Ramadan Kareem! Ramadan Mubarak! / (((Vleeptron Dude))) is Real Sorry about his Slough of Despond last Ramadan / Accidie / nifty song by Yusef Islam

My favorite Ramadan greeting -- the crescent moon and a bright star from the night sky. I didn't filch it, I got permission from the Wisconsin astronomer. 

Click image to enlarge.

The magazine Sky & Telescope is peppered with scholarly and scientific articles about the origin of Islam's symbol, the crescent moon near a bright star. Clearly such a sign must have been in the night sky at a historically significant event -- probably a battle triumph for early Islam. But so far, it's all guesswork -- even Muslim experts, astronomers and historians, haven't a clue.

Above -- and probably the mysterious original crescent moon and star -- the bright star isn't a star, but a planet. The frequency of such "bright stars" suggests Venus, but a few other pre-telescope naked-eye planets can shine brightly under common conditions. (Had it been Mars, observers would have noted its red tinge and immortalized the color in all subsequent depictions -- several national flags, e.g.)

If you know, or think you know, what (i.e., when) the origin of the crescent moon and bright star symbol is, please Leave A Comment. 

Within a day the lunar month Ramadan will begin. Worldwide, the time is not precise. Many belief groups of Islam have their own set of rules to time Ramadan's start.

But none of the 1,600,000,000 Muslims on Earth will be more than a few hours behind or ahead of the others.

Last year VleeptronZ did not -- as it has without fail for a long bunch of years -- wish our world Ramadan Kareem. And Ramadan Mubarak. A Generous Ramadan, a Blessed Ramadan.

(((Vleeptron Dude))), who is almost always Perfect in all things Intellectual & Spiritual, screwed the pooch bigtime last Ramadan.

I once read that Roman Catholics recognize only one Unforgiveable Sin: Despair.

Because it is a clear, direct insult to God that you do not believe God will make even the most bleak, dark situation better.

And last Ramadan (((Vleeptron Dude))) finally succumbed to Despair.

We have a TV. I am an obsessive reader of Google News. I watch BBC, I used to watch al-Jazeera America until they pulled the plug (new Emir). Sometimes as an emetic I turn on Fox News. I love Inside Edition.

The best IMHO: Reuters. But AP grabs the Excellence & Trust prize from them now and then.

And (((I))) just couldn't take it anymore. BBC wins the prize every day for coating the world with a patina of dignity. The babies in the bombed MSF hospital are still dead and smoldering, but you don't feel as ashamed of being a human being when BBC polishes and presents it for you. (And almost every ghastly story at least ends up with a one-sentence dash of Hope for a Less Horrible Future.)

Of course there is still Hope for the World. Any adult in reasonably good health, or well-maintained on an SSRI, knows there is Hope. Even Hope that will turn out to have been True, to have been Real Hope to cure and end a terrible and shameful and public human-caused festering plague.

Last Ramadan I succumbed to Accidie. It is the way Satan -- or Dark Guy, or Slenderman, whatever you call him -- sneaks up on your soul / spirit and fills it with Despair, Hopelessness.

The protracted 19th Crusade finally got to me.

Rather than Richard Lionheart, it has been to this point led by The Stupidest Jerks in the Occident, and now, just as Ramadan is about to begin, the Stupid Jerks in the Occident have nominated Donald Trump to take over as Full-Time Top Crusade Commander.

Onward Christian Soldiers
Marching as to War
With the Cross of Jesus
Going on before
 
He promises to Make America Great Again, and ban all Muslims from entering the United States, and kill the families of Muslim terrorists, and Bring Back Torture -- mostly for Muslims, but I think this guy will torture Girl Scouts or Nuns or Julie Andrews, and charge people to see it live on Pay Cable.

He lives in one of many gold skyscrapers he owns. You can spot all of them because they have TRUMP screaming off them in 37,000-point type.

This is not the Main Point of this post, but as long as I got you on the line, do whatever you can, donate, demonstrate non-violently, to prevent Donald Trump from raping the USA presidential election and becoming the 45th President of the United States.

The Point of this post is to wish all (((my))) neighbors Ramadan Kareem.

I have adjusted my medication and have lifted myself a few centimeters above the Slough of Despond.

But as the 19th Crusade slogs ever onward with no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel, as Trump nears the Presidency, and as Bashar al-Assad remains the Hereditary Tyrant of Syria (he's also an ophthalmologist), keeping myself above the Slough is going to get harder and harder.

Wish (((Vleeptron Dude))) luck, strength, and improvements in Happy Pills.

There follows a Guide to Ramadan by Aftab Ali in The Independent (UK) which seems competent and authoritative about the Holy Month in which Allah communicated the Quran to Muhammed in Arabic. (Aftad Ali sure knows a lot more about Islam and Ramadan than (((Vleeptron Dude))) does.)

CAUTION: Read the entire Independent Ramadan article closely.

But you might be wise to send the kids out of the room and fasten your seatbelt before reading the Readers' Comments that follow.

The Comments will show you why (((Vleeptron Dude))) succumbed to despair last Ramadan. A cloud of ignorance and hatred has descended on my planet.

(((Vleeptron Dude))) supports Free Speech. Free Speech is not always pretty. Everything you hear in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea is pretty.

While we welcome Ramadan and learn about the holy month, put on the headphones and listen to THIS.

===========================

Ramadan 2016: When does Islam's holy month start? What are the rules of fasting? Everything you need to know

With 22% of the world's population gearing up for the most important month in the Islamic calendar, here are the five things you need to know

by Aftab Ali

• Friday 3 June 2016
• 34 comments

It is a big week for the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims - 22 per cent of the entire global population - as they get ready for the holy month of Ramadan.


The annual period will see prayer, fasting, and giving to charity become the focus of their everyday lives for an entire month.

For non-Muslims and those less familiar with the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, here are the five main things you need to know about Ramadan 2016: 

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of Islam’s lunar calendar, a system which sees each month begin at the sighting of the new moon. According to some scholars, the month is said to be the one in which the Qur'an was first revealed, making it the holiest and most sacred month for Muslims.

It is the period when Muslims fast every day from sunrise to sunset, and is one of the five pillars - or duties - of Islam. Not only do Muslims abstain from food and drink, it is also a time of deep contemplation and prayer to Allah, and also charitable generosity.

All able-bodied Muslims are required to take part in Ramadan. Although there is some debate over the age at which young Muslims should begin to take part, it is typically at around ten to 12-years-old.

When does Ramadan begin this year?

The holy month is set to begin on or around 7 June, depending on the sighting of the new moon which will tell when the ninth month begins. In the UK, and in many other countries, confirmation of the new moon comes from Saudi Arabia’s highest court, the Supreme Court.

Because lunar months are shorter than solar months - which are used elsewhere - the month moves back by around 10 days each year.

What is a typical day like during Ramadan?

Waking up before the sun rises, at around 4am, Muslims will eat and drink to prepare for the day ahead. Once the sun is up, there will be no more meals, drinking, smoking, or any sexual activity until sundown, also known as iftar.

Iftar then typically begins by consuming dates and sweet, milky drinks - which provide a much-needed energy boost - before quickly taking part in post-iftar prayers. After prayers, dinner will be had, typically after 9pm, before fasting begins again the following day.

Overall, Muslims will be fasting for around 17 hours a day this year, or around 530 hours throughout the entire month. Over the course of the day, in the UK and across the world, Muslim businesses will close as the faithful tend to their prayers and read the Qur’an.

What’s the purpose of Ramadan?

Islam is a religion which sees its followers help the poor and less fortunate throughout their lifetimes, with a particular focus on this element of the faith during its holiest month.

While hungry and thirsty throughout the fasting day, Muslims have a constant reminder of the suffering of the poor in less fortunate parts of the world.


Fasting is also seen as an opportunity to exercise self-control, cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and build a greater connection with Allah through prayer which can, ultimately, bring about peace.

When does the month end and how is it marked?

Beginning at the start of the month of Shawwal - the 10th month of the Islamic calendar - Ramadan 2016 is set to draw to a close on or around 7 July, depending on the sighting of the new moon which, again, will be declared by Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court.

Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations then take over which can, in some countries, last for up to three days. Muslims then come together to be with their families, prepare great feasts, exchange gifts, continue to give to charity, and forgive and forget any rifts.

Above all, they pray and thank Allah for giving them the strength to get through the holy month.


Ramadan Mubarak to all preparing to take part this year.

• More about:
• Ramadan
• Ramadan 2016
• Islam
• Muslims

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1 minute ago

JMOrdoghan

The fasting starts from dawn (not sunrise as mentioned in the report) until sunset. 

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1 day ago

KatStarr

I guess that Allah didn't realise that the Sun hardly sets in the high Northern latitudes, and not at all in places like Spitzbergen, during the summer.

Do you think He meant Muslims not to live not too far North or He was just dumb?  In that case He must be the dumbest Supreme Being anyone has ever worshiped. 

Or perhaps or was all invented by an ignorant human being.

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1 day ago

PaceMaker

@KatStarr Is your ignorance painful?  Can you feel it coursing through your body, or have you just become so accustom to it that you don't feel it anymore?

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+1

15 hours ago

Ali Khodaei

Salaam (Peace)

Quran's rules are like the constitution. They do not give the detail for every single person and every single situation. They sketch out the general path and let humans to contemplate and elaborate on the rest based on Quran's verses and other Islamic sources.

For those who live in the farthest North, it is accepted to fast according to the time of Mecca. That is to say, they can break their fast earlier. 

This month is not only about avoiding to eat or drink. It is to become "human" and respect ones own soul and the others and not to insult.

Thank you.

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+1

2 days ago

baxxxxxx

Fasting from Dawn to Sunset. So it is no different to the lifestyle of those on a night shift, wow.

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2 days ago

Hugh

Very informative article, as usual some people who perhaps should be reading The Sun even manage to moan about this.  I'm not Muslim but will be keeping (or try to) at least 4 fasts this year (1 per week) after keeping 1 last year.  I just think it's amazing what the human body can adapt to and no there's no liquid allowed at all!  Any money I would have spent on food for those 4 days will be going to a local charity.  That which unites us is greater than that which divides us and we can learn a great deal from each others religion.................

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+4

2 days ago

pagan

Bla bla bla

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-2

10 minutes ago

JMOrdoghan

All the best.. It's a great experience indeed.

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2 days ago

TomJoad91

Very informative, thanks.

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+3

3 days ago

Rosanne.Smithe

Ramadan...between meal fasting.

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+1

3 days ago

joanbradley

I'm not remotely interested in this primitive, Third World religion. ps where are the women in the photo (feminists - any comments)?

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-7

1 day ago

PaceMaker

Who cares!

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15 hours ago

Ali Khodaei

Hello!

Christianity, Judaism, Islam and most of other religions were born in what you call the Third World! Middle East .

Women are not in this photo because they are not an object to be sold on magazine covers nor for those who want to "watch" them. 

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7 minutes ago

JMOrdoghan

The 'Third World Religion' you're talking about is the one that made Muslim scholars explore algebra. Without it you wouldn't have been able to type your nonsense!

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3 days ago

NE#12

It cannot be the case that all drink is banned, they must make way for water surely? A brief check online shows that Kuwait City, Riyadh, Islamabad and Dubai all have temperatures in the mid 30's-40c. I cannot see how you could last 17 hours in that weather with no fluids that would be beyond stupid and highly dangerous.

Each to their own, but the whole idea of fasting has never made sense to me. Why would a God want you to put yourself through pain and extreme hunger/thirst to prove your loyalty? A month of hightened charity makes sense, alot of religion is involved in that so getting the average person involved makes sense too, but not this.

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2 days ago

Alitar_2241

I really dont see what is hard I fast, I have fasted in extreme hot weather it isn't bad. to fast is to show how you care for the poor and not so fortunate it is also the time to show your worship strength as the gates of heaven open in this month and the gates of hell close. fasting usual goes on from around 5am to 6pm-7pm and its something I have done from the age of 5. first couple of days it may be hard but your body adapts. 

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4 minutes ago

JMOrdoghan

Muslims in the Middle East fast for less hours, plus the working hours usually change- start late and finish late. Also air conditions are everywhere. 

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3 days ago

Quatra

Nice. Another excuse for not working.
Hello BREXIT.
Ah, Britain. Their eternal feeling of guilt of their colonial past.
Poorly paid managers, earning 12,000 pounds a year, endless buildings with 10 chimneys on the roof, pimpled "special forces", a royal house costing billions of pounds, gay spies, etc. etc. A country living, at least. half a century back in time.
And now, they want to be independent from Europe. Well. the UK isn't Switzerland. Not even close.
The rest of Europe is silent. That should be an omen for things to come.

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3 days ago

Too big to fail

Ha ha! Trick headline Indy. I dont need to know anything about Ramadan because we live in a free country not an Islamic caliphate. I will eat whenever I choose thankyou.

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2 days ago

TomJoad91

Be proud of your ignorance. It clearly defines who you are.

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+1

2 days ago

pagan

Have a bacon butty, and chill out

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+2

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