www.thenational.ae
By Rym Ghazal
Sleeping all day, watching too much television and breaking the fast with a cigarette are among the “most common mistakes” that diminish the value of Ramadan for many Muslims, Dubai’s Islamic affairs body says.
As part of its Ramadan package, the website of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department lists 14 examples of behaviour that are typical of many Muslim households during the holy month.
Extravagant iftar tables and the amount of time they demand from the women are at the top of the list.
Even families with modest incomes are expected to produce several dishes that include fresh ingredients, meat and a large choice of desserts and fruit, all beautifully presented.
“A mistake typically committed by women is to waste too much time in food preparation,” it says.
“They focus on making an extravagant quantity and presentation of food and drinks and end up spending their entire day in the kitchen ... forgetting to spend time in prayer and contemplation.”
Six of the 14 mistakes specifically concern women, mainly reminding them to devote more time to prayer and to refrain from wearing too much perfume and make-up and from mixing with men when they join their families at the mosque.
“Such behaviour may distract others from worship,” it says.
Religious authorities have several times expressed concern about what they have described as seemingly diminished piety among women. Over the past year there have been campaigns to recruit female Emiratis and train them as religious advisers for other women.There has also been an unprecedented effort to recruit and train women as muftis, with the same responsibilities as their male counterparts.
According to the department, among the complaints commonly heard about women is that they “use too many excuses to get out of their religious obligations”.
“Women should not overuse the excuse of menstruation and miss out on all kinds of worship and prayers that should be made during Ramadan,” it says.
Menstruating women are exempt from daily prayers, but not from other forms of worship.Sloth also features prominently. Habits such as sleeping all day and watching popular Ramadan programmes on television all evening – a habit for many households during the holy month – were particularly highlighted.
“It is unfortunate that many Muslims end up with these distractions, losing reward and benefit for their fast,” says the department.
Forgetting to make duaa (prayer) as the fast is broken, taking too long breaking the fast or breaking it with a cigarette were not condoned, especially the last.
“This is a very major mistake,” it says. “Ramadan should be taken as an opportunity to quit this habit permanently.”
According to some jurists, tobacco products are completely forbidden for Muslims because of their harm to health.
Last year, the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments issued an unprecedented fatwa that said smoking in a public place was also forbidden because second-hand smoke was harmful to others.However, one of the most popular activities during Ramadan is to gather after iftar to smoke shisha well into the night.The air inside many iftar tents resembles a cloud of smoke in the hours leading up to sohour as many establishments allow shisha, cigars, pipes and cigarettes.
Other mistakes listed include the tendency for fasting Muslims to focus only on abstaining from food, drink and sexual contact, but continuing to indulge in gossip, slander and cursing, which can render the fast void.
Parents are also reminded to allow their children to fast once they reach puberty. Many parents discourage their prepubescent offspring from joining in the rituals and traditions of Ramadan.
Shoppers are not left off the list, which reminds Muslims to avoid spending too long in the shops, especially during the last 10 days of Ramadan, which are considered to be the holiest. Many people go shopping in preparation for Eid, buying new things for themselves and others, including expensive items such as cars and houses.Instead, says the department, they should spend more time in worship and devotion, following in the footstep of the Prophet Mohammed.
“This is how to make the most of the month of Ramadan.”
Source : Khaleejtimes.com
