Ramadan was a Month of Reflection

Ramadan ended this weekend for Muslims across the world.

In Brecksville, members of have spent the past month fasting and examining their faith.

“It’s a month of reflection,” said Unity Center President Mohammad M. Sohrabi.

During the month of Ramadan, believers of Islam fast from sunrise until sunset. The fast helps individuals identify with people who are less fortunate, Sohrabi said, and helping to feed others is an important component of the observance. It is also a way to cleanse the mind and body.

Every mosque observes Ramadan differently, Sohrabi said. At The Unity Center, members of the community gather daily to study the Quran. Sohrabi said they try to review it all the way through at least once during the 30 days. It is believed that the Quran was revealed during the month of Ramadan. That night is called a “night of power,” and it is viewed as a night of mercy and forgiveness, Sohrabi said.

On Thursday, one of the last nights of Ramadan for 2012, the men of The Unity Center gathered on one side of the mosque to study the Quran. The women gathered in a room on the other side of the mosque—a partition runs down the center so that men and women each have their own space to pray, but all can hear the prayers being said. After the study of the Quran, members read “The Supplication of Kumail,” a prayer praising God and asking for forgiveness, and prepared for the day’s final prayer.

In the hall outside, a plate of dates and a pitcher of water awaited the followers. The daily fast can be broken at sundown. The simple food represents what the prophets might have eaten, Sohrabi said.

The Unity Center also holds an informal potluck after the evening’s final prayer—the fifth prayer of the day takes place at sunset—with a more formal dinner for members on the weekends. Ramadan ended on Saturday after the , and Eid ul-Fitr, a celebration of the breaking of the fast, took place on Sunday.