Ramzan in today’s times

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The Internet has made the world a smaller place, its facets are multidimensional and its existence nothing short of a boon. The biggest advantage of the Internet, by far, is its nature of being ‘live’ — whatever happens around the world is updated and shared the minute it happens and all events, big or small, are tracked with a lot of interest from across the globe.

As the holy month of Ramzan comes to a close, we take a look at how the customs and traditions associated with the religious month, which culminates in the joyous festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, are being observed and followed in today’s scenario, with the prevalence of the Internet, social media networks, smartphones and more.
“One of the biggest advantages of the social media’s positive effects on this holy month, is the ease with which mosques communicate to the general public about the sighting of the moon, the prayer timings, the timings for sahar (pre-dawn meal) and iftar (meal to break the fast) and even the day on which the Eid is confirmed. My mosque has an online presence so all this information can be obtained from that,” says Mohammed Shamir, a 22-year-old Chennai-based engineer.
That is not all. Youngsters who otherwise use social networking websites to share funny or interesting links and status updates find it really useful to share information regarding the very many customs and dos and don’ts associated with fasting during the month. “A friend of mine started the habit of posting three links per day on his Facebook account about common misconceptions regarding the rules of fasting, zakath (charity) and general piety during Ramzan. Thanks to him, I learnt a lot of new things,” says Nafeesa Rahim, a Bangalore-based college student.
And with the advent of smartphones in the hands of every third person and the very many apps that can be installed in them, keeping a track of timings and things to do during the holy month just gets easier, Right from apps that remind you of changing prayer and fast timings to ones that remind you to fulfill your daily dose of good deeds, following one’s faith and its associated practices in today’s world just got simpler!