Moslems flock to mosques on the eve of fasting month
Moslems flock to mosques on the eve of fasting month
JAKARTA (JP): Moslems flocked to mosques across the country
last night to say the taraweh prayers, the first of the 29 to be
said every evening during the holy fasting month of Ramadhan.
Loudspeakers at the worship houses belted praises to Allah and
the Prophet Muhammad as well as the Arabic chants of Marhaban ya
syahru Ramadhan, marhaban ya syahru shiami. (Welcome, oh
Ramadhan, welcome, oh the fasting month.)
Today, Moslems will refrain from eating, drinking or engaging
in sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk. Some schools, such as
Muhammadiyah and others established by Moslem organizations, will
either give students a month-long holiday or reduce the length of
school hours.
Some companies and offices have also decided to shorten
working hours, from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
In a televised message to greet Ramadhan last night, Minister
of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher called on Indonesian Moslems
to observe fasting well in order to strengthen their faith, and
build solidarity with the poor and the weak.
"The development efforts in the next 25 years will call for
greater and better communication among officials, intellectuals,
the wealthy and the poor, and the weak, common people," he said.
What's needed, he said, "is a unity of hearts based on faith and
awareness of Allah."
"Let's maintain the sacredness of Ramadhan by continuing our
efforts to develop the Moslem brotherhood," he said.
The ministry announced on Saturday that Ramadhan will begin on
Monday (today) after the government and independent Moslem
organizations are satisfied with the results of methods employed
to determine the onset of Ramadhan.
The beginning of the fasting month is determined by both the
hisab (calculation by arithmetic means) and rukyat (the sighting
of the new moon).
Based on the Arabic calendar year, which follows lunar
movement, the start of each month must await the sighting of the
new moon.
On Saturday, because observers from the government and Moslem
organizations failed to sight the new moon, they decided that the
previous month of Sya'ban consisted of 30 days and ended
yesterday. The new month, Ramadhan, therefore, starts today.
Most other countries are also slated to begin the fasting
month today. Moslems in Saudi Arabia and in some European
countries, however, began Ramadhan yesterday.
There was no marked controversy about the start of Ramadhan
here this year.
All of the major Moslem organizations, such as Muhammadiyah,
Nahdlatul Ulama and Persis, endorsed the government's decision to
declare Jan. 22 as the start of Ramadhan.
In the past, the controversy has focused more on when the end
of Ramadhan should be and whether people should fast 29 or 30
days. (swe)
Photo -- Page 2
Youths -- Page 8