RAMADAN KAREEM

PORTANCE OF ITIKAF, FITR, AL QADR 

ITIKAF

ʿITIKĀF (ARABIC: ʿI'TIKAAF, ALSO I'TIKAAF OR E'TIKAAF) IS AN ISLAMIC

PRACTICE CONSISTING OF A PERIOD OF STAYING IN A MOSQUE FOR A
CERTAIN NUMBER OF DAYS, DEVOTING ONESELF TO BAD DURING THESE
DAYS AND STAYING AWAY FROM WORLDLY AFFAIRS .
WHAT DID PROPHET SAY ABOUT ITIKAF?
• THE PROPHET SAID, "WHOEVER WAS IN ITIKAF WITH ME SHOULD
STAY IN ITIKAF FOR THE LAST TEN DAYS, FOR I WAS INFORMED
(OF THE DATE) OF THE NIGHT (OF QADR) BUT I HAVE BEEN
CAUSED TO FORGET IT. (IN THE DREAM) I SAW MYSELF
PROSTRATING IN MUD AND WATER IN THE MORNING OF THAT
NIGHT
 THE CONCEPT OF RITUAL RETREAT (I'TIKAF) COMES IN ASSOCIATION WITH RAMADAN IN VERSE 187 OF THE
QURAN'S SECOND SURA (SURAT AL-BAQARAH, 2:187), OCCURRING IN THE COURSE OF THE VERSES (2:183-187)
THAT ENJOIN FASTING AND THE RAMADAN FAST IN PARTICULAR

WHAT VERSE IN THE QURAN TALKS ABOUT ITIKAF?

THE NAME EID-UL-FITR COMES FROM THE ARABIC ʿĪD AL-FIṬR, WHICH
MEANS “FESTIVAL OF THE BREAKING OF THE FAST.” THE WORD EID
MEANS “FESTIVAL” OR “FEAST.” THE FIRST RECORDS OF THE NAME EID-
UL-FITR USED IN ENGLISH COME FROM THE 1700S. MUSLIMS BELIEVES
THAT EID-UL-FITR WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE PROPHET MOHAMMED

EID UL FITR
 EID AL-FITR IS ONE OF TWO MAJOR HOLIDAYS
CELEBRATED BY MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD. IT CAN
BE TRANSLATED AS "THE FEAST OF FAST-BREAKING" AS
IT COMMEMORATES THE END OF THE HOLY MONTH OF
RAMADAN IN WHICH MUSLIMS WHO ARE ABLE TO DO SO
WILL FAST FROM BEFORE DAWN UNTIL AFTER SUNSET
EACH DAY

WHAT IS AL FITR IN ISLAM?

HOLIDAY OF BREAKING THE FAST', OR THE FESTIVAL
OF SWEETS IS THE EARLIER OF THE TWO OFFICIAL
HOLIDAYS CELEBRATED WITHIN ISLAM (THE OTHER
BEING EID AL-ADHA). THE RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY IS
CELEBRATED BY MUSLIMS WORLDWIDE BECAUSE
IT MARKS THE END OF THE MONTH-LONG DAWN-
TO-SUNSET FASTING OF RAMADAN

WHY IT IS CALLED EID AL FITR

 QADR
AL-QADR IS THE CONCEPT THAT
ALLAH KNOWS EVERYTHING AND
HAS ALREADY DECIDED
EVERYTHING THAT WILL HAPPEN
 AL QADR IS THE BELIEF IN
PREDESTINATION. THIS MEANS
THAT ALLAH ALREADY KNOWS
EVERYTHING THAT WILL HAPPEN.
HOWEVER, THIS DOESN'T MEAN
THAT THE CHOICES PEOPLE MAKE
ARE NOT FREE CHOICES. RATHER,
ALLAH SIMPLY KNOWS WHAT
THOSE CHOICES ARE GOING TO
BE BEFORE THEY ARE MADE

WHAT IS THE MEANING

OF QADR IN ISLAM
 WHAT QURAN SAYS ABOUT QADR

IN SURAH AL QADR, AYATS 3 TO 5, GOD SAYS,

“THE NIGHT OF POWER IS BETTER THAN A
THOUSAND MONTHS. THE ANGELS AND THE
SPIRIT DESCEND THEREIN, BY THE LEAVE OF
THEIR LORD, WITH EVERY COMMAND; PEACE
IT IS UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN.