Ramadan Mubarak for the Muslim Mnetters - fasting starts next week!

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Insha'Allah we will have a blessed and easy Ramadan

(and I'll lose weight)

Puss

[beeny]

Good luck am pregnant so wont be fasting but lots of praying

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Each prayer is 70x more reward when pg so...Insha'Allah all prayers will be accepted

When is the baby due? We are ttc no 2 atm...Insha'Allah I will get a bfp in September!!

[ChaCha]

And Ramadan Mubarak to you all

I'm with you on the losing weight Puss, DS3 born a month ago and i still feel FAT, FAT, FAT! There's a lovely song on the Yusuf Islam CD called the Ramadan Moon, DS's love it - have you heard it?

www.yusufislam.com/songs-a-z/95e3643b6aa8a646e1d3bba43ec0a552/

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Another bump...seems like Ramadan will be tomorrow Insha'Allah

[jeeez]

Ramadhan Kareem to all.

I'm also pregnant but will try my best to fast, inshallah. Was breastfeeding last year so didn't fast but made up the days in december, it was a killer making up the fasts on my own seemed to go on forever!

Good Luck with TTC PJC.

[lauralou1]

RAMADAN MUBARAK TO YOU ALL

i just found out i am pregnant so wont be fasting i really look forward to ramadan aswell .

also i was wondering am i still ok to pray when pregnant this is my first so not to sure ?

[deeeja]

Ramadhan mubarak!
Mabrouk to you on your pregnancy Lauralou!
You are totally ok to pray when you are pregnant!
xx

[jeeez]

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

There isn't a reason not to pray during pregnancy.

[ummadam]

Ramadan Mubarak!

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Laura - each prayer is x70 when pregnant so combine that with it being Ramadan (even if you aren't fasting) and being preg and you have a really blessed month for you, insha'Allah

[chinchi]

Hayırlı Ramazanlar from here in Turkey.

I too am pregnant so unfortunately wont be fasting this year, but sending strength and prayers to you all

[chinchi]

Sorry, should read Hayirli Ramazlar

I have a dodgy Turkish keyboard!

[Fragolina]

Ramadan mubarak everyone!! I am determined to fast this year, inshallah. I am still BFing one feed at night, but think it should be ok. If I do end up doing a BF before iftar does it break my fast though?

What are your ramadan traiditions that you do now, or remember when you were growing up? There seems to be so much fuss around Christmas here, that I don't want my kids growing up remembering Eid and Ramadan as 'less fun'.

[PussinJimmyChoos]

B'feeding does not break your fast - don't worry

[littleducks]

salams everybody!!!! Ramadhan mubarak!

I was dreading fasting, having missed most of the last three years due to two pregnancies and bfing, am bfing ds (5 months) but am determined to do as much as i can. Today went really well though (perhaps being a bit podgy helps! hope i will loose weight)

whats everyone favourite suhoor foods?

[eandz]

salams and ramadhan kareem everyone!

i can list many ramadhan traditions we had (in America) i don't have any here, but i'm trying really hard to change that!

while growing up in Texas:

Sahoor phone tree, everyone got a call 5-10 minutes before it was time to start eating.

the sahoor debate over which kid got away with the most sleep (usually the last person to wake up had to clean up)

Family fajr (but we always prayed as a family unless we were at school/work)

How at lunch time during ramadhan all the muslims (workers/students) in the immediate area had a place to meet up and just hang out/pray to avoid being left alone and hungry during the lunch hour.

iftar time, no one ever opened a fast alone except if stuck in traffic. it was amazing to pile into the car and go tot he masjid where all the families in the area would come to eat iftar, pray maghrib and then eat dinner. (4 families a night would be responsible for the catering and everyone took turns).

then everyone would go home and those who were able would come back later for isha, and taravih/witr.

i loved the weekend qiyams that our youth group used to put on and taught the teenagers fun ramadhan stuff, seerah and generally just keeping us busy all friday nights away from tv and stuff we were used to doing on friday nights.

the saturday potluck dinners (where every family brought a dish and a 2litre bottle of soda) and all the parents would try to out do each other. usually the men came bearing desserts to compliment their wives dishes. (it was soo much fun!)

saturday morning school (happened all year round, but during ramadhan since there was no snack time, we got to do ramadhan arts and crafts...so we learned how to do calligraphy and pottery).

the best part of it all was that we didn't have lots of little masjids, we had a few giant masjids dispersed so everyone was from a different culture and there wasn't as much self induced segregation and everyone hugged everyone all the friggin time)!

i miss the special ramadhan jummuah prayers as well.

anyway, i'm nearly due... so i'm not fasting this year. but the lack of muslim community really gets me down while i live in London. i really really really wish i could give my kids the islamic environment i had while growing up.

[ummadam]

salaams eandz - while I remember, can you add me on facebook as I can't find you! I'm the only one with my name and you have my full name from my email address xxx

ps come on baby !!!

[eandz]

ofcourse UmmAdam! i'll do it straight away!

and yes, Noah listen to your Auntie!

[KayHarker]

have a really lovely time! You recite the Quran through the month, don't you?

[Fragolina]

EandZ - loved those traditions. Sounds really fantastic to be part of a close multicultural community. I grew up in a big family, so it seems to be a very quiet and subdued Ramadhan now. Come on Noah, its time to meet the world!

Lauraloo - congratulations on your pregnancy.

How is everyone coping with the fasting? yesterday was fine, but am already finding it a little more difficult today - telling myself its all in the mind!

Kay - I am trying to read through the whole Quran this Ramadhan, but am going for the translation, as I am really terrible at reading the arabic.

[eandz]

Fragolina
yeah quiet ramadhans feel a bit weird, don't they?

[Fragolina]

yes eandz - really really weird. Yesterday I had to put on a you-tube azan video from mecca just to feel more in the moment at iftar!

[littleducks]

eandz, which mosque do you go to? not sure how long you have left but maybe we could meet up for an iftar at one of the mosques? email me

[eandz]

aww fragolina!

i don't know of any islamic/halal butchers around my area so i ended up with dried apricots to serve my husband for iftar..and all he wanted was a krispy kreme donut!

atleast he's praying taravih at home. last year fasting was an issue.

i hope that this weekend i can talk him into going to the masjid.

[KayHarker]

fragolina, even reading the translation seems pretty good to me. That is something I totally respect about your religion. We Christians get excited if we manage to read our scriptures through in a whole year!

(Arabic is so hard, I think. I tried pronouncing the shahada once out of curiosity, and boy did I sound silly)