AS THE holy month of Ramadan officially started Monday, June 6, Muslims in the city are reminded to ask forgiveness and get reconciled from broken relationships and severed ties of relatives, an official of the Cagayan de Oro Muslim Association said.
Casser Amerol, information officer of the association, said the holy month means renewal of one’s faith, noting that this is the best time to seek Allah for those who are “lost.”
Considered the holiest month in Islam, Ramadan is the ninth month of the 12-month Hijiri lunar calendar where Muslims are obliged to fast from dawn until sunset.
Amerol said preachers from Malaysia, where the crescent moon was sighted, called to tell them Ramadan started Monday, June 6, as there was no moon sighting in the country.
In Cogon and Carmen markets, some Muslim businessmen closed stores early while they have prayed and fast throughout the day.
“Sa mga taong nagkamali, manumbalik na po tayo kay God. Allah is forgiving. Allah is welcoming us, we’ll ask for forgiveness. Pray and ask God to guide us and allow us to rectify our mistakes. The result is peace and tranquility in every community and in our country as a whole,” Amerol said.
Islam followers will be fasting for a month, which means they will be abstaining from eating, drinking, including marital sex, among others.
Amerol urged fellow Muslims to ask and accept forgiveness pointing political bickering and animosities, including the revival of family feuds due to the May 9 elections.
Amerol said Muslims and non-Muslims must continue to pursue the good relationship it has in the city since Islam is a religion of peace.
“We also salute the leadership of the city for its efforts in peace-building,” he added.
For Omar Binaoro, 54, the holy month of Ramadan is his most awaited month.
Binaoro said among his prayers is continued peace and unity between the government and the Muslim community including good health for his family in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental.
“Ang atong ginabuhat sa kalibutan preparation sa life thereafter, para makaadto sa Paradise, para makab-ot nato ang salvation gikan kang Allah,” he said.
Binaoro said his goal for this year is travel to Mecca for pilgrimage, which is the fifth of the five pillars in the Islamic faith – declaration of faith, obligatory prayer, compulsory giving, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca.