Cultural aspects in Christian and Islamic religions - unesdoc - Unesco

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The Specificity of Some Lunar/Hegira Months:
The Months of Light’ are Rajab, Sha’ban,
and Ramadan. They include some specific
acts of worship performed by Muslims.
Among these acts are: increased interest in
the needy and the poor, interest in prayers,
invocations, and pleadings, as well as fasting,
and acts similar to Hajj (pilgrimage), such as
‘Umra to Mecca, and visiting the Shrine of
the Prophet (PBUH) in Medina, among other
things. Some religious occasions occurred
in these months: in Rajab, the birth of Imam
Ali (A.S.), and Sha’ban, the birth of al-Imam
al- Mahdi for Shiite Muslims. In the month
of Ramadan, a very important occasion is
Laylat al-Qadr.
The Month of Shawwal: in it is ‘Id al-Fitr
which symbolizes the joy of those who fast
as an act of worship that prepares the soul
to be closer to God morally and spiritually.
So when the ‘Id occurs, it is first an indicator
of the joy of those who fast at being closer
to God. Joy here is communal and is related
to good relations with other individuals.
The Month of Dhu-l-Hijjah: is the time of
Hajj to Mecca. This time symbolizes
departure from home as though one is
leaving behind worldly matters to reach
God and al-Kaaba.
The Month of Muharram: is the beginning
of the Hegira year. In the beginning of
Muharram 61 H. the tragedy of Karbala
occurred with the Martyrdom of the last
grandson of the Prophet (PBUH), Imam
Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (A.S.), his sons,
siblings, and companions.
Safar: is considered the month of affluence
and prosperity. It is also the month that saw
the death the Prophet (PBUH) died, on 28
Safar of the year 11 H., and the Martyrdom
of Imam Hasan ibn Ali Al-Mujtaba on the 7 th
of Safar of the year 50 H.
Rabi’ al-Awwal and Rabi’ al-Akhir: Theses
months were called Rabi’ because in them
Arabs saw of a few drops of rain and the