Chino, California: Islamic month of fasting starts August 1st.

“It is a time for cultivating peace. It is a chance for Muslims to reconnect themselves to their religion and to the service of God and humanity. The month of fasting also reminds us to seek peace with God, to spread peace in the world, and to take care of the poor and needy.” 

Imam Shamshad at Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino, California

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Baitul Hameed Mosque
By Jonathan Ghaffar | July 31, 2011

Ramadhan a time for spiritual rejuvenation and purification. Muslims and non-Muslims invited to events & dinner at Chino Mosque

August 1st marks the beginning for Muslims in North America of another annual fast in the month of Ramadhan. (In other parts of the world like Europe and the Middle East, Ramadhan starts Aug. 2nd.) Hundreds of millions of Muslims the world over will abstain for one lunar month from all food and drink from before sunrise until after sunset. The purpose, as explained by Imam Shamshad A. Nasir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino, is to promote righteousness, prayer, self-sacrifice and self-control, moral and spiritual purification, seeking forgiveness and the doing of good deeds such as feeding the poor and giving charity to the needy.


A similar message was delivered at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s recent International convention held outside London this past July 22-24, where nearly 30,000 Ahmadi Muslims from 96 countries gathered to strengthen their spirituality and righteousness. While the convention goers were not fasting as they will be in Ramadhan, Imam Shamshad said the central theme and message conveyed to the attendees by the Community’s spiritual leader, Khalifa-tul Masih V, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, was fundamentally the same: safeguard and increase your righteousness in all that you do so that you may win the pleasure of God and serve His creation. These two objectives are what give a person moral focus and purpose, and what strengthens righteousness and creates goodness and love in the world.

Imam Shamshad explained that “Muslims who are adults and physically able to fast look forward to this time every year to grow closer to God and better themselves as human beings so they can better worship God and serve Him and humanity.” The Imam added that a Muslim should strive to promote and be the example of peace and humility -- qualities that all Muslims should embody not just for these 29-30 days of fasting in Ramadhan, but throughout the year.

A Muslim’s obligations to God during the month of Ramadhan include not only the regular five-time daily prayers that Muslims perform each day, but the faithful are doubly encouraged to spend their time seeking forgiveness for their sins, spend time by themselves in private prayer after midnight seeking communion with God, and to read the entire Holy Quran at least once during the Holy month of Ramadhan.

Special congregational prayers are held after the last congregational prayer of the day during Ramadhan, where long sections of Islam’s sacred scripture are recited aloud from memory. Muslims are enjoined to keep away from idle talk, vain pursuits and quarrels, and to acquire at least one good habit and give up at least one bad habit to better oneself morally and spiritually.

“It is a time for cultivating peace,” Imam Shamshad said. “It is a chance for Muslims to reconnect themselves to their religion and to the service of God and humanity.” The Imam added that “The month of fasting also reminds us to seek peace with God, to spread peace in the world, and to take care of the poor and needy.” Charity, already a requirement of the faith in Islam, is especially highlighted during Ramadhan. In fact, if someone is unable to fast for reasons of health or age, that person is required to feed a poor person for every day the fast is not kept.

Imam Shamshad extended an open invitation to anyone who wishes to participate in Ramadhan, either in fasting, the nightly prayers and lectures on Islam, or attending the free dinner after the sunset prayer. Call the Chino Mosque at 909-627-2252 or Imam Shamshad at 909-636-8332 for more information or to learn more about Ramadhan. Information is also online at the websites: www.TheChinoMosque.org and www.alislam.org.



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