RAMADAAN KAREEM: RAMADAN DAY 1

RAMADHAN MUBARAK

Today is Wednesday 10th July 2013 and coincides with the first day of Ramadan 1434, which commenced at 5:45 for me and my family. With lots of enthusiasm everyone was at the breakfast table before 6:00 to partake of the first meal of the day known as Suhoor.

Breakfast was short and sweet, dates and Zamzam water, as well as breakfast cereal with milk and honey. It is the meal of choice. By 6:20 I was on my way to mosque for Salaat ul-Fajr. It was a brisk walk of about 10 minutes to mosque and I enjoyed breathing the cold fresh air, often taken a deep breath filling my lungs to capacity.

The Adhaan for Fajr sounded at exactly 6:30 while I was still a good 50 meters from the mosque. The Adhaan is the signal to stop eating for all Muslims and within minutes I was inside the mosque. Normally during the month of Ramadaan the mosque is packed to capacity and this morning was no different.

Salaat ul-Fajr was led by the Imaam of the mosque and his Qur'anic rendition was as exemplary as usual. After Salaat I took as slow walk home and looked at the visible stars twinkling in the sky. The early morning view of the sky is always magnificent and its vastness is totally incomprehensible.

However, it was a normal working day and everything went as normal as the previous day but getting home in time for Iftaar was a bit of a challenge. Unfortunately we didn't make it in time but the hunger pangs were not too difficult to endure since we were only about three minutes drive away from home.

As we drove in silence we listened to the Adhaan for Maghrib at exactly at 5:55 on our community radio station Voice of the Cape. Hoping I could still make it in time to get Jamaat at a nearby mosque, we made a beeline for it but we were stalled by the traffic lights and those hopes were dashed as well.

Anyway I arrived home safely broke my fast (sauwm) with a date and some Zamzam, had a samoosa and a badja, a few spoon fulls of vegetable soup and I was off to the bathroom to take Wudu, since now I has to perform Maghrib all alone.

Much later I heard the Adhaan for Ishaa'i and scurried off to mosque once again. I was astounded by the attendance and could only find a place right at the back of the mosque adjacent to the shoe racks to perform Salaat.

After Salaat ul-Ishaa'i the 2nd Taraweeh commenced. Once again four Huffaz led Salaat. The first two reciters complete four Raka'aats each, in sets of two and the remaining two Huffaz recited six Raka'aats each, in sets of two.

I attentively listened to the rendition of the Qur'an and among all the ayaat recited, the famous ayaat of Ramadhan, ayaat ul-Kursi and the last 3 ayaat of Surah Baqarah stood out for me. Taraweeh completed after the recital of the first few verses of Surah 'Ali Imraam. After Salaat ul-Witr, Moulana held a short talk on obedience to the commands of Allah (SWA).

The graphics below are Kutiba 'alaykum Musiyaam , Ayatul Kursi and Lillahi Maa fee samawaati.