ramadan should mean to us? Let's not reduce Ramadan to be a mere ritual or an obligation, let it do what it was intended to; to build a kind and gentler being out of us.

LET’S PRAY:

Let’s pray that Ramadan becomes our Jihad and strips our ill-will, malice, hatred towards others.

Let’s pray that Ramadan brings goodwill, peace and great attitude towards entire humanity.

Let’s pray that Ramadan generates goodwill towards fellow Muslims.

Let’s pray that Ramadan truly guides us to believe that God alone is the judge of one’s faith

Let’s pray that Ramadan dumps our prejudices, after all we are not responsible for others

Let’s pray that Ramadan makes us respect every Muslim tradition from Ahmadiyya to Wahhabi.

Let’s pray that Ramadan makes us an all embracing Muhkookhul Aalameen

AMEN

Alhamdu Lillah, I will be at Richardson Mosque on Monday Iftaar and will make the schedule to visit ever possible mosque where Ramadan is observed without any prejudice. I will create a schedule of mosques, if you wish to join. I will be in Louisville, Kentucky Mosques as well. If I drive, I will set up the meeting at the Murfree Mosque by Nashville, TN.

We always talk about unity and now let’s match it with action. I am in Dallas and ask at least two individuals (men and women) from each denomination to go as a group in visiting a Mosque a day. Since most of you cannot make it every day, I would urge us to gather together a total of eight times on the weekends and we will visit the following Mosques; Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad and others if we know any. If you are not in Dallas, please make an effort to visit every possible denomination. Please make an effort to bring people of other faiths to join, just to be a part of the Ramadan friendship circle.

We will learn about our experiences and share with each other and others. We will also learn about respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has prophesized. I will be happy to be the scribe and get them published. Alhamdu Lillah, I was blessed to have done that last year and add to that the Suhoor at Imam Bukharis house in Jerusalem and the prayers at Al-Aqsa. Except the Ismaili congregation I have visited most diversity humanly possible. Insha Allah we will complete the circle this year.

Islam is large enough to absorb all the strands. Indeed, we can see the wisdom in the Prophet's predictions that we will divide ourselves into 73 tribes. He understood the human fitra (nature) and prepared us to accept it instead of making arrogant claim to be the best, the best among us is the one who is pious and who serves humanity.

Each one of the strands is serving the humanity. As a Sunni, I can value the respect former Prime Minister Blair's sister in law has generated for the Shiite branch of Islam. As a Sunni, I can appreciate the work Ahmadiyya Muslims are doing in serving the humanity, feeding the hungry and being neighborly. As a Sunni, I admire the selfless work done by the Ismaili Muslim Community to uplift humanity. As a Sunni, I love the bridge building work being done by the Warith Deen Muhammad Muslims. And as a Muslim, I salute the major funding of education in India by Bohra Muslim Azim Premji. The list is endless.

There is indeed a net gain for Islam collectively, and we must appreciate them all. Islam is universal; it absorbs all of us in its embrace.

If Muslims can stand up for everyone on a principled basis, then our voices will carry the moral weight necessary to bring a positive change for the entire humanity including us. Prophet Muhammad has given us a model to emulate: The Amin, the just, the truthful and the trustworthy to build just societies for humanity.

Please note; it is easy for me to stick with the Sunni tradition and not hear rogue criticism, I am willing to put up with a few bigoted ones among us for a greater goal of at least talking about unity. We should not speak about Muslim Unity anymore, if we don't mean and act on it. Let's begin the process and learn to tolerate the intolerants among us.

Link to this message: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
This site: http://RamadanExclusive.blogspot.com

Mike Ghouse is committed to nurturing the pluralistic value of Islam.
About Mike: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp

RAMADAN COHESION 2011

2011-07-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

May this Ramadan bring blessings to humanity, Amen! It is time for us to begin addressing the unity within the Muslim community and with the communities of the world for building cohesive societies.

To have the power to effect a positive change in a given society one must be just. It is not justice when one gains at the wrongful expense of the others. Many a Muslims have lost the gut in their voice because they have failed to stand up for others.

Three things are required to earn the grace of God: belief in God, belief in the Messengers and accountability of our actions towards creating peaceful societies. Anyone who submits to these ideals is broadly defined as a Muslim – someone who subscribes to the idea of oneness of humanity, to talk, act and feel like one family who lives cohesively with the given differences for the good of the family. Every Muslim that I know of, and that is a lot of Muslims in every denomination is driven by the Shahada; That God is one and Prophet Muhammad is the last one.

RAMADAN COHESION

Let's start cleaning our hearts from prejudice and judgment against our own and everyone else. If the self appointed guardians of Islam cannot unite us to do good for humanity, let them not divide us either. Let there be no politics in religion. Let us fulfill a major task God assigns to humanity, the best among you is the one who knows each other and cares for the other.

RAMADAN 2011

We always talk about unity and now let’s match that with action. I am in Dallas and ask at least two individuals (men and women) from each denomination to go as a group in visiting a Mosque a day. Since most of you cannot make it every day, I would urge us to gather together a total of eight times on the weekends and we visit the following Mosques – Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad. If you are not in Dallas, please make an effort to visit every possible denomination. Please make an effort to bring people of other faiths to join, just to be a part of the Ramadan friendship circle.

We will learn about our experiences and share with each other and others. We will also learn about respecting the otherness of other and accepting the God given uniqueness that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has prophesized. I will be happy to be the scribe and get them published. Alhamdu Lillah, I was blessed to have done that last year and add to that the Suhoor at Imam Bukhari’s house in Jerusalem and the prayers at Al-Aqsa. Except the Ismaili congregation I have visited most diversity humanly possible. Insha Allah we will complete the circle this year.

Islam is large enough to absorb all the strands. Indeed, we can see the wisdom in the Prophet's predictions that we will divide ourselves into 73 tribes. He understood the human fitra (nature) and prepared us to accept it instead of making arrogant claim to be the best, the best among us is the one who is pious and who serves humanity.

Each one of the strands is serving the humanity. As a Sunni, I can value the respect former Prime Minister Blair's sister in law has generated for the Shiite branch of Islam. As a Sunni, I can appreciate the work Ahmadiyya Muslims are doing in serving the humanity, feeding the hungry and being neighborly. As a Sunni, I admire the selfless work done by the Ismaili Muslim Community to uplift humanity. As a Sunni, I love the bridge building work being done by the Warith Deen Muhammad Muslims. And as a Muslim, I salute the major funding of education in India by Bohra Muslim Azim Premji. The list is endless.

There is indeed a net gain for Islam collectively, and we must appreciate them all. Islam is universal; it absorbs all of us in its embrace.

If Muslims can stand up for everyone on a principled basis, then our voices will carry the moral weight necessary to bring a positive change for the entire humanity including us. Prophet Muhammad has given us a model to emulate: The Amin, the just, the truthful and the trustworthy to build just societies for humanity.

LINK TO THIS NOTE - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-cohesion-2011.html

# # #

Mike Ghouse is committed to nourish the pluralistic values enshrined in Islam. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Green Ramadan

2011-07-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

http://muslimmatters.org/2011/06/30/make-your-deen-green-illinois-house-passes-green-ramadan-resolution/

On June 1, the Illinois House passed the Green Ramadan resolution allowing the ninth month of the Islamic calendar as a “Green Month” for all faith communities in Illinois.

“It is a great day for people of faith and for Illinois’s Muslim. Illinois is the first state in the nation that recognizes the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting in Islam, as the month of protecting our environment and our earth for all faith groups.” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Chairperson of the CIOGC. “It is incumbent on us to translate the great teachings of Islam, especially during the month of Ramadan, into serious and practical steps to address the challenges that are facing our world like poverty, hunger, wars and global warming. Let us reflect during the month of fasting, not only on how to decrease our calories, but on how to shrink our carbon prints.”

CIOGC is proud to be the principal force in this accomplishment as stated in the resolution. “We recognize the leading role of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago in raising awareness about green issues and the environment within the faith community… we designate the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, as a Green Month in the State of Illinois in order to promote awareness among faith communities about environmental issues, the reduction of carbon production, and the reduction of wasted water.”

To show appreciation, the Council asks the community to again thank the sponsors of this resolution.
Here are 7 simple steps to form a Green Ramadan Committee in your masjid.

Muslim Speaker Mike Ghouse

2011-04-14T19:28:00.001-07:00

NURTURING PLURALISTIC VALUES EMBEDDED IN ISLAM

A Muslim Speaker, thinker, organizer and an activist committed to building cohesive societies with a belief that what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world and vice versa to sustain peace, harmony and prosperity.

To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; Life and Matter. Over 1000 articles have been published on a range of topics in Islam and Pluralism. Insha Allah, a book outlining the Muslim vision is on the horizon.

In defense of Islam, pursuing a civil dialogue

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece

Over and over you hear it said: If Muslims oppose terrorism, why don't they stand up and say it?

If that has been you, Mike Ghouse ought to be your hero.

It is hard to imagine that anyone has worked harder than the Carrollton resident to demonstrate the peaceful and moderate side of Islam.

And that effort includes personally visiting Dallas' First Baptist Church last Sunday just to put a friendly face on the "evil, evil religion" that the Rev. Robert Jeffress denounced a few weeks before.

"It was wonderful," Ghouse said of the visit. "We were so warmly received."
He hopes a quick chat with Jeffress will be the start of deeper discussion about Islam and the importance of respect between religions.

"I want to have a dialogue with him, not to say he is wrong but to share another point of view," Ghouse said.

The 57-year-old Muslim was born in India and has lived in the United States for 30 years. He owns a small property management firm. But most of his day is devoted to building bridges between people of different faiths.

"It is my passion," he said in his distinctive raspy voice.

He has been a guest a dozen times on Sean Hannity's TV and radio talk shows. "I don't like the way Sean cuts me off, but I have to honor him for giving the American public a semblance of another point of view."

Ghouse said he can understand fear and criticism of Islam because he went through a time of similar feelings. As a teen, he was troubled by passages of the Quran. He called himself an atheist for a while.

But he said deeper study led him to realize the Quran had been purposely mistranslated down through history.

In the Middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders.

Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews.

"It was all for politics," he said.
Ghouse said he hopes to present Jeffress with a modern, faithful translation and challenge him to find evil verses.

"If he can, I will convert. I will join his church," Ghouse said. "If he can't, I will call on him to retract his statements and become a peacemaker."

Ghouse acknowledges that deep problems persist within Islam. "Three steps forward, two steps back," he said with a sigh.

And he agrees that mainstream Muslims have not done enough to counter violent images of their faith.

"That is very true," he said. "But part of it is that many Muslims have given up hope that we will ever be heard."

He said repeated denunciations of terrorism seem to fall on deaf ears.

And some efforts have backfired - like the proposed Islamic information center in New York. He said it should be hailed for furthering the moderate Muslim cause.
Instead, it has deepened hostility toward Muslims.

I have been astounded by the amount of anti-Islam propaganda that circulates via e-mail. Tons of it has come my way in the last few weeks.

One theme is that people like Mike Ghouse can't be trusted, that Islam encourages deception.

But Ghouse says actions speak louder than words. And he points to elections in Muslim nations.

More than half of Muslims live in countries with some degree of democracy. And time and time again, Islamist parties are overwhelmingly rejected in favor of secular, mainstream parties.

"The religious parties don't get more than 3 percent of the vote," Ghouse said.
Polls show deep mistrust of Muslims. "But the most important question in those surveys is: 'Do you know anything about Islam?' " Ghouse said. "Most people say no."
What keeps him going is faith in Americans, he said.

"The majority of Americans, if they know the truth, they will change their minds."

# # #

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer, thinker, futurist and an activist of Pluralism, Islam, India and Civil Societies passionately offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

He is a commentator at Fox News on the Hannity show, nationally syndicated Radio shows along with Dallas TV, Print and Radio networks and occasional interviews on NPR. He has spoken at international forums including the Parliament of Worlds Religions in Melbourne, Middle East Peace initiative in Jerusalem, International Leadership conference in Hawaii, Washington and elsewhere.

Concerned by the divisiveness, he saw the need to bring Americans together and founded America Together Foundation committed to building a cohesive America, indeed it is in response to ACT America which is bent on pitching one American against the other. We will be holding series of educational programs, conferences and workshops to address the issues that divide us such as Civil Right, GLBT, Quraan, Abortion, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racial Profiling and Stereotyping.

The Annual Unity Day USA is in its 7^th year now, it is a purposeful event to bring Americans together, on this Unity Day, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity and wellbeing of our nation.

Thanksgiving Celebration is in its 15^th year showcasing cultural diversity.

The 5^th Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides is to learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and commit to avert such tragedies. Through this event non-Jewish people have consciously learned about Holocaust for the first time, it was also for the first time that people of 14 faiths came together to join in to commemorate the Holocaust that commemorated within the Jewish Community for years. They are not alone anymore in their anguish, we are all in it together with them, and it is a Muslim initiative to effect a positive change.

The programs, seminars and workshops conducted by the Foundation for Pluralism have become a part of the America Together Foundation. While the Foundation for Pluralism continues championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, the commitment to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress continues.

# # #

Fuller Profile is at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp

Mike is working on two books scheduled to be released this year; The American Muslim Agenda and My Journey to Pluralism.

Mike has written over 1000 Articles on Pluralism, Islam, India, Peace & Justice and civil societies published in a wide spectrum of Newspapers and Magazines around the world.

Locally, he is a panelist at Dallas Morning News's and writes weekly on a range of issues facing the nation. Washington Post, Huffington Post and other news papers and sites regularly publish his work.

Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your place of worship, school, work place, seminars, workshops or conferences. His work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

The Traditions of Ramadan

2010-09-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

The Traditions of Ramadan
Mike Ghouse

It’s celebration time when Muslims around the world anxiously wait for the first moon of the ninth Lunar month to appear on the sky. The families gather in their backyards, or get on the nearest hillock or climb on the top of their homes and wait for the pencil thin moon to appear on the horizon, and when it does, jubilation begins.

It is Chandni Raat or the moonlit festivities, even though the moon disappears within an hour; it is still the moonlit night and the spirit of celebrations continue.

As the Christians do the count down from the first day of Christmas or Hindus express devotion for each one of the nine days through Vijay Dashami or the Jews follow eight days of Chanukah, Jains observe eight days of Paryushan, and others follow similar path, the Muslims count the next 29 to 30 days with a sense of piety.

With small variations in practices, families rise up early around 4:00 AM and gather in the kitchen to participate in cooking, sharing the meal and being together as a family unit. Every one has to finish off the food and water intake five minutes prior to sunrise or the morning call for prayers. The youngest one in my family waited for the last second with a glass of water ready to gulp down before the first call for prayers, followed by morning prayers at home or Mosque, and then everyone was free for rest of the day.

Throughout the day a conscious effort is made to abstain from food, water or temptations that are detrimental to self-discipline. Those who do not observe fasting, honor the ones who do, by not eating or drinking in their presence.

One should remain steadfast despite temptations, many a fast observing Muslims are open to their friends eating, indeed it adds to one’s will power to resist the temptation to eat, thus enriching ones’ faith and discipline.

It is customary for a Muslim to ask the other if he were observing the fast, perhaps it may be the desire to be sensitive to the other. However, I would urge one to live his or her own life and not even ask the other and cause discomfort, after all no one but you is responsible for your actions.

One of the most beautiful aspect of Ramadan is the domino effect other Muslims have on you to guard yourselves from greed, anger, ill-will, malice, hate, jealousy and other ills of the society. One feels pious during the month. Of course, there would always a small percentage in a group, who do not receive that wisdom.

Most Muslims pray five times a day and a few do three or two and some none. Prayers are congregational or individual and are performed in the morning, noon, afternoon, evening and the night, bracketing one from getting off the track.

When the time to break the fast approaches towards the sun down, anxiety builds up, it is almost like the count down of seconds when the space shuttle takes off. Muslims make an attempt to be in the congregation or team up with some. A prayer call signifies time to break the fast.

Prophet Muhammad had initiated a healthy way of breaking the fast; it was graduating the empty stomach with munchies like dates, fruits and veggies to prepare the digestive system for a full meal after the prayer break. Dates are the most popular item around the world, they are chewy, meaty and tasty after a long day of fasting, and dates are also a preferred item as it was for the Prophet.

The breaking of fast, also known as “Iftaar” has become a community event, where Muslims invite their non-Muslim friends to join in their celebration of the day. President Clinton started the tradition of holding an Iftaar party carried forward by President Bush and now President Obama. It is a major social event for the politicians, just as it is with Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali and other festivities.

The night prayers during Ramadan are called Taraweeh, the prayers are much longer than the other times, typically twenty two units of prayers as opposed to four units during the regular nights. All the thirty Chapters of Qur’aan are recited from the Imam’s memory (Hifz) during this month.

At the end of 29th or 30th day, depending on the moon sighting, NASA or other traditions, the fasting would come to an end with the celebration. It is a major event and Muslims gather in a large space and perform their thanksgiving prayer. The traditional greetings are “Eid Mubarak” (Eid is pronounced as in eel but with a d – it is eed), a near equivalent of Merry Ramadan.

On this day one formally forgives and gets forgiven and starts the year with good will. Every one hugs three times; I am your friend, you are my friend and together we are friends.

Traditionally every one in the family wears new clothing, a symbol of starting over with a clean slate. The oldest one in the family passes on gifts and cash to younger members of the family to spend as they wish and to teach responsibility with freedom.

It is also a time to share one’s wealth with the needy; it is like the tithe and is called Zakat. Every family takes out 2.5% of the value of their assets and passes on to the destitute usually through institutions such as a mosque. It is considered an investment in human capital, to help uplift every one on a level playing field to maintain a sustainable good in the society.

On the culinary side, it is a feast! A variety of dishes are prepared, over the years I have discovered that the most common item around the globe is a dessert made out of vermicelli’s, i.e., hair thin noodles cooked in Milk with nuts, dates, honey and other goodies, it is both in liquid and solid formats.

Though the annual ritual of fasting takes thirty days its true destination is endless. May we always hunger to discover our heart. May we always aspire to find our balance, connect with each other, open our hearts and minds to fellow beings; the joy that comes with it is ours to keep.

For fasting to be truly universal, its benefits must extend beyond the fraternal ties of Muslims and must extend to forging a common humanity with others. Fasting is meant to impart a sense of what it means to be truly human, and its universality is reflected by its observance in Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Zoroastrian and other faiths.

This is two of the three articles on Ramadan. The first one was published in Washington post - http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/08/the_essence_of_ramadan_is_to_become_humble.html

Happy Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah and Navaratri.
Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer on Islam and Pluralism and is a frequent guest at Media offering pluralistic solutions to the issues of the day. His work is listed on 22 of his blogs and two websites listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

28th day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:53:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Draft points to write later

The Bohra Masjid in Irving.
This was quite an enriching experience...

Beautiful Mosque,
Verses from Quraan written on the crown of the walls

All men wore white kurta pajama and a gold laced cap,
I have never seen such a uniformity and admire them for doing that, reminded me of a Ramadan picture from Indonesia where thousands of women were shown wearing white hijab and white clothes and wondered if it was real.. well here it was real. The Jain community does the same, at the Parliament in Melbourne, they all had donned white clothes, same goes with the Brahmakumaris..

Imam Asghar Ali represented Muslims in the 3rd Annual Unity day
Taher Bhai and friends were kind to me in introducing and
speaking to the members of the masjid and inviting them to the unity day
I surprised myself that I gave a speech in Urdu without thinking about it..

There is a cohesivness in the community

there was a strong sense of community, the sense of belonging to each other
just about every one is a doctor, engineer, entreprenuer or an IT person.
this is something I miss acutely in the Sunni tradition... in general.

great food,
and was such a delight to see Malida - a mixture of wheat grains, brown sugar and nuts.. that my mother and grand mother used to make and I enjoyed it... I would say it was some thirty years ago I had the Malida.

It felt like home.. Taher Bhai, Mustafa and Mr. Ford walked me to the car... that was super nice of them.

Tonite is a special nite for them, it was their 30th day and they will be up all night praying.

This community is very service oriented and it was a delight to see them serve and build at the habitat for humanity, at Schools and other places.

Wearing a beard and or wearing a Hijab and serving others truly builds a postive identifiable image for Muslims.

One was talking about President Bush, recognizing him for his beard and cap and asking him how is his highness - reocognizing Syedena Burhanuddin, the spiritual leader for the Bohra community.

It was so good to hear them talking about serving others, that invariably will build a positive image for Muslims as contributing members of the society towards peace and growth of America.

Much More later..

Just about all men wore long beard and the caps, indeed the Imam asked me the three thing I noticed... and beard was one, the clothing and the cohesivness and the respect they give to their imam and the leaders

Washing the hands in a bowl, that I remember from my childhood, then sitting around a large plate and sharing the meal... something I remember when I was 6-7 years old we did in our family.. remember it vividly.

27th Day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:52:00.002-07:00

Monday, September 6, 2010

26th day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:52:00.001-07:00

Sunday, september 5, 2010

25th Day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:51:00.002-07:00

Saturday, September 4, 2010

24th day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:51:00.001-07:00

Friday, september 3, 2010

23rd day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:50:00.002-07:00

Thursday, September 2, 2010

22nd Day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:50:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

21st day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:49:00.002-07:00

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

20th Day of Ramadan

2010-09-08T00:49:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 30, 2010

19th Day of Ramadan Masjid Al-Qur'an

2010-08-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/19th-day-of-ramadan-masjid-al-quran.html

19th Day of Ramadan, Masjid Al-Qur'an
Sunday, August 29, 2010

My visit to the Warith Deen Muhammad Mosque Masjid Al-Qur'an in South Dallas was eventful.

I was an hour early and unlike all other Mosques, the Qur'aan lessons were on. Imam Muhammad Shakoor was speaking and asking the men and women sitting around the tables to read verses from Sura 22 titled Hajj and then he would ask questions and would answer them. It was quite an interactive session.

Imam Shakoor is easy relaxed and humorous in his conversation. I enjoyed the way he was talking about how the Shaitaan attacks ... from the front, back, left and right... and from every where... he was literally doing the chicken dance and it sure was fun to see the Imam with life.

He talked about the Ground Zero Mosque and suggested patience is the virtue, and believed that when facts emerge, things will fade. He referred to 9:32, 6;122-125 and several other verses. He also shared the story of Samson and Delilah and Adam in this context. Where they were given bountiful and were asked to stay away from one item... and they did not, like wise God asks us not to rush to conclusions until all facts are in; patience is the virtue.

Right at 7:56 we broke the fast and the dates and snacks were all set on the kitchen table that men and women took along with water.

You may find in tune with my observation here, at the position h (in the figure) of the Salat, most of us recite Attahiyat followed by two daroods and a Duwa and then Salaam to the right and then to the left.

Imam Shakoor takes the same time as the people behind him, however, I have been to places and wondered what the Imams recite? I could do the recitation twice, and they are still sitting around... next time I will ask the Imams what takes them so long? or What do they recite that I am not familiar with!

From what I have learned, especially during the Ramadan, the evening (Maghrib) prayers are to be prayed with short Chapters (suras) and complete the Salat to make it easy for the person fasting... where do most of them miss it? Particularly when a guest leads the prayers, he takes it forever, what for?

After the prayers we all gathered around the table and ate our meals and several interfaith Jokes were shared it was an easy friendly atmosphere. There was that sense of the community in that Mosque.

Visiting churches, synagogues, temples and other places of worship, I accutely notice the sense of community, where as most of the mosques I have been to - a majority of them dash in a minute before the time to break the fast and out again after the prayer. There is a lack of sense of community in some places. Not a bad idea to at least take 30 mintues before breaking the fast to touch upon the current isssue.

The pictures in the link follow my route to the Mosque.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624837500464/

Mike Ghouse is speaker and thinker on Pluralism and Islam offering pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. His work is captured in 22 blogs and 3 websites listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

18th Day of Ramadan - Carrollton Mosque

2010-08-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

18th Day of Ramadan - Carrollton Mosque
Saturday, August 29, 2010

Behind on writing....

I am glad Azhar Aziz walked up and shared that there over 100 people on that Iftaar where as I had written 7-8 people at the Carrollton Mosque.

It was the 2nd day of Ramadan, where only 7 or 8 people attended the Mosque for Iftaar, he and I saw each other on Friday or Saturday, when there were over 100 people. I glad we spoke before he said that to others, as it was based on a different day.

Jazak Allah Khair

17th day of Ramadan – Shia Mosque in Irving

2010-08-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 27, 2010
17th day of Ramadan - Shia Mosque in Irving
Momin Center

Momin Center of Irving was my Iftaar destination today, Shia Muslims pray here.

My daughter Mina’s words reverberate in my years, “gee dad, god can be worshipped in so many different ways,” Indeed the creator remains a mystery to most of us, but he created enough symbolism for people to latch on to.

The prayers were uniquely Shia, the typical Duwa (supplication) is done at the end of the prayers in most Mosques I have been to except the Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, in both places the supplication was done at the end of the 2nd unit of prayer and ended the prayers at the third unit (Evening prayer is three units).

It was also a new experience to me that the Imam was reciting the phrases that individuals recite quietly in most other mosques like the phrases while kneeling and prostrating. I have been to Shia Mosques before, but this is a new experience indeed. Additionally they combine Noon and a afternoon prayers and again evening and nightly prayes together.

I took about three pictures and one of the men walked up and said we cannot take the pictures of the Mosque; I understood their rules and stopped it. Then the President of the center Mukthar Dhanji said that he will email me the pictures and as soon as I get them, I will upload it.

The food was good and got to chat with several people that I have known over the years including Reza Ali, the Naat Khwaan (reciter of poems praising the prophet) and Amin Ali who was the photographer for on of the Banquets for Cricket I had arranged years ago.

After the prayers dinner buffet was open and it was typical Indian (or Pakistani) food, Chicken Biryani (chicken fried rice), great tasting lentil and lamb and the desserts which I resisted.

Mike Ghouse

Iftaar food

2010-08-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Most of us go to the Mosques for iftaar (for breaking the fast) out of sheer feeling of a sense of community, food is secondary.

Most of this Ramadan, I have been visiting one mosque or the other, the food was great in general with a few exceptions; the food served seems to be something one dumps on the needy and not feed personal friends.

What is the need to serve food? If you are going to serve, serve it right, let it be out of love rather than for earning the elusive brownie points. In reality the love smothered food actually buoys one up than the dumped food. God knows and God sees it all, more than God you are accepting less than the deserved joy.

The best alternative is to serve dates, fruits and water. I would rather go and eat out as I have done frequently than share the meal that is less than good.

Mike Ghouse

16th day of Ramadan Richardson Mosque

2010-08-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

16th day of Ramadan Richardson Mosque Thursday, August 26, 2010

I went to Richardson Mosque to break the fast there were about 100 people for the Iftaar.

Met with Dr. Imam Yusuf Zia Kavakci and shared with him the Aqsa experience.

15th day of Ramadan at Office

2010-08-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
15th day of Ramadan at Office

Catching up writing

Sahri in the plane over New England around 4:45 AM
Landed in Dallas at 9:45 AM

14th day of Ramadan missed fasting

2010-08-26T16:11:00.002-07:00

14th day of Ramadan missed fasting
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I had not slept for more than 4 hours a day for the last full week
went to sleep at 4:00 AM and did not get up until 8:30 AM.

Today's schedule called for doing things we wanted to do and a few of us chose to go to Haifa, and we are hoping to go back there and see Bethlehem, Masada and Yad Vashem.

Pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624688827209/

13th day of Ramadan around Israel

2010-08-26T16:11:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 23, 2010
13th day of Ramadan around Israel

Amazing food for Sehri at the Hotel Dan Jerusalem; fresh vegetables and fish... that fish was so good. It was indeed a very long day going up from Jerusalem to Golan Heights, Sea of Galilee and the Mount of the beatitudes and other places.

We went to Jericho, proclaimed by them to be the oldest city in the world and passed by the Mount temptation where Jesus was tempted by the devil to give up meditation but failed.

Stopped by Jordan River at the very spot Jesus was baptized, and I walked right in along with several others. I was the second in line and asked the Pastor to dunk me in the name of Allah and without blinking an eye he did, Imam Jensen followed the suit along with Karen and others. It was quite an awesome feeling to be purified where Prophet (to me) Jesus was Baptized.

Tiberias is a historical place where historical Jewish people have lived and have been buried, it is the place where the Mishnah (Talmud) was born, thus the Jewish oral religious tradition began.

We did not get to go on the replica boat believed to have been the boat used by Jesus, found a few years ago at the bottom of the sea of Galilee.

Mount Beatitudes was awesome with a huge valley and the sea of Galilee on the south. Apparently Jesus saw the beauty of looking towards the sea through the valley, and an Italian Architect is redesigning the churches with that point of view; a window to see the outside. Here is where Jesus delivered his famous sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:1-3) blessed are the peace makers.

The six of us prayed on the grass knoll outside a Restaurant while the other members had a wonderful sea food luncheon there.

Nazreth was just incredible where Jesus was born.

The whole valley around the Sea of Galilee is beautiful and Jesus taught along this valley. It is lush green with mango and banana groves. We missed Yad Vashem and Masada.

We were running late to do the Iftaar (breaking the fast) at the hotel and the six of us on the bus were trying to figure out how to handle it. Imam Abdullah Hasselhoff went to the microphone on the bus and explained the Adan, the Muezzin's call to prayers and shared the essence of fasting.

Mufeed, the Palestinian driver offered water and dates to break the fast. Later on at the dinner event (I think it was the next day).

Iftaar became a part of the meeting. Here is a good story to share; the speeches were going beyond the Iftaar time and we had to break the fast. A Rabbi sitting on a table two tables down along with other Muslims text messages his wife to find the sunset, and then relays that to the people on his table. He also took the initiative to call on the wait staff to bring the water for breaking the fast. That is the spirit we all need to develop.

12th day of Ramadan at Bukhari house

2010-08-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

12th day of Ramadan at Bukhari house
Sunday, August 22, 2010

Sheikh Aziz Bukhari passed away in May 2010, he was an Ambassador for Peace and became my friend at the Parliament of world’s religions in Melbourne, Australia in December 2009.

Aziz Bukhari is the great, great great grand son of Imam Bukhari, the compiler of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called Hadiths.

He is buried along with his father and his father...going back to 900 years of heritage, his house is about 1200 years old house with the Masoleum next door.

She fixed the traditional "sehri meal" and the bread was smothered with olive oil and nuts browned over the hot plate. It reminded me of my Sehri at my Mom's house. The lentil soup was delicious, it reminded me of the best lentil soup at Fair Park in Dallas and Mavalli Tiffin Room in Bangalore.

I had quite an interaction with him at the Flag ceremony in Melbourne. His wife had arranged for Suhoor (pre-dawn food intake for fasting) at her house, nearly 1200 year old house on Via Dolorosa.

He had told me about the original manuscripts he had, and lo and behold, some of it was on display at his house. Aziz belongs to the Nakshbandi order of Sufi tradition of Islam.

Their daughter Danial was just a pretty girl and affecationate, calling every one Uncle like they do it among Desi kids.

I was saddened thinking about her future in Palestine/ Israel, though she is a citizen of Israel, the discrimintory practices of Israeli government are shameful, it is almost like the way African Americans were treated in the US in the fifties. They are pushed around and humiliated and degraded in their own land, like the native Americans were treated in their own land. May God give give guts to the moderate Israelis to bring justice to all, for justice is the only thing that brings peace and security to every one in the region.

More pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624812789764/show/

11th day of Ramadan in Jerusalem

2010-08-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 21, 2010
11th day of Ramadan in Jerusalem

There were about eight Muslims in the conference and we got together the night before and decided to have the Sahri (suhoor) pre-dawn meal at the dining room.

The Chef arranged for the meal at 3:30 Am and the following members joined in; Imam Abdullah Hasselhoff, Dawood Asad, Myself, Imam Jensen and Claudia, the Chef was delighted to fix the meal and he joined in for the fast and arranged the prayer rug at the dining room. He was really excited.

Iftaar was again at the same dining room with great food to relish. The Mediterrenean/ Palistinian foods and veggies are a treat coupled with fresh fruits.

Imam Hasselhoff warned me not to eat the fish as I would get thirsty, and he was darn right, it was a tough day, very tough day as we travelled over to Jerusalem, climbing the hills and walking the town... around 4:00 PM my lips literraly closed and could not open my mouth and started counting the minutes for the next 150 Minutes... Heck, the taste of the fish was worth putting up with thirst.

10th day of Ramadan over the Atlantic

2010-08-26T16:08:00.001-07:00

10th day of Ramadan over the Atlantic
Friday, August 20, 2010

Did not observe the fasting today.
Could not figure out the end time for the Sehri (morning meal). The shutters were down in the plane over the Atlantic ocean and when I ate the breakfast it was about 8:30 AM, too late to continue with the breakfast

Landed in Tel Avia at 3:00 PM local time.

9th day of Ramadan on the Plane

2010-08-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 19, 2010
9th Day of Ramadan on the Plane

Departed Dallas at 4:20 PM bound to Tel Aviv through Frankfurt in Lufthansa Airlines.

I was trying to figure out the time to break the fast, calculated Eastern time, I was figuring the velocity of the plane around 592 MPH, then added that time to CST... and came up with something like 7:00 PM... but the Sun was still up. So I followed the Sun, the rays and the light was filtering into the plane from the back side as the plane was on the North East flight path and about 6:45 Dallas Time, the sun was sinking somewhere in the west and that was the time to break the fast.

The Flight attendants were serving the food around 5:30 and I asked them to hold it for another hour, and she knew instantly that I was fasting. When the time came for breaking the fast, I asked for the meal and she was saying another 6 hours or so. I reminded here that I had asked them to hold the meal... meanwhile, a German young boy sitting next to me told her something in German that sounded like “bring the food now” and she did.

The tray was marked "Hindu" and I was wondering why did they mark religion, usually it would be vegetarian, Kosher or Halal. The food was good though, I have always enjoyed it at Lufthansa and I have flown on it several times over the years.

The kid next to me was amazing; he was super pleasant; put my bag up in the rack, brought me a diet coke for breaking the fast and was continuously willing to assist me. I could not change the language on the TV, so he pushes a few buttons and gets me English. He was curios about Pluralism and oddly he knew a lot about Islam.

This is the first time I did not read or write in the plane, instead I watched three movies. Bounty Hunter, Date Night and ....?

8th day of Ramadan at Office

2010-08-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

8th day of Ramadan,
Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Although I did not schedule to go any where today, I was thinking of going to the Richardson Mosque for Iftaar, I didn't, I stayed in the office and did the work to get ready to go.

Tomorrow, I will not be able to write as I will be on the plane towards Tel Aviv via Frankfurt, will do the Iftaar in the plane, I will have to calculate the sunset, it my be even visible from the plane.

God willing, I would break my fast at the AlAqsa Mosque on Saturday or Sunday, will update from Israel and Palestine.

Mike Ghouse

7th Day of Ramadan at Madina Masjid

2010-08-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

7th Day of Ramadan at Madina Masjid
Tuesday, August 17, 2010, Carrollton

Other pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157624749621880/show/

I had an open schedule for Iftaar tonight, lo and behold; I get the call from Fox TV to join them tonight at the Hannity show. Unlike the previous programs that were live, this one was taped due to tight schedules and getting three guests together with Sean Hannity; Dr. Wafa Sultan, Frank Cagney and myself. The topic was Sharia Laws and Ground Zero Mosque (a misnomer), the rest of the story is at: http://groundzeromosque.blogspot.com/2010/08/fox-news-hannity-sultan-cagney-ghouse.html

The taping was done by 7:00 PM to be aired at 8:30 PM and I decided to go to Madinah Masjid in Carrollton. It is like coming home in so many ways, most every one at the Mosque is from the Subcontinent and most of them are Urdu Speaking; my mother tongue.

Javed Hyder has been a strong supporter of this Mosque and is always out there serving the needs of Mosque, a fellow Bangalorean and we chat often. Naushad is another one. We briefly talked about the Quraan burning event coming up in Florida on 9/11, I told him if I get the funds or the tickets, I will go there and pray for the well being of the pastor, just as Prophet Muhammad set the example of praying for miscreants to have God’s blessings of good will. An article is coming up jointly written by Imam Zia Shaikh and me this week.

Things that are unique to this Mosque (I’m yet to visit 23 More Mosques this Ramadan);

Unlike other Mosques, (I have not been to all of them yet, but so far) Madinah Masjid serves Iftaar dinner every night. I mean full service, that is what the man at the counter told us to sit back and relax and they will bring the plated food and they did. The plate was filled with Chick Peas, Mutton Biryani (goat fried rice), Raita (yogurt puree) veggies and fruit salad.

At the end of the recitation of Sura Fateha, usually the worshippers say in chorus “Amen” fairly loudly and beautifully. It was not the same here and this is how it was done back home.

Most mosques do not render supplicative prayers, after the main prayers, but they do it here.

Before breaking the fast, the Imam actually recited the short prayer for breaking the fast, unusual as individuals recite within their hearts, but I had experienced the same last year in this Mosque.

I was a part of three different conversations and literally every one was aghast that the media has slapped the wrong meaning of Jihad on all of us, which is striving to be a better human to oneself and others. A few scholars, who were perhaps politically oriented, like the European kings, have misinterpreted the word to mean armed struggle. In Islam there is no such thing as offensive or aggressive war, it is always to defend oneself, however a few right wing Muslims scholars have gone against the spirit of Quraan, just like the right wing Christians, Jews and Hindus have done with their respective traditions.

Insha Allah, I will do my fitaar at each one of the mosques of Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad and other Mosques in Dallas; including the Mosque at Al-Aqsa this weekend. My theme is Mosque a day - Here is my schedule. http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html This blog will carry full stories for 29/30 days of Ramadan.

This is my 7th day of fasting, the 1st day was easy but sleepy, and the 2nd day produced light headaches, otherwise, it is smooth sail. Praise the Lord. Alhamdu Lillah.
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html

Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer and speaker on Islam, Pluralism and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. His work is reflected in 22 blogs and 3 websites listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

6th Day of Ramadan at Irving Mosque

2010-08-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 16, 2010
6th Day of Ramadan, Irving Mosque

My Iftaar destination was the Irving Mosque, largest Mosque in Texas headed by Imam Zia Shaikh, a friend and a scholar. He has been a part of at least three of the 5 Unity day celebrations, two of the three Holocaust and Genocides commemorations, and one of the twelve Thanksgiving Day celebrations. Events that support Q49:13 to get to know each other.

The arrangement for Iftaar (breaking the fast) reminded me of my home town Yelahanka (Bangalore), where they roll the runners on the floor and set up plates loaded with dates, fruits and finger food. I even recall the reddish clay plates at the Mosque some 45 years ago. People sit on either side of the runner and wait for the right moment to break the fast. Right on Sunset, a brief announcement is made that it is time to break the fast and people take a bite of the date, a sip of water and then back to the dates and other fruits while the Prayer call is made. “Come to the prayers, come to do good” followed by prayers. In the US (perhaps in Canada and UK) dinner is arranged after the prayers usually on the weekends, other days, it is just breaking the fast.

Imam Zia Shaikh joined in a few minutes prior to breaking the fast and we exchanged the item we were talking about on the face book. I have the best fig tree in the world (Bragging?) and Imam Zia loves those figs, and he has brought me Dates from Medina and we are going to exchange them after Ramadan.

Imam Zia and I have co-authored an article “Muslim response to Wilders” http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/01/muslim-response-to-wilders.html and are currently working on another article to be published by Washington Post.

This is a huge Mosque and gets crowded on Friday congregational prayers; they have day school and teach religion to children and adults, they even have a cricket pitch (sport) on their grounds.

After the prayer I headed back to my pad and on the way stopped at Taco Cabana, my favorite place for Salsa, Pica Digallo and a variety of sauces to go with the food.

Insha Allah, I am planning to do my fitaar at each one of the mosques of Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad and other Mosques in Dallas; including the Mosque at Al-Aqsa this weekend. My theme is Mosque a day - Here is my schedule. http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html This blog will carry full stories for 29/30 days of Ramadan.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Islam and Pluralism and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. His work is encapsulated in 22 blogs and 3 websites listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/
# # #

Ramadan Humor

2010-08-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Two Guys were lost in the Sahara desert .
One is David, the other is Michael .

They were dying of hunger and thirst when they suddenly came upon an oasis, with what looked like an emirate with a mosque in the middle .

David said to Michael : "Look,let's pretend we are Muslims, otherwise we'll not get any food or drink. I am going to call myself "Mohammed."

Michael refused to change his name , he said :" My name is Michael , and I will not pretend to be other than but what I am . ...Michael."

The Imam of the mosque received both well and asked about their names .
David said : "My name is Mohammed ."
Michael said : "My name is Michael. "

The Imam turned to the helpers of the mosque and said :
" Please bring some food and water for Michael only ."

Then he turned to the other and said :
Salaams Mohammed , Ramadaan Mubarak.

5th Day of Ramadan at Ahmadiyya Mosque

2010-08-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

5th Day of Ramadan
Sunday, August 15, 2010

My Iftaar stop was at Ahmadiyya Mosque in Allen, Texas. I have been to this Mosque about three or four times before. Just about every know me and I knew most of the congregation there. Tariq reminded me about their national leader on my Radio show some 14 years ago when I had launched the first Asian Radio in Dallas.

I was hoping to be acquainted with new rituals and to my surprise; it was no different than going to any one of the Sunni Mosques in Dallas area. The only new thing was the educator was reading and explaining the chapter 95 Al-Teen and did a great job followed by breaking of the fast with dates and the Indian-Pakistani tempuras (Pakoras).

Imam Malik Mohammad led the prayers and prayer ritual was exactly the same as the Sunni tradition. After the prayer they talked about the Floods in Pakistan and their charity that serves out there. I was taken back when Imam Malik introduced me to the congregation and it was good to be with them.

A few Muslim may question following the Imam other than my own tradition, it is not the Imam, it is your own intent, niyyah that counts. It is the same argument I am having with Sean Hannity on Fox TV - the character of Imam does not matter to me, like every one, he will come and go, butit is my niyya that matters to me the visitor.

I asked them to join me going to other Mosques about breaking the fast, and most of them were aware of my schedule published at World Muslim Congress.

The dinner was traditional Indian (my reference, they call it Pakistani) chicken Qurma, Rice and Kheer. Met with Professor Qudsiyah who wants to be involved in interfaith work and Robert Hunt of Perkins school of theology at SMU had mentioned to her about my work in Pluralism as well. She is a professor of Law and speaks on Islam.

On the Dinner table Dr. Jari Khan, Tahir and three other gentlemen and their outreach coordinator carried on the conversation about Prophet Muhammad. I talked about the example set by the prophet of respecting the otherness of other; when he signed the peace treaty with the Meccans in Hudaibiya, his name was signed as Muhammad the messenger of God to which they objected, “your followers may believe that, but to us, you are Muhammad son of Abdullah” – Prophets Associates objected the removal of the phrase messenger of God, but Prophet saw another point of view and respected the otherness of other and had his signature reaffixed as Muhammad son of Abdullah. That is one of the greatest examples of Pluralistic attitudes that the Prophet wanted people to follow.

They presented me with a copy of Qur’aan with translations by Maulawai Sher Ali. The first thing I do is go to the first chapter, verse 7 as that has been one of the mistranslated verses both by a Muslim for his political desires after the fall of the ottoman empire by the European Kings in the 11th Century who deliberately mistranslated Qur’aan to egg their subjects against Muslims.
More about this at: http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/01/unlike-jews-or-christians-17.html

My Iftaar Schedule - http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker thinker and a writer on Pluralism and Islam, a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions for the issues of the day. His work is encapsulated in 22 blogs and 3 websites listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

4th Day of Ramadan, Richardson

2010-08-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 14, 2010
4th Day of Ramadan

Another beautiful day, though 100F, a record heat in Dallas over 100F for nearly two weeks straight, it was bearable though.

Rashid Dara had invited me to join for the Iftaar at FunAsia, in celebration of Pakistan independence day, several people that I had not seen in a few years were there for the Iftaar. The food at Fun Asia has always been good, and the Chef Alibhai has always respected me and usually chats with me and makes special food. I have known him for nearly 16 years.

Of course, I have always considered Fun Asia as my place, as it reflects the values of inclusion and a community center for the Subcontinentians. Dr. Farrukh Hamid and I have been friends and he likes the Pluralism work I do.

Dr. Amer Suleman jumped at the idea of visiting a mosque a day and I will catch up with him tomorrow as I will be visiting the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Allen for Iftaar. Irfan and Samina Ali are going to be attending the Unity Day on September 12th.

~~~

Of course, today is Anand Bazaar, Dallas Indian's celebration of Independence day at Lone Star park in Grand Praire, a mega big huge giant event. Nearly 20,000 People attend the event annualy. I used to be very involved in it, but for the last four years, I have become a mere visitor and I kind of like that. The spirit of freedom sours and all afternoon I have been playing the Patriotic Indian Songs. The Fire works at Anand Bazaar is fantastic.

Third day of Ramadan, Carrollton again

2010-08-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

Friday, August 13, 2010

3rd Day of Ramadan.

I decided to visit 29-30 Mosques this month for Iftaar, per my schedule I was to go to the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Allen this evening. While driving to Allen, I spoke with Mohammed Malik, the PR man for the Mosque in Allen, Texas and had an exchange with Dr. Jari Khan, president of the Center and moved the schedule to Sunday to attend their Dars (lecture), iftaar and the prayer.

I called Marzuk Jaami and Imam Shakoor to go to the Warith Deen Mohammad Mosque - they were out of town and the Public Iftaar is set for tomorrow. I guess, I will go there next week.

Then I was going to go to the Momin Center in Irving, the Shia Mosque, my friend told me that they will have the Iftaar after the evening prayer, that is almost an hour later. I thought of going to Madinah Masjid, in Carrollton, but instead due to time constraint, I went back to Carrollton Mosque for the 2nd time for Iftaar, really third time as I was there for the Friday prayers as well. At least 40 people attened the iftaar (breaking of fasting) with Dates, Water Melon and then later on enjoyed the Chicken Biryani (chicken fried rice).

Women from Nigeria and Somali wore colorful clothes and the eight of us from yesterday were part of the 40 some people today. Azhar Aziz, president of the Carrollton Islamic Council said Obama was hosting the Iftar at the white house tonite.

I see a lot of commonalities in my writings and Obama's speeches, indeed, prior to the elections and a month after that - I wrote the blog, a few days later he spoke the words, identical to mine. I feel good about it.

Here is the Obama Video and Speech, you appreciate his Pluralism

http://groundzeromosque.blogspot.com/2010/08/obama-supports-ground-zero.html

Second Day of Ramadan, Carrollton Mosque

2010-08-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

2nd Day of Ramadan

August 12, 2010

I took this picture for the sake of Dr. Amina Wadud and Mona Eltahawy. Amina is writing a Blog on Ramadan, and she mentioned about a side entrance door for women where she went to pray. In this picture at the Mosque both the doors are at the front. The one on the right is for women. This picture was taken at 8:15 PM Local time just before breaking the fast.

During Ramadan, I make a point to go to just about every mosque in the Dallas/Forth Metroplex. This mosque is located away from everything as a result it remains busy on the weekends and literally a few during the weekdays.

There were about 8 people at the Mosque for Iftaar tonight, Thursday, August 12, 2010 at the Carrollton Mosque. I resisted taking the picture for the diversity it offered; A Bangladeshi, Somali, Pakistani, Mexican, Caucasian and the Indian (me) with two other kids, could not figure where they were from.

First day of Ramadan at Fox Studios

2010-08-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

First day of Ramadan - August 11, 2010

I walked into the Fox Studios at 7:30 PM at 1201 Main, Dallas, Texas. It was on the 24th Floor and the Cameraman offered me a glass of cold water, which I kept on the table in the waiting room.

At 8:05 he got me on the seat and did all the audio video checking... powdered the forehead to cut down the shining.

I was carrying the bottle and set it on the table next to me. He kept looking at it, and offered another bottle if the water was not cold. I told him the water was fine but I was going to take a sip around 8:20 PM... I saw the puzzled look on his face, then I explained to him about the month of Ramadan and fasting. He was cool.

At 8:20 I took the sip and broke my fast for the day. Got back home and went straight to Taco Cabana to eat my dinner.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Islam and Pluralism offering pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. His blogs and sites are listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

My Ramadan

2010-08-13T11:23:00.001-07:00

Please post your story in the comments section below.

My iftaar Schedule

2010-08-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-iftaar-schedule.html

My fasting and my prayers are my personal business, however, to encourage diversity and understanding of others, I am writing this Blog, God has created each one of us and expects to know each other. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance of a different point of view and respecting the otherness of other amounts to honoring God, for it is he who created diversity intentionally. Indeed, knowing each other mitigates conflicts and nurtures goodwill resulting in peaceful societies. (Reference Quraan 49:13).

True fasting is self-purification; and from this, a rich inner life brings about values such as justice, generosity, patience, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and empathy - values that are indispensable for the success of the community.Consciousness of behavior and vigilance over action are the most profound dimensions of fasting: the fasting of the heart focuses on the attachment to the divine.

That is when Ramadan really becomes a source of peace and solace, just as Christmas goes beyond the rituals to bring forth kindness, charity and caring. For fasting to be truly universal, its benefits must extend beyond the fraternal ties of Muslims and must extend to forging a common humanity with others. Fasting is meant to impart a sense of what it means to be truly human, and its universality is reflected by its observance in Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Wiccan, Zoroastrian, other faiths and importantly the native traditions.

Last year, I had invited a people of diverse religions to my house for Iftaar, this year, Insha Allah I will visit diffrent Mosques. I have not sought permission from the Ismaili Jamaat Khana and the Bohra Mosque and I do hope I get the permission to break the fast with them.

Aug 11 - Fox Studios, Dallas
Aug 12 - Carrollton Mosque, Carrollton
Aug 13 - Ahmadiyya Mosque, Allen,
Aug 14 - FunAsia and friends, Richardson,
Aug 15 - Shia Mosque..., Carrollton,
Aug 16 - Deen Mohammad Mosque, Dallas,
Aug 17 - Irving Mosque, Irving
Aug 18 - Undecided
Aug 19 - Airport/Frankfurt
Aug 20 - Mosque/ Tel Aviv
Aug 21 - Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem
Aug 21 - undecided
Aug 22 - Mosque, Jerusalem
Aug 23 - undecided
Aug 24 - undecided
Aug 25 - New York
Aug 26 - Richardson Mosque
Aug 27 - Ismaili Jamat Khana, Plano
Aug 28 - Bohra Mosque, Irving
Aug 29 - Madina Masjid, Carrollton
Aug 30 - Makkah Masjid, Garland

And on September 11, if Ramadan still continues, Insha Allah, I will break the fast across the Church in Florida, where they are burning the Quraan and pray for Pastor Jones good will. Can some one go there and do the right thing? Or I will be happy to make the pilgrimage, does any one has miles that can buy me the ticket to go to Florida - in the afternoon, and hope to return right back or first things Sunday Morning to do the Unityday progam in Dallas on 12th - http://www.unitydayusa.com/

About Quraan Burning:
http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/08/quraan-burning-church-and-solutions.html

The politics of Ramadan

2010-08-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 13, 2010

The politics of Ramadan
Fasting begins for Muslims; the politics of Ramadan
This article is published at Washington Post Washington Post as, "The essence of Ramadan is to become
Humble"http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/08/the_essence_of_ramadan_is_to_become_humble.html

Muslims around the world will begin fasting from Wednesday, August 11, 2010 and for a whole month thereafter, however, for some it will begin only if the moon is sighted.

Since the beginning of Islam, there have been debates as to what constitutes moon sighting. Some interpret that there has got to be a minion to declare that they have seen it themselves with their own eyes, where some others do not accept it unless they have seen it themselves. In the United States there is an organization that monitors moon sighting called the Hilal committee. At one time it was acceptable if the moon was sighted elsewhere, but now, each group has to have their own moon sighting.

Politics runs deeply in our communities, be it a Temple, Synagogue or a Church, Mosques are no different. A few scientifically-inclined-Muslims have adopted NASA’s calculation, believed to be precise. However, four different traditions are operative concurrently; i) Strictly Calendar, ii) NASA and iii) Sighting with bare eyes and iv) Sighting by others in the community.

The NASA-oriented and the Calendar-group misses out the fun, joy and exhilaration of waiting and watching the needle thin moon on the horizon. The whole family gets out on the roof tops, or higher grounds, some even climb electric poles, and a few will drive out where they can see the sky without obstacles, kids would climb up on parent’s shoulders, and a few run from place to place shouting in excitement, did you see? It is like the belief in Santa Claus, Angels and other myths, each tradition fulfills one’s emotional needs and every one becomes sentimental. After all, if celebration does not have the excitement, it is less of a celebration.

America’s spirit of freedom touches every soul, no matter what religion or tradition they follow. American Muslims are no different, they prefer to have a pre-set date to start fasting and the celebration called “Eid” pronounced as Eeed as in Eeel. The idea is for them to take a day off from work or get an optional day off for their children from the schools. Always, the joy multiplies when the family and friends celebrate it together. They prefer not wait for the moon to show up to the bare eyes.

The conflict is the same every where on the earth. Each group subscribes to one of the four systems mentioned above. America is no different; you will find celebrations on one or three different days in any given city, the Sunnis, being the largest group has the greater division within, while the Shias, Ismailis, WD Mohammad, Bohra and Ahmadiyya follow the pre-determined dates. The consensus may be attributable to having central spiritual leadership in all groups except the Sunni. However like the American Public wishes to see the Republicans and Democrats drop the party lines and focus on what is good for America, the Muslims also wish they could celebrate the Eid on one single day. It ain’t going to happen, it is human to differ.It is against the spirit of Ramadan to denigrate, diminish and devalue other practices. The essence of Ramadan is to become humble, simple and free from ill-will, anger, meanness and hate. Let’s fill our hearts with goodwill and honor Ramadan by saying “Eid Mubarak” or Happy Eid to every one who celebrates on a different day in the same town. The essence of Ramadan is joy and let’s not prick any one’s bubble; God has not signed a pact with any one behind others back, let’s rejoice the differences of interpretations. If you want to celebrate every day, go to every celebration.

In the spirit of Ramadan, I pray that Ramadan gets into our hearts and minds and make us embrace all factions of Muslims without undermining their tradition and further pray that we treat every human on the earth with dignity, respect and care.

That is indeed the wisdom expressed in Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of God, is the best in conduct. God Knows and is Aware of everything you do."

The Next article is “The Rituals of Ramadan” followed by the “Spirit of Ramadan”.Ramadan Mubarak.

Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer on Islam and Pluralism and is a frequent guest at Media offering pluralistic solutions to the issues of the day. His work is listed on 22 of his blogs and two websites listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Ramadan Exclusive

EID MUBARAK

The Spirit of Ramadan - Eid Mubarak

Day 19 of Ramadan 2011

......................................... ...If you think of sharing your own Ramadan experience, time is to start now.

Day 18 of Ramadan 2011

Day 8 of Ramadan 2011

Day 6 of Ramadan 2011

DAY 6 OF RAMADAN

Day 5 of Ramadan 2011

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-5-of-ramadan-2011.html

......................................... ...

God willing, I will highlight the uniqueness of each tradition on a daily basis and I hope we as Muslims can cherish it. I encourage each one of you to experience it and write about it.

DAY 5 OF RAMADAN

Day 3 of Ramadan 2011

Politics of Ramadan on moon sighting

Day 2 of Ramadan 2011

Thomas Jefferson’s Iftar

Obama on Ramadan

Day 1 of Ramadan 2011

Ramadan Message

RAMADAN COHESION 2011

Green Ramadan

Muslim Speaker Mike Ghouse

In defense of Islam, pursuing a civil dialogue

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece Over and over you hear it said: If Muslims oppose terrorism, why don't they stand up and say it?

The Traditions of Ramadan

28th day of Ramadan

27th Day of Ramadan

26th day of Ramadan

25th Day of Ramadan

24th day of Ramadan

23rd day of Ramadan

22nd Day of Ramadan

21st day of Ramadan

20th Day of Ramadan

19th Day of Ramadan Masjid Al-Qur'an

18th Day of Ramadan - Carrollton Mosque

17th day of Ramadan – Shia Mosque in Irving

Iftaar food

16th day of Ramadan Richardson Mosque

15th day of Ramadan at Office

14th day of Ramadan missed fasting

13th day of Ramadan around Israel

12th day of Ramadan at Bukhari house

11th day of Ramadan in Jerusalem

10th day of Ramadan over the Atlantic

9th day of Ramadan on the Plane

8th day of Ramadan at Office

7th Day of Ramadan at Madina Masjid

6th Day of Ramadan at Irving Mosque

Ramadan Humor

5th Day of Ramadan at Ahmadiyya Mosque

4th Day of Ramadan, Richardson

Third day of Ramadan, Carrollton again

Second Day of Ramadan, Carrollton Mosque

First day of Ramadan at Fox Studios

My Ramadan

My iftaar Schedule

The politics of Ramadan

......................................... ...

If you think of sharing your own Ramadan experience, time is to start now.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece

Over and over you hear it said: If Muslims oppose terrorism, why don't they stand up and say it?