It’s that time of the year!
It’s the fasting month of Ramadhan and coincidentally, it’s also the 7 ghost month!
Devil's Leaving
It must be confusing for the spirits during this period because during this period, Muslims have been told/believe that evil spirits such as the devil are chained in hell. As such, human actions aren’t bounded by the devil’s temptations but rather is an action taken by the person himself. This is why the fasting month is also the month whereby Muslims learn to control themselves from eating, drinking, gossiping and for those married, to abstain from having sex during the day or face to pay back a whole month of fasting without any breaks in-between once Ramadhan is over.
In contradiction, during this 7th month, the Chinese believe that spirits from the underworld are released.
So, how’s this going to be like then?
Offerings during the 7th Month need to be ‘Halal’ certified to ensure that Muslim spirits will be able to eat the food when they break fast!
Okay, jokes aside.
For those who aren’t familiar with Ramadhan, it is the holiest month is the Islamic calendar and it is only during this month that special additional prayers called the ‘Terawih’ is performed. On top of the 5 daily prayers that Muslims perform, the ‘Terawih’ is a series of short prayers performed after the last compulsory prayer is performed.
Terawih Prayers
As this is the month whereby Muslims chase to ‘earn’ as much good deed as possible, Muslims would prefer to spend most of their days and nights reciting verses from the Quran in an attempt to try to complete reading the whole Quran, 30 sets of recitations in all – one for each day of the fasting month.
The late Pope John Paul kissing the Quran on May 14, 1999
Is it also during this month that the poor are often the biggest receivers as Muslims will give alms or feed the poor to help ease their suffering. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to donate to the poor you see on the streets. Singapore’s Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) has a system whereby the poor’s data has been recorded into their system and all donations and alms as well as the payment of ‘Zakat’ will be distributed to the poor evenly.
You will see a surge of beggars on the streets during this ‘season’ and do not be deceived into thinking that they are poor because most of them actually aren’t. They come from an overseas beggars syndicate and are in Singapore for the better exchange rate.
Aside from all the above information, Ramadhan is also a very special month for the dead. Special because it is only during this month that all punishments for the dead are halted.
For all Muslims this month, here’s wishing you an awesome Ramadhan ahead!
Abdillah Zamzuri 