Ramadaan is ommie draai.
On Tuesday night scores of Muslims flocked to mosques to celebrate the holy night of Shab-e-Barat, locally known as Rua, taking place on the 15th of Shabaan.
From this night, it is a mere two weeks to that most auspicious of months on the Islamic calendar, Ramadan.
Kids and their parents sat and recited prayers to spiritually ready themselves for Ramadan, which is the 9th month on the Islamic lunar calendar.
For many people, fasting is just an act of not eating, but to Muslims around the world, it’s an act of spirituality and obedience to their Lord, coupled with charity, kindness, patience, self control, and so much more.
Fasting, or saum, is a compulsory duty upon Muslims who are healthy and sound in body and mind.
It’s a lot like Lent, when Christian folk sacrifice certain things as they remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ.
This 40-day period started in February and will end on the Thursday before Good Friday.
The three traditional pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving, through which Christians develop a closer relationship to God.
In just under two weeks, Muslims will go out to sight the new moon, ushering in the sacred month of Ramadan.
From about an hour and 20 minutes before sunrise, until sunset, Muslims must abstain from things that are usually halaal, like eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse for married couples.
This practice of fasting is aimed at developing God-consciousness, and Muslims believe that their sins are erased by the will of God.
The Cape Town traditions and culture of this month is something that I love most about this beautiful month.
Every morning before the sun rises, Muslim families will gather at the table to have breakfast and pray together, and just before sunset the kids will take their bordjies to the neighbours. All neighbours in the Kaap would know that it’s boeka time.
Acts of sharing and giving charity peak in this month, and it also gave rise to a new phenomenon in recent times - the mass boeka and street boekas.
Here is where organisations or neighbours would invite everyone from all faiths to come and partake in our beautiful traditions and the sense of community is something to behold.
After boeka-time, many will go to the mosque for the late evening prayer known as Taraweegh which is unique to Ramadan.
In Cape Town you can already feel the pwasa is around the corner.
May the beautiful tradition of sharing never end and may all my Muslim brothers and sisters reap the benefits of this sacred month.
To my Christian brothers and sister may your Lent be all that you hope it to be.
Stay blessed and may our sacrifices be richly rewarded.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za