My perception of Islam is that it was one of the most set-in-the-ways religions out there.

That’s because the more conservative a group is, the more upset it is about change, so the more noise it makes. Progressive Islam doesn’t make the news, ever. See Turkey.

Islam also provides their deep set values.

Attack their religion then it’s a personal attack on any Muslim.

I felt sorry for a coworker while I ate and he struggled with work/dehydration.

His choice.

kind of correct northwind

Sunnah is the way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings and practices of the prophet Mohammed and interpretations of the Quran. Sunnah denotes the practices of the prophet Mohammed that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the shariah and its best practices. The sunnah of the prophet Mohammed includes his specific words, habits, practices, and silent approvals: it is significant because it addresses ways of life dealing with friends, family and government etc.
The term hadith refers to reports of statements or actions of the prophet Mohammed, or of his tacit approval or criticism of something said or done in his presence. The intended meaning of hadith in religious tradition is something attributed to the prophet Mohammed but that is not found in the Quran.
Scholars often considered sunnah equivalent to the biography of the prophet Mohammed as the hadith which was then poorly validated while contemporary accounts of the prophet’s life were better known. As the hadith came to be better documented and validated, the sunnah came often to be known mostly through the hadith, especially as variant or fictional biographies of Muhammad spread.

Is it free? They gots Bhajis?

course it’s free and they got more than just bhaji’s …now go find a local mosque to inquire at…if they dont do it suggest that they do so non muslims can gain more insight into ramadan

Attack their religion then it’s a personal attack on any Muslim.

I felt sorry for a coworker while I ate and he struggled with work/dehydration.

the faith of a muslim can be quite emotive and i think that’s down to the quran and its teachings which if applied correctly, are ingrained into every aspect of life…the trouble is that the original text is hard to interpret to the extent that you fully understand what it says but translated into modern arabic is as close as it can get and the teachings are suggestions and guidelines that can be interpreted and applied into a modern context
its been a long time since i read the quran and i feel bad that i havent read it for so long but i’ve always wanted to gain a clearer understanding of the arabic language so i can understand what i am reading…i know there are translated versions available but you have to be careful as some of the translations are not as clear and not always accurate…my father memorised the quran and could recite any part of it off by heart…i wish i had spent a more attentive student to him when i was younger…

as for feeling bad eating in front of someone who is fasting…dont be…you should never have to feel that way…like you said they have made that conscious choice to fast and have to accept there will be people who will be eating in their presence and they have to accept that and be prepared to deal with it…

it could have been seen as islamophobic…i may be wrong about him…and i hope i am…if i accused him accused him of being islamophobic then that is not what i intended but to merely suggest that his comments may be viewed as such…so i apologise for that

It could be seen like that, but that’s not what it was. Hence, that’s what my post was trying to qualify. No apology needed, for me at any rate.

I spent 2 weeks in Jeddah last August and non-muslims aren’t allowed to eat, drink or smoke in public during Ramadan. My colleagues in London who are fasting have it much tougher as the office smells of cooked food at the moment so it must be difficult not to feel hungry!

In Jeddah I made the mistake of carrying a bottle of water and a cereal bar to the toilet to take medicine…I had to hide it in a bag.

Progressive Islam doesn’t make the news, ever. See Turkey.

That’s true. Turkey hasn’t been in the news at all this year.

Doesn’t the exception for sick people cover you in those circumstances?

I didn’t ask, but it’s probably best to not make a meal of it anyway.

The office had cordoned off the canteen so we could go eat snacks etc there.

Doesn’t the exception for sick people cover you in those circumstances?

certain groups can be exempt from fasting…the elderly if they are physically unable to do so, the sick also if they are unable to do so or doing so would put their health at further risk, pregnant women, mothers who are breastfeeding, women who are going through menstruation and those who are mentally ill…
however they are required to make up for these lost days at a later time…and there is usually no recommended time to do them so these could be done during the winter months when the days are shorter…obviously there are those who will never be able to fast due to their physical or mental health and it is recommended that they commit to acts of charity instead to make up for this so usually this involves giving greater amounts to charity or carrying out acts of charity such as feeding the poor…
the travelling issue has to be looked at differently…if its placed in its original context where people would cover great distances on foot/camel/horse then it would be reasonable to assume that it would be more difficult for them to fast…but in a modern context travel to anywhere on the planet can be done with relative ease and within an acceptable timescale with adequate food/water provision so this should not be an excuse for not fasting….

gonzy – Member

… the faith of a muslim can be quite emotive …

An understatement really. 🙄

My question is why so emotive? 😯

If it doesn’t make you feel strongly, what sort of a second-rate religion would it be? Faith goes to the heart and soul, it’s not something you do, it’s something you are.

second-rate religion

Are there different tiers?

you bet there is, you seen that palace the Pope lives in?

My question is why so emotive?

i think northwind has hit the nail on the head…

aith goes to the heart and soul, it’s not something you do, it’s something you are.

wrecker – if you still fancy a bhaji or two….check out the Big Iftar events on the following link…
http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/big-iftar/

that goes for anyone else who is interested…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23480707

Oops, looks like someone forgot to tell 3million that “religion was dead”!!!

The Met estimated the crowd at 650.

Thanks gonzy but I’m in Belfast at the moment. I haven’t seen a mosque here. Or even a Muslim as far as I can tell.
If I was at home, I’d be popping in for some scran for sure.

teamhurtmore – Member

Oops, looks like someone forgot to tell 3million that “religion was dead”!!!

To put that into perspective, one and a half million people turned up to see Queen in Rio. They do things bigger in Brazil.

thanks for those posts gonzy. i find islam very interesting, and its always good to hear more about it.
im not religious but have had such great welcomes and been shown such generosity from muslims while wandering around in north africa so its always great to know more
happy ramadan

And 3.5 million showed up to see Rod Stewart…

I find Sufism intriguing. I find religion as a whole controlling though.

There is only one constant, Mother Nature. No Prophets with iffy lives, a story told by others. Just savage beauty and present.

hora – Member
There is only one constant, Mother Nature.

New-age Gaiaist hippy!

happy ramadan

thanks jonah… 😀

I find Sufism intriguing.

so do the vast majority of muslims… 😉

if anyone has a spare couple of hours i strongly recommend watching the channel 4 documentary on the quran…it was aired a while ago then was aired again last month…its a very interesting documentary and gives you a clearer insight into the religion as a whole….you can catch it on youtube using the following link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVER__C7lhE

ramadan finished last wednesday night leading to Eid celebrations on Thursday.
proof that fasting helps you lose weight is true in my case…i weighed 11st 4lb at the start and last nights readings said 10st dead on….i still have a podgy belly though… 😆
ideally i would like to be 10st 7lb so i guess i’ll be hitting the weights now to add the extra mass back on…