Ramadan (the month of fasting for muslims) has just begun today. Fasting as one of the important pillars of Islam, consists of abstaining from food and drink from dawn (day break) to dusk (sunset). It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Qur'an, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds. One of the important goals of Ramadan is to highlight the life of the poor- who have nothing to eat & hence, make us understand what one goes through. Alms and charity is given in this month.
From sighting of moon of Ramadan to that of Eid Al Fitr - every day is memorable. Quran was revealed in the month of Ramadan which accroding to the Islamic lunar calender is the 9th. month. Special prayers, extensive reading of Quran, special food for iftar (breaking fast) is the main highlight of Ramadan. Lailatul Qadar and the last 10 days of Ramadan are of utmost importance and overall, various cultural aspects are associated with Ramadan - makes it a special month for all muslims.
When it is Ramadan, it brings back unforgettable memories of the previous years, of people (especially those who are not with us anymore), gatherings of family and friends, celebrations, shopping, excitement...
My best Ramadan were the ones when I was very young and our whole family was still living under the same roof....several factor have thrown us continents apart...this hurts the most and of course, make us feel nostalgic of those good, old days.
Central mosaque (masjid) of Seoul has a modest iftar arranged for all those who want to break their fast and pray - usually coming from far flung areas of Korea and at times visitors from other foreign countries. Some restaurants also offer free iftar to its customers here in Seoul in Itaewon area.
The salat /namaz times for Seoul (South Korea) during August (Ramadan) can be found here.
Wish everyone a gracious and joyous Ramadan!
Photo credit for pic. below@Raja Islam
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sarahinsouthkorea
Ramadan Mubarak to you too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Fragancia: Wish you a wonderful Ramadan!
ReplyDeleteHey Sarah, are you ready for Ramadan 2012?! [I was googling Ramadan in Korea and your blog popped up]
ReplyDeleteHi Unknown ;-D
ReplyDeleteI'm absolutely ready and how about you?
I am too! 1st Ramadan in Korea so it'll be interesting. I'm in the Daegu area and haven't seen that many Muslims around. Btw my name is Mahroos. Is there a way to message on this thing?
ReplyDeleteHi Mahroos (you have a beautiful name),
ReplyDeleteYou can leave a message here and also at the Seoul Global Center's website at their forum. By the way, there is a mosque in Daegu and I'm sure you have visited it already.
Daegu Mosque is located near Daegu Medical Center (대구병원)... behind the Industrial Bank (기업은행) and Jukjeon elementary and middle schools (죽전조등학교, 죽전중학교) are close to the Masque/Islamic Center.
Dague Mosque is called: Jamia Masjid Uthman bin Affan. It offers congregational prayers, Ramadan Iftaars and Taraveeh, a Sunday school, Eid programs, educational lectures, and interfaith activities. It has a comprehensive curriculum that offers students a broad range of both academic and religious subjects, including Arabic Language, Quranic-Islamic Studies, and English Language.
Their website is: www.dgislam.or.kr
Daegu Mosque's Phone #: +82 (053)-523-2171
Address is:Daegu Islamic Center (Mosque), Dalseogu, Jukjeon-dong 202-6,
Daegu, SOUTH KOREA
BTW. if you work or you are studying then how about leaving a message at the university's bulletin boards or that of your work place. You have to leave a message inviting people for a get-together and that's how you will form a network.
How about leaving a message at the forum of EXPATBLOG.COM. It is quite effective.
All the best and may you have a wonderful Ramadan in Korea.
ramadhan kareem,always happy in ramadhan
ReplyDeletefrom a your friend in the indonesia
Sains Gue Armand: Ramadan Mubarak to you too. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteAssalam Alaikum, Sarah while searching for any Musalla near Bundang I found your blog. Please, can you kindly guide me that do you have any idea about any Musalla or prayer room near Moran or Bundang line. Thanks in advance.
ReplyDeleteSalaam! I was looking for prayer times for Eid Al Adha and I stumbled upon your blog. Thanks to your earlier Eid post, I was able to find the Muslim Federation of Korea's page which told me the prayer time. I wanted to post on your Eid post but I couldn't seem to find the comments section. I just wanted to let you know how thankful I am that I found your blog, because I was really struggling to find any information about Eid prayer times since my other Muslim friend and I haven't made any Muslim connections in our respective small towns. I hope you enjoy Eid, inshAllah! Will you be in Seoul for Eid?
ReplyDeleteSALAM, YOU MADE MY DAY. THANKS FOR YOUR COMMEMTS THEY MEAN A LOT TO ME, I AM SO GLAD THIS BLOG HAS BEEN A GIIDE OF SORT FOR MUSLIMS IN KOREA.
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