Islamic Holidays

     

To respect the religious practices of Muslim students, it is imperative to recognize their religious traditions. As students already have days off of school for Christian holidays, we must allow Muslim students to fully participate in their holy days, even if that means taking a day or more off of school. Muslims take part in holy days such as Eid and Ramadan, each having significance behind them that make them celebratory, as well as requiring Muslims to participate in certain rituals. 

For one month every year, Muslims recognize the revealing of their holy book, the Quran. During this holy month, Muslims believe that the devil is chained up and gates to heaven are opened, therefore, worship is crucial. Muslims put forth effort, give up bad habits, and develop habits to become a better Muslim such as reading as much Quran as possible. Each night of the month, those who choose to participate in Taraweeh prayer listen and/or read 1/30th of the Quran so that by the end of the month, they would have read the entire Quran. Along with developing better habits, the practice of self-control is important. Fasting every day of the month is essential for every physically able Muslim. When fasting, they resist any and all foods and drinks from sunrise to sunset. No one knows the exact night the Quran was revealed, but it is said that it was revealed one of the last ten nights of Ramadan. The actual night is called Laylatul Qadr, a night when prayer is better than a thousand months of worship. Some people participate in I-tikaf for the last 10 days of Ramadan, meaning they live in the mosque and/or participate in hours of worship at the mosque each night to worship as much as possible. 

Right after the last night of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the end of fasting. This day is called Eid al-Fitr. According to BBC, the holiday begins when the new moon is first seen in the sky. People usually just get the news that there is a sight of the new moon rather than seeing it themselves. On this day, people decorate their homes and wear celebratory clothing. Muslims eat a daytime meal as their celebratory meal because it is the first daytime meal Muslims would have eaten in a month. Another holy day recognized in Islam is Eid al-adha, remembering that Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his own son when Allah asked him to. Ibrahim stayed true to God even though the devil tried to persuade him to disobey. Because Ibrahim chose to obey God, God gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead of his own son right before Ibrahim was about to kill his own son. This day is a reminder to all muslims that they should be willing to sacrifice anything that God wishes them to. Families (that can afford it) sacrifice domestic animals such as sheep to symbolize ibraheem’s sacrifice. Family, friends, and the poor each get an equal share of the meat. Prayer takes place on this day and presents are exchanged amongst family and friends. Ultimately, the holy days recognized in Islam include several specific rituals. Muslims should be excused from school when needed to fully take part in worshiping God on their holy days as Christians are already excused.