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The Birmingham Islamic Society (BIS) is inviting visitors to the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center during the holy month of Ramadan which starts on March 11.
Muslims observe a daytime fast, abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset, and refrain from being intimate with their spouses during daytime hours, among other spiritual exercises in self-restraint. At sunset during Ramadan, Muslims break their fast with a meal called ‘Iftar’.
Traditionally, the ‘iftar’ consists of breaking the fast amidst supplications with dates and water, followed immediately by the evening congregational prayer, before finally sitting down together to enjoy a delicious meal, all of which is always better when we have visiting guests!
Anyone with questions regarding beliefs and practices or concerns pertaining to Shariah law; “Jihad”; Women in Islam; Democracy and human rights and Islam; Jesus and Mary in Islam can visit.
Free copies of the Qur’an and Islamic literature will also be available on request.
The BIS welcomes groups of other faiths to join them to observe their prayer rituals and share the evening meal at the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center.
Fasting, along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the “five pillars” of Islam.
Islam follows a lunar calendar and the month of Ramadan begins based on the sighting of the new moon. Because Ramadan is a lunar month, it begins about eleven days earlier each year.
There are an estimated 10,000 Muslims living in Alabama, with about 3,000 to 5,000 living in the greater Birmingham area.
The breaking of the fast at the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center typically draws about 700 participants nightly during Ramadan.
Dinner typically follows, with a brief presentation and then a question/answer session. The program usually runs about 2 hours in total, depending on the visiting group and their questions. Contact the center to reserve a spot for any day, starting March 12 through April 7 by calling (205) 879-4247 extension 6 or e-mail RamadanGuest2024@gmail.com.
