It's the first Friday of Ramadan today (Friday, April 8 2022) so a kind greeting to say to Muslim friends, family members or colleagues is "Jumma Mubarak" which means "Happy Friday" or "Have a blessed Friday". With Friday being the holy day for Muslims, Fridays in Ramadan are especially important.
Jumma, also spelt Jummah and Jumu'ah, also refers to Friday prayers and millions of Muslims will meet in their local mosque and Islamic centres today to pray together on this holy day. Many more will meet their friends and neighbours in their local community and do their part to support others in need.
Ramadan began in the UK last Sunday and is due to finish on either May 2 or 3 this year. It's expected to be the latter as Ramadan began one day later than initially anticipated. A statement from the Muslim Council of Britain states: "Ramadan is one of the holiest months of the Islamic calendar. This year, Ramadan will be from April 2/3 to May 2/3 2022 (depending on sighting of the moon). With Covid-19 restrictions now mostly removed across the UK, Ramadan 2022 will mark a return to the usual practices normally observed during Ramadan for British Muslims after a two year hiatus. Ramadan 2022 will see British Muslims going to the mosque for iftar (evening meal that breaks the fast) and taraweeh (special night prayer), and visiting friends and family." For more stories about Ramadan, go here.
Read more: When does Ramadan 2022 start and end?
Explaining how important Ramadan is in the Muslim calendar, chairman of Swansea Mosque, Farid Ali told WalesOnline : "Ramadan is a very special month for the Muslim community. It is one of the five pillars in Islam where Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn until dusk for 30 days. Muslims wake up in the early morning and eat some food just before sunrise, do their morning prayer then break their fast at sunset with prayers.
"As a community, we come together and break the fast with what is called Iftar. You can do that in the house or in the mosque which will provide food to the Muslim community to break fast. When it is time to break the fast, our muezzin, which is the call to prayer, he will make the alarm over a tannoy and our radio system into people's homes, and as soon as the alarm sounds, that is the signal that the fasting is over and that is the time for them to break the fast." You can read more about Ramadan in Swansea here, and for more stories from across the city, go here.
According to esin Islam, an online blog, on the first Friday of Ramadan, many people will read the first sermon. This translates as: "Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help. We ask for Allah's forgiveness, His Guidance, and we repent to Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and the evils of our actions, whom Allah guides no one can mislead and whoever has been misled no one can guide.
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger (peace be upon him), may Allah send peace and blessing on his family and Companions.
"O people, fear your Lord and thank Him as He expanded your lifetime until you realized this honorable month and great season in which activity is renewed in obedience, and competition takes place among the believers in pursuit of the most precious objective through the honorable goods. So, they offer righteous actions to find them on the Day of Resurrection. How many bounties Allah bestows on His Servants in this month and how many hearts, which are heedless, are revived." You can read more of this sermon online here.
How do you say Happy Ramadan?
The most common sayings to wish someone well during the holy month are "Ramadan Mubarak" and "Ramadan Kareem" which mean "blessed Ramadan" and "generous Ramadan".
Alternatively, translation site YourDictionary lists a range of English sentences which have been translated from Arabic as appropriate and kind wishes suitable to say to a Muslim friend, relative or colleague during the holy month.
They are:
- Wishing you all the blessings of the holy month.
- May the crescent-shaped moon brighten your path toward enlightenment and may Allah bless you with peace and grace.
- May this Ramadan bring joy, health and wealth to you.
- May this Ramadan be as bright as ever.
- I wish you four weeks of blessings, 30 days of clemency and 720 hours of enlightenment. Happy Ramadan!
- May the Spirit of Ramadan stay in our hearts and illuminate our souls from within.
- May Allah always guide you all throughout your journey in life. I wish this Ramadan will infuse you with courage that will help you be triumphant over the adversities of life.
- As you fast and offer prayers to Allah, may you find your peace and happiness.
- Have a peaceful and happy Ramadan.
