Tell HN: Ramadan Mubarak
Ramadan 1447 AH has started in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and many places yesterday evening after moon sighting.
Here in Indonesia (and much of South/Southeast Asia), the moon wasn't sighted locally, so fasting begins tomorrow, Thursday, February 19 inshaAllah.
Ramadan Mubarak to everyone observing!
May your fasts be easy, your ibadah accepted, and the month bring barakah, patience, and closeness to Allah.
It's always fascinating how a global community syncs (or asyncs) on the lunar calendar—one crescent can shift entire countries by a day.
The tech side is interesting too: prayer/athan apps, qibla finders, hydration trackers during long summer fasts (though thankfully not this year), or even simple scripts to calculate local imsak/subuh/iftar times.
If you fasting this year what's one small habit or tool that helps you through the month? Or if you're not fasting, what's something you've learned about Ramadan from friends/colleagues? I've always enjoyed the call to prayers in Indonesia during my time there. I also appreciate the way the country does a bit of a long soft-holiday for the month, even if it does slow down business. Hope everyone there has a peaceful and fruitful Ramadan. Fun fact: Indonesia has a mandatory 13th-month salary, Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR), which is typically aligned to the end of Ramadan but actually aligns to the date of the major holiday of your religion. The THR (Tunjangan Hari Raya) bonus is a lifesaver for a lot of people basically a mandatory 13th-month salary paid before Idul Fitri to cover Lebaran expenses like new clothes, travel home (mudik), and food for open houses. It's tied to your religion's big holiday, so Muslims get it around Eid. If you've not lived in a Muslim country: one of the most beautiful sounds is the gentle morning call to prayer... as if optimized to enter dreams without waking you. Let's hope it's a year of peace including freedom from the Mullahs that would try to make this religion a blueprint for political oppression instead of the liberation it has been for so many. +1 on the morning call to prayer it's mesmerizing, especially fading in gently at dawn. One of my favorite sounds too. Ramadan Mubarak may it be a month of peace and blessings for all. Meh I find the loud calls to prayer obnoxious. It interferes with sleep. Where I’ve experienced it, the sounds are so loud that they are enough to wake you through closed windows. I get what you’re saying though about the imagery and feeling it can invoke. To be clear, I'm glad it's not allowed where I live. But it's an experience