St Ed's
The Website of
St Edmund's Parish Church
Roundhay, Leeds, England

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Articles - Miscellaneous

Joyce's neighbours celebrate Eid

Mr and Mrs Iqball are neighbours of mine. I was chatting with Mrs Iqball and her family one day during their Eid celebrations and it occurred to me that it would be of interest to have a short personal account of their religious observances for our magazine.

The following was volunteered by Henna, a student at Roundhay School, and might hopefully stimulate some further contact with our own young people at St Edmund's.

In this context also, Concord is arranging a visit to the Spencer Place Mosque in February to which all are welcome.

I was approached by a member of Saint Edmund's Church in Roundhay, and asked to write about my faith, Islam.

Just last month for us Muslims, the month of Ramadan has passed. This is the sacred month for Muslims when we fast for 30 days. This happens every year, and we abstain from food in the hours of daylight. The custom of fasting goes back to the time of Mohammed. He taught his followers that the fast was important because it was a sign that they had submitted to Allah. It teaches Muslims patience, and the will to survive no matter what.

One of the aims of Ramadan is to make everyone equal, whether rich or poor. In Ramadan people are given the opportunity to reflect on their lives and pray. Ramadan is the third pillar of Islam.

These five pillars "support" Islam. The pillars are: Prayer, Faith, Donation, Fasting and the holy pilgrimage to Makkah. Following these basic rules help make a better Muslim.

Ramadan is ended with the festival of Eid.Ul.Fitr. It marks the end of the difficult month of fasting and is a time to rejoice. Just before the festival, people pay their Zakat (donations) which is also one of the pillars of Islam. When the new moon is sighted, Eid and the new month of Shawwal can now begin.

http:/www.stedmunds.roundhay.org.uk/misc/eid.htm
© St Edmund's Church, Leeds
Last Revised 30 January, 2002