Word: ramadan
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...Milan coach Jose Mourinho cited Muntari's "lack of energy" on the pitch as the reason for his removal, suggesting that "Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match." Mourinho hinted that he may keep Muntari out matches for the rest of the month, angering Muslims and troubling Inter Milan fans...
...what is this ritual for which Muntari is jeopardizing his season? One of the five pillars of faith for Muslims, Ramadan is the the ninth month of the lunar calendar and the holiest period of the Islamic year. It's thought to be the month that the Koran was first revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad in the year A.D. 610. (Read "Soccer Star Benched for Fasting During Ramadan...
...rules of Ramadan are fairly straightforward: for one month, all practicing, able-bodied Muslims over the age of 12 are forbidden to eat or drink from sunup to sundown. Muslims believe that during this month the gates of hell close - meaning the devil is unable to tempt them during a month of discipline, charity and self-control. The objective of the fast, which also prohibits participating in "sensual pleasures" such as smoking, sex and even listening to music during daylight hours, is to diminish believers' dependence on material goods, purify their hearts and establish solidarity with the poor to encourage...
...first Ramadan is thought to have occurred during the middle of summer, explaining why the root of its name translates into Arabic as "the scorcher." A typical day starts as early as 3 a.m. with the predawn meal called the sahur, usually rich in protein and carbohydrates to get the faster through the long, foodless day. The rest of the day is spent reciting prayers, abstaining from bad deeds and reading the Koran. Fasters are expected to read the entire holy book within the month, and many mosques have taken to splitting it into 30 even portions recited in daily...
...with multiple courses. In some countries, the fast carries the force of law: in Algeria, six people were jailed last year for failing to observe the fast, while in Iran authorities have shut down restaurants for not closing during the day. Other places have their own unique requirements: when Ramadan falls during the summer months, as it does this year, Muslims living in northern countries face fasting through as many as 19 hours of daylight; Muslim scholars have suggested that worshippers in these climes follow the daylight hours of the nearest Muslim-majority nation...