In today’s technological age where travel across the globe can be completed in a matter of hours, we are starting to become a much more multicultural society. This is translating to the student body too, so you can expect to be surrounded by people that are very different to you whether you’re starting university or are already halfway through.
With this in mind, it makes sense to stay knowledgeable of cultures other than your own, which is why we decided to create this brief guide covering a few of the most important Islamic events in the year. Hopefully, this will help you understand a little more about your Muslim classmates and their religion – let’s get into it.
Laylat-ul-Miraj
Laylat-ul-Miraj is one of the most important events in the Islamic calendar and literally translates to ‘Night of the Ascent’. The evening commemorates the night when Prophet Muhammad took a journey from Mecca to Jerusalem in a single night, led by Allah (God). During this journey, Prophet Muhammad is given multiple instructions by Allah, including the requirement of Muslims to pray five times daily. The story of Laylat-ul-Miraj is an intricate one, so I won’t go into detail explaining every element of what happens, though it does conclude with the Prophet Muhammad ascending to heaven.
In general, Laylat-ul-Miraj is celebrated by special prayer services during the night and the lighting of cities with candles and electric lights. Many Muslims return home to share stories with children or say special nighttime prayers too, though the Islamic community in the area usually come together and congregate in local mosques at some point during the night.
Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is considered a month of fasting by Muslims worldwide. The month is extremely significant in the Islamic faith, hosting multiple important days and festivals, as well as being the month in with the Holy Qur’an was initially revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
Ramadan is also an essential month for giving to charity, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. In particular, Ramadan concludes with a festival called Eid-ul-Fitr, where Muslims give a donation called fitrana. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated through prayer, preceded by the fitrana, which is designed to enable those less fortunate to celebrate in the same way. Charity is generally very prominent in Islamic belief and events.
Eid-ul-Adha
Eid-ul-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, is the final significant Islamic event that we will look at. This is a commemoration of when Allah appeared to Ibrahim in a dream, requesting that he sacrifice his son to show his faith. In the story, as Ibrahim is about to kill his son, Allah stops him and gives him a sheep to kill instead.
The festival is usually celebrated through morning prayers, visiting family, exchanging gifts and eating. Also, during this period, the greeting ‘Eid Mubarak’ is used commonly, meaning ‘blessed Eid’. The key part of this celebration is also the slaughtering of an animal, usually a goat, sheep, cow or camel depending on where in the globe you are. Each individual is meant to slaughter an animal or have an animal slaughtered on their behalf. There are various rules around this, where some animals can only be used for single individuals (like sheep), whilst others can be used to count as slaughters for multiple people (like cows).
There are plenty more occasions than the three listed here, and this is only a very brief overview of how each of the events work. Hopefully, this short guide will have taught you something new about the Islamic faith and helped you understand the beliefs of your fellow students. There’s never any harm in learning about others!
Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post