Ramadhan Al-Mubarak Chapter
Ramadhan Al-Mubarak is the ninth month of the Hijri calendar. It is the holy month for all of us where we feel closer to our Creator , ALLAH s.w.t. as we perform the obligatory fast from dawn till sunset as it is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims do a lot of good deeds during this month such as the recitation of the Quran, donation (sadaqah) , Tarawih prayer and also refrain themselves from doing sinful behaviour that may negate the reward of fasting such as lying , cursing , insulting and fighting.
The Islamic Society of UNSW (ISOC UNSW) runs a few functions during this month such as the evening meal(Iftar) , in which people regardless of nationalities sit together and break their fast with dates and water as soon as the evening call to prayer(Adhan) came. After the Maghrib prayer, a meal will be served to them in which every night was being sponsored by different communities such as the Saudis , Bruneians, Malaysians, Indonesians, Omanis, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi and Iranian communities. From the famous authentic dishes from the Western parts of Asia like the Biryani rice, Butter Chicken to the traditional dishes of the Malay Archipelago ; Nasi Lemak , Beef Rendang and Chicken Gulai . ISOC UNSW organised Iftars almost every night throughout Ramadhan.
After Isha prayer, there was the Tarawih prayer which starts at 7.00 p.m. It was led by an Imam which was invited by the society to perform the 8 raka’at prayer , followed by the 3 raka’at Witr prayer.
This year, the Vice-Chancellor of UNSW, Ian Jacobs came to our society to join us for the Iftar. We would like to thank him for giving us enormous cares and supports during this Ramadhan.
May Allah bless us with our deeds that we had done and forgive our sins that we committed throughout the years. May this month be the month that we will be able to change ourselves for the better good. May we can be given the chance to meet Ramadhan next year and the night of Laylatul Qadr, the night in Ramadhan which is better than a thousand months. Amin Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.