Muslim holidays
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- Friday is an important day in the life of a Muslim and it is believed that any devotional acts done on this day gain a higher reward. This day however should not be understood as a Sabbath, for Muslims reject the belief that God rested after Creation. The reason for the selection of Friday is due to the belief that Adam was created on that day. Believers attend congregational prayer at the local mosque, perform prayer and listen to a sermon by the Imam. When the holidays occur, it is according to the lunar Islamic calendar. This calendar does not correct for the fact that the lunar year does not match the solar year. Therefore, the Islamic months precess each year; they shift relative to the Gregorian calendar.
- Ramadan - the month in which Muslims must fast during daylight hours.
- Feast of Breaking the Fast (Eid al-Fitr), or the Little Feast (al-Eid saghir) - occurs at the conclusion of Ramadan and is held on the first day of the month of Shawwal.
- The Big Feast, (Eid al-Adha), also "The Feast of Sacrifice" (Kurban Bayram) - two months and 10 days after the Little Feast. Animals are slaughtered to commemorate Abraham's sacrificing of a ram instead of his son as recorded in the Qur'an. (The Bible says it was his son Isaac who was to be sacrificed.) Those who are able make a pilgrimage to Mecca do so just before this date, on the Hajj.
- Ashura - the 10th day of the month of Muharram This is the day on which God saved Moses and the Jews from Pharaoh in Egypt as he crossed the Red Sea (the Exodus day). According to Islamic tradition Muhammad fasted along with the neighboring Jewish communities on this occasion, and according to narrations, Muhammad planned on fasting on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. (According to Judaism the Jews left Egypt on the first day of Passover, and they crossed the Sea of Reeds on the next morn, both of which are celebrated as holidays with meals.) This is also the day on which Muhammad's grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, was killed according to tradition in the Battle of Karbala. For Shi'a Muslims this is a day of mourning. Many Sunni Muslims also commemorate this event, albeit in a less dramatic fashion than the Shi'a. The observance of this day to commemorate Husayn's death is frowned upon by fundamentalists.
- Muslim New Year - not generally celebrated as an official Islamic holiday, although many Muslim communities have devised or revived some kind of new year ritual celebration. Fundamentalists frown on the observance of this occasion, too.
- The Prophet's Birthday (Al-Mawlidu N-Nabawi Sh-Sharif) - Some scholars consider this holiday to be an innovation in the religion, as Muhammad himself did not celebrate it, except by fasting. This holiday is prohibited by the Islamist movement (fundamentalist Islam). Some Arab nations, such as Saudi Arabia, forbid Muslim celebration of this holiday.
- Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Power) - is on one of the odd last ten nights of Ramadan (19,21,23,25,27,29). It is considered the holiest night in the entire month of Ramadan, since it is the night in which the Qur'an was revealed. It is also considered better than a thousand months. [Qur'an 97:1-3] It is said that if one offers voluntary worship on that night, all his/her past sins are forgiven.
- Laylat ul Isra' wa-l-Miraaj (The Night of the Journey and Ascension) - is on 27 of Rajab. It is the night when Muhammad was, according to Muslims, taken to "the furthest mosque" (generally understood to be Jerusalem) on a Buraq (a beast resembling horse with wings; some people consider it a cherub) and ascended to the highest level of the heavens. It is said that he negotiated with God about the number of prayers, which started at fifty a day, but on his way down he met Moses who asked him to ask for a reduction in the number because the requirement was difficult for Muhammad's people. Muhammad returned to God and several times asked for and was granted a reduction of five prayers, until the number was reduced to five in total, with the blessing that if they were properly performed, the performers would be credited with fifty prayers instead of five.
- Laylat ul Bara'ah (The Night of Freedom from Fire) - occurs on the night between the 14th and 15th of Sha'ban. It is considered a night when Muslims are graced with Divine Mercy and blessings. The night is spent in the recitation of the Qur'an and special prayers.
| Muslim holidays and observances | |||||||||||
| Muslim New Year | Festival of Muharram | Aashurah | Imamat Day | Arba'een | Mawlid | |||||||||||
| Imam Musa al Kazim day | Lailat al Miraj | Shab-e-baraat | Ramadan | Laylat al-Qadr | Eid ul-Fitr | Eid ul-Adha | |||||||||||
