The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Belize is celebrating Ramadan.  Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. Imam Naveed Mangla, President, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community explained how the annual observance is being observed in Belize.

Imam Naveed Mangla – President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Belize

“One month of the year Muslims celebrate what is known as the month of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan is basically those Muslims that are physically well and are old enough meaning in mature age and are not traveling are obliged or is mandatory upon them to fast and of course women who are not going through their cycle or those that are not feeding their babies. They are also required to do fasting.

What is fasting? Fasting is basically that you stop eating from before sunrise maybe about an hour or so until all the way to sunset, you don’t eat anything, you don’t drink anything nor do you smoke and the purpose of it all is to appreciate what God has given us. At the end of the day when you get that food in your mouth you become more grateful that God has given us this and that there are many people that do not even have the basic requirements of which we have and we have never even asked God for it. So it is blessings of God that we have whatever he has given us without ever asking God for it.

Another discipline that we as Muslims learned from that is that if you are to let go of the lawful things for the sake of God, for the love of God then how could you ever think of doing the unlawful things at all so we encourage all the Muslims living in the country and we would like to extend our invitation to our Belizean brothers and sisters to come and fast with us which happens around 6:30. Please come and have dinner with us just so you have a feeling of what a great blessing it is to go through this month. The Holy Prophet, the founder of Islam has said that if you fast during the month for all thirty days and you do not get into quarrels,the purpose is not just to fast but it is to abstain from evil. Also if you do that then you come out of this month as if you are a newborn baby. All your previous sins will be wiped out, the Prophet has said that very unfortunate is a person who goes through this month and is not able to get his sins forgiven so it is a very glad tiding for Muslims. Those who are weak and commit sins you have this month were God is giving you a chance to get your sins forgiven so that you can be accepted in his view.”

source:

http://lovefm.com/celebrate-ramadan-ahmadiyya-muslim-community/