fasting according to the hebrew scripture and the qur'an

7/28/2019 Fasting according to the Hebrew Scripture and the Qur'an

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Fasting according to the Hebrew Scriptures and the Quran

you oppress your workers." Isaiah 58/3

"Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humbthemselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashe

this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to Yahweh? Isaiah 58/5Besides these terms there are occasional references in narratives to persons who gowithout food or water (as in 1 Sam 28:20 and 30:12).

Also what we have in the Hebrew is

The Hebrew term /raeb means to hunger, and is used along with noun andadjective forms to describe the condition of hunger or famine.

This descriptive term differs from fasting in that the condition typically is notintentionally self-imposed., to thirst, along with its noun and adjective forms,functions in a similarly descriptive manner, although it shares an assonance of sounwith .

1) to be hungry, be voracious

a) (Qal) to be hungry

b) (Hiphil) to allow one to be hungry, allow to hunger

Hence we have in the general occasions for fasting in the Hebrew Scriptures as relato: mourning a death, making war, preparing or introducing oneself to certainexperiences, accompanying prayer, expiating sins, accompanying other activities, anritualizing days of remembrance.

From the Hebrew Scriptures of the Prophets and writings into five positivecategories:

(1) fasting as a sign of grief or mourning,(2) as a sign of repentance and seeking forgiveness for sin,(3) as an aid in prayer,(4) as an experience of the presence of Yahweh that results in the endorsement of himessenger, and


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(5) as an act of ceremonial public service

Fasting:

Then Yahweh Elohim commanded the man, You may freely eat fruit from every tree ofthe orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, fwhen you eat from it you will surely die. Gen 2/16 -17

We don't even think about this but even in the Garden of Eden, a restriction on dietabehavior was imposed.

According to the Tawrah, unrestricted freedom does not exist. Humanity is called upby Yahweh/Allah to exercise restraint and self-discipline in the gratification of his

appetite. This prohibition is the paradigm for the future Torah legislation relating todietary laws and it also correlates with the Qur'an.

According to the Hebrew Scriptures :

1) Fasting As an Aid in Prayer2) Fasting as a Sign of Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness for Sin3) Fasting as a Sign of Grief or Mourning4) Fasting as an Experience of the Presence of Yahweh/Allah and Endorsement of HMessenger5) Fasting as an Act of Ceremonial Public Service
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Isaiah 58andZech 7:3-14provide powerful examples of the Hebrew Prophets offeringcritiques of their religious fasting traditions. Even when the prophets offer theircritiques of fasting, it is not the ceremony itself they attack, but merely the hypocritspirit that accompanies it. The assumption is that the ceremony might have positive

value if accompanied with righteousness. A couple of the most theologically importpassages are worth citing with in more detail as examples of the role of ceremonialfasting in the prophetic tradition. These passages look forward to an eschatologicalrealization of the underlying purposes of fasting, a day when mourning gives way togladness and justice.

Shout loudly! Dont be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with theirrebellious deeds; confront Jacobs family with t heir sin! 2 They seek me day after day;they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does nreject the law of their Elohim. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be nearElohim. 3 They lament, Why dont you notice when we fast? Why dont you payattention when we humble ourselves? Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy yourselfish desires, you oppress your workers. 4 Look, your fasting is accompanied byarguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make yourvoice heard in heaven. 5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day whpeople merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching outsackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to Yahw6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear athe ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break everyburdensome yoke. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provideshelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him!Dont turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 8 Then your light will shine like thesunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before youand Yahwehs splendor will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call out, and Yahwehwill respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, Here I am. You must remove theburdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will disp

the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. 11 Yahweh willcontinually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give yourenewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring thatcontinually produces water. 12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestabthe ancient foundations. You will be called, The one who repairs broken walls, the onewho makes the streets inhabitable again. 13 You must observe the Sabbath rather thandoing anything you please on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath an
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treat Yahwehs holy day with respect. You must treat it with res pect by refraining fromyour normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from makinbusiness deals. 14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to Yahweh, and I will you great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor

Jacob. Know for certain that Yahweh has spoken. Isaiah 58/1-14Hence, that true fasting should be accompanied by sharing with those who havenothing to eat.

Isaiah 58:True Fasting Must Include Justice . The prophet Isaiah gives an extendedexample of alternative fasting attitudes in the Hebrew Scripture.

No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear awthe ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every

burdensome yoke. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provideshelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him!Dont turn your back on your own flesh and blood!

The chapter begins with Yahweh urging the Prophet to expose the sins of his peopleIsaiah 58/1 by raising his voice. Although the people appear to be acting in sinceredesire ( ) for Yahwehs favor 2), they feel that they have not been answered in theirfasting, that Yahweh has not noticed 3) Yahweh responds that this is because they aactually seeking after their own desire ('), and exploiting workers 3) Such fasting does

not merit Yahwehs attention. Yahweh has not chosen fasting to be a day for merelyhumbling oneself outwardly , as shown by the bending of the head and lying insackcloth and ashes. Such displays seem to not even merit the title of fast, as theconcluding question ofIsaiah 58:5suggests: Is this really what you call a fast, a daythat is pleasing to Yahweh? Instead, Yahweh has chosen a fast in which one will makerestitution for injustice , to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of theyoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break ever y yoke 6) Additionally, it is aday for sharing food with the hungry and clothing the naked 7).

Isaiah 58is not rejecting fasting but emphasizing that unless accompanied byactions oflove of neighbor it is an empty ritual . As noted earlier, forthe Israelites fasting wasmeant to be a sign of repentance, of turning back to Yahweh. A distinctive mark ofIsraelite (i.e., covenant) deen was that turning to Yahweh was inseparable from turnin love to ones neighbor.

This is whyIsaiah 58usesdialectic negation to emphasize the fact that a sign ofrepentance means nothing if the neighbor is unaffected by it.
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said.14 Rather , I will sweep them away in a storm into all the nations they are notfamiliar with. Thus the land had become desolate because of them, with no onecrossing through or returning, for they had made the fruitful land a waste. 8:1 Thenthe word of Yahweh who rules over all came to me as follows:2 Yahweh who rules

over all says,I am very much concerned for Zion ; indeed, I am so concerned for herthat my rage will fall on those who hurt her. 3 Yahwehsays, I have returned to Zionand will live within Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem will be called truthful city, mountainof Yahwehwho rules over all, holy mountain. 4 Moreover, Yahweh who rules overall says, Old men and women will once more live in the plazas of Jerusalem, each oneleaning on a cane because of advanced age.5 And the streets of the city will be full ofboys and girls playing.6 And, says Yahweh who rules over all, though such a thingmay seem to be difficult in the opinion of the small community of those days, will ialso appear difficult to me? asks Yahweh who rules over all.7 Yahwehwho rules over

all asserts, I am about to save my people from the lands of the east and the west. 8 AndI will bring them to settle within Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be thElohim, in truth and righteousness. 9 Yahweh who rules over all also says, Gatherstrength, you who are listening to these words today from the mouths of the prophewho were there at the founding of the house of Yahweh who rules over all, so that thtemple might be built.10 Before that time there was no compensation for man oranimal, nor was there any relief from adversity for those who came and went, becauhad pitted everybody each one against everyone else.11 But I will be different nowto this remnant of my people from the way I was in those days, says Yahweh who rules

over all,12 for there will be a peaceful time of sowing, the vine will produce its fruitand the ground its yield, and the skies will rain down dew. Then I will allow theremnant of my people to possess all these things.13 And it will come about that just asyou (both Judah and Israel) were a curse to the nations, so I will save you and you wbe a blessing. Do not be afraid! Instead, be strong! 14 For Yahweh who rules over allsays, As I had planned to hurt you when your fathers made me angry, says Yahweh who rules over all, and I was not sorry, 15 so, to the contrary, I have planned in thesedays to do good to Jerusalem and Judah do not fear!16 These are the things you mustdo: Speak the truth, each of you, to one another. Practice true and righteous judgment

in your courts. 17 Do not plan evil in your hearts against one another. Do not favor afalse oath these are all th ings that I hate, says Yahweh. 18 The word of Yahwehwho rules over all came to me as follows:19 Yahweh who rules over all says, The fastof the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become joyful and happy,pleasant feasts for the house of Judah, so love truth and peace. 20 Yahweh who rulesover all says, It will someday come to pass that people residents of many cities willcome.21 The inhabitants of one will go to another and say, Lets go up at o nce to ask


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the favor of Yahweh, to seek Yahwehwho rules over all. Indeed, Ill go with you. 22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek Yahweh who ruover all and to ask his favor.23 Yahwehwho rules over all says, In those days tenpeople from all languages and nations will grasp hold of indeed, grab the robe of

one Hebrewand say, Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohimis with you. Zechariah 7:1-23

Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness. Alittle with righteousness is better than wealth with wrongdoing. It is better to give althan to lay up gold. For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Thwho give alms will enjoy a full life, but those who commit sin and do wrong are theown worst enemies. (Tob 12:8-10)

Here is an elaboration of the theme ofIsaiah 58,that true fasting should be

accompanied by sharing with those who have nothing to eat. However, the raising othis kind of righteousness to the status of purging sins seems to relocate the forgivein the action itself, something not stated explicitly in the biblical passages. In Jdt 8:6 Judith is described as a woman whofasted all the days of her widowhood, except theday before the sabbath and the sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and theday of the new moon, and the festivals and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs contains several references to fasting. TheTestament of Simeon 3:4 has Simeon say , Two years therefore I aff licted my soul with

fasting in the fear of Yahweh , which he describes as fleeing to Elohim in order tofinally overcome the vice of envy.

Joseph says thathe fasted in those seven years (T. Jos. 3:4) when he was tempted bythe Egyptian woman, giving his bread to the poor. Afterward,he appeared to theEgyptians as one living delicately, for they that fast for Yahweh s sake receive beautyof face (T. Jos. 3:4).

Joseph even fasted in prison (9:2), and he attributes his accomplishments to prayerand fasting:

Ye see, therefore, my children, how great things patience worketh, and prayer withfasting (10:2).

Rachel is said to have prayed and fasted while barren, with the result that Benjaminborn (T. Ben. 1:4).
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Fasting while continuing in sin is condemned as hypocrisy in T. Ash. 2:8, in a mannreminiscent of prophetic themes:

Another committeth adultery and fornication, and abstaineth from meats, and whenhe fasteth he doeth evil.

Reuben is said to have abstained from meat and wine in penance for seven years fosin of fornication (T. Reu. 1:10), as did Judah until his old age (T. Jud. 15:4).

These frequent references to fasting in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Twelve Patriarcevidence an escalation in the attention being paid to the virtues of fasting, since theoriginal biblical materials describing these figures never mention it.

1 Enoch 108:7-9 describes the humble as longing more for Elohim than earthly foowhich sounds ascetical in tone. Psalms of Solomon 3:8 suggests that involuntary sinsmay be atoned through fasting, which may be an extension of the concept of fastingthe Day of Atonement:

[The righteous] maketh atonement for (sins of) ignorance by fasting and a fflicting hissoul, and Yahweh counteth guiltless every pious man and his house.

As previously mentioned, in the Life of Adam and Eve 6:1, Adam fasted forty daysthe Slavonic version adds Eve fasting forty-four days, as penance.

So now in which ayats in Quran Allah do mentions about Saum (Fastin g):

Allah says:

"O ye who believe! iymu (Fasting) kutiba (is prescribed) to you asit kutiba (wasprescribed) to those before you, that ye may tattaqna (become righteous). ayyman (Fasting for days) ma ddtin (numbered); but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, theprescribed number (Should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (Whardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give morehis own free will,- it is better for him. And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only

knew.Shahr (Full Moon) Ramadan (of scorching heat ) is when the reading wasdescended as guidance for people and clarifications from the guidance and thecriterion, so whomever witnesses"al-shahr (the Full Moon)", let him abstain it. Andwhomever was sick or traveling so a count of other days. Allah wants to facilitate annot make it hard on you. And so complete the count and magnify Allah for what Heguided you and perhaps you would be thankful." Sura 2/183-185
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When does scorching heat begin to take place? The time of scorching heat starts afterthe summer solstice. This is the time when the sun is at its highest point and hence theshadow is smallest.

"It is made lawful to you to go into your wives on the night of theiymi (fast); they arean apparel for you and you are an apparel for them; Allah knew that you actedunfaithfully to yourselves, so He has turned to you (mercifully) and removed from y(this burden); so now be in contact with them and seek what Allah has ordained foryou, wakul (and eat) wa- ish'rab (and drink) until the whiteness of the day becomesdistinct from the blackness of the night at dawn, then complete the fast till night, anhave not contact with them while you keep to the mosques; these are the limits of Aso do not go near them. Thus does Allah make clear His communications for men ththey may guard (against evil)." Sura 2/187

In Sura 25/45 Allah speaks about the indicative relationship between the sun and theshadow.

Have you not considered your Lord - how He extends the shadow, and if He willedHe could have made it stationary? Then We made the sun for it an indication. Sura25/45

It is after the summer solstice that the weather starts to become hot.

Ramadhan well the Arabic root fromRamadan isRamidha which means:

1) To be burning, heat, be blasted by the sun

Ramadha means:

1) To sharpen (a spear) between stones, roast, pasture on a burning ground, burn.

Ramdha means: scorching heat; Burning hot (ground)

Interestingly, the full-moon around the summer solstice is special because it follows alower path across the sky compared to the rest of the year's full moons and for some

reason our brains are wired to perceive such full-moons as larger than normal. In fanot only will thefull-moon seem bigger than normal, but the low-hanging full moontakes on an orange hue as a result of scattered moonlight in Earth's dustyatmosphere.

For the same reason that warning lights areorange , this orange hue creates a strong visual response , preserves the observer's night vision, and allows him/her to better se
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the shape and details of the moon than the normal white moon light while driving, wall experienced how looking into white headlights degrades those abilities.

Have you ever wondered why the moon is more orange or yellow in color when it firises at night. This effect is caused by the atmosphere of the earth. The reason for thorange color is due to the scattering of light by the atmosphere. When the moon is nthe horizon, the moonlight must pass through much more atmosphere than when themoon is directly overhead. By the time the moonlight reaches your eyes, the blue, gand purple pieces of visible light have been scattered away by air molecules. That's you only see yellow, orange, or red.

The moon can have an orange color at any time of the year. Sometimes the moonappears orange even when it's directly overhead. This occurs when there's a lot of dusmoke, or pollution in the atmosphere.

Looking at the white moon directly overhead we can see the red part of the arrow

pointing to the white moon. This red part of the arrow shows the part of theatmosphere we are looking through to see the moon. Now look at the orange moon jrising in the east. Look at the blue portion of the arrow pointing to the orange moonSee how much longer the blue line is than the red line. This shows that we are lookithrough about three times as much atmosphere at a rising or setting moon. At times themoon might look red, orange or even blue.


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Allah says:

[He said], "Joseph, O man of truth, explain to us about seven fat cows eaten by seve[that were] lean, and seven green spikes [of grain] and others [that were] dry - that may return to the people; perhaps they will know [about you]." [Joseph] said, "You plant for seven years consecutively; and what you harvest leave in its spikes, exceptlittle from which you will eat. Then will come after that seven difficult [years] whicwill consume what you saved for them, except a little from which you will store. Thwill come after that a year in which the people will be given rain and in which they press [olives and grapes]." Sura 12/47-49

A verse that is often mistranslated and hence confused is 2:189. Here is themistranslation of Yusuf Ali:

They ask thee concerning ahilati (the New Moons). Say:They mawqtu (are butsigns to mark fixed periods) of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage. It is novirtue if ye enter your houses from the back: It is virtue if ye fear Allah. Enter housethrough the proper doors: And fear Allah: That ye may prosper. Sura 2/189

Now if we study the Quran more car efully you will see that Yusuf Ali and most othertranslators translate"ahila(t)" (the plural of ) as new moons.

On the other hand, the meaning given for"hilal" by Arabic lexicons such as Al-Moit,Al-Wasit, and Lisan Al-arab is different. The lexicons say that the"hilal" is the moon in

both its beginning and its end.Yet for some reason, most translators ignored this fact and instead claim that"hilal"/"ahila(t)" means only the new moon.

A better translation would be:

They ask you regarding ahilati (the crescent moons), Say: "They are timings for thepeople as well as for the debate." And piety is not that you would enter a home fromback, but piety is whomever is righteous and come to the homes from their main doAnd be aware of Allahthat you may succeed. Sura 2/189

According to theQuran and given the ayat a better translation, crescent moons ingeneral in regards to both the thinning crescent and the widening crescent can servetiming devices.
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The Tawrah also expands on this:

"And Elohim said: me'orot (Let there be lights) birkia' (in the expanse) made in thefirmament of heaven,lehavdil (to divide/separate) haiyovm (the day ) hallayelah (andthe night),le'otot (and let them be for signs ),ulemov'adim (and for seasons), uleyamim (and for days) veshanim (and years)." Genesis 1/14

Without a doubt every nation living on the earth has looked toward the heavens to horganize events on Earth. Without a precise calendar based on the annual motion ofsun through the stars, we would not know when to plant and when to harvest, andcivilization's chance of survival would be at risk. The annual calendar is further diviinto months, recognizing the 29.5-day period of the moon's phases. And finally, thedays of our lives are marked by the daily rising and setting of the sun.

Also we learned to navigate this sphere we call Earth, it became necessary to divideday into 24 hours so that ships at sea could determine the relative localsolar time andlongitude from that of their home port. Sundials are primitive clocks that help us todetermine the approximate hours of the day while the sun is above the horizon. Howcan we count on nature to help us determine the approximate hour during thenighttime? We use the light of the moon!

In the Hebrew Scripture, the word translated into English as month or new moon is Hebrew pronounced hdsh . The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament

(HALOT) tell us this word meansnew moon, month, mating season . This word comesfrom the Hebrew root vd;x which meansrenew, make anew, repair . Thus the Hebrewword for new can also mean new month, or just month.

Though the Hebrew Scriptures speaksof the new month or new moon , it does notexplicitly tell us how the new moon is determined. It is easy to identifya fullmoon. Just look in the sky and when the moon is a full circle, its "full"! But, for somereason, there are several different opinions regarding when the new moon and the nmonth begins. This "astronomical new moon" is also known as the "darkened moon" the "unilluminated moon." It occurs at its conjunction with the sun as seen fromearth. At this time, the darkened side of the moon faces earth, so the moon cannot bseen from earth. The astronomical new moon is considered the "new moon" on moEnglish calendars and the Chinese calendar.2

When is the Beginning of the New Year according to the Hebrew Scripture?

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Now that we know that any month begins with the sighted first sliver of the moonfollowing its phase of darkness, we can move on to the question of when the beginnof the new year is. We will do this by first examining what the Scriptures have to saabout this important topic, then we will proceed to answer objections and apparent

"problems" the scriptural method of determining a new year presents.Getting the beginning of the year identified correctly is of paramount importance. SElohim has given us specific days on the Hebrew calendar that are designated as seapart for his appointments with us, appointments to accomplish the redemption, andsince we do not want to miss any of these appointments by even one day, then we mbegin the new year precisely at the right time as identified in his Instructions.

The Tawrah of Elohim does present a very clear word regarding the beginning of thyear and the Hebrew calendar. For those who hold the Hebrew Scripture as being th

sure and faithful word of Elohim to mankind, there can be no other criteria fordetermining the first month of the new year than those which the Scriptures themsereveal.

In the account of the ten plagues, simple and clear revelation was given to Mosheh(Moses):

Yahuwah said to Mosheh and Aaron in Mitzrayim,

"This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year . Tell the

whole community of Yisrael that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take lamb for his family, one for each household." Shemot/Exodus 12/1-3

The month in which the Pesach was slaughtered and eaten and in which the sons ofYisrael left Mitzrayim - that month is the first month of the year. So which month wthat?

The Tawrah identifies precisely what month this was:

Then Mosheh (Moses) said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you camout of Mitzrayim, out of the land of slavery, because Yahuwah brought you out of itwith a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. Today, in the month of the Avivyou are leaving . Shemot/Exodus 1 3/3-4

The month in which Yisrael left Mitzrayim is called"the month of the Aviv." In fact,the Tawrah tells us in four different places that the month of the Aviv is the same


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month that Yahuwah delivered Yisrael from Mitzrayim. The second passage whereMosheh is told this is here:

Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yas I commanded you. Do this at the appointedtime in the month of the Aviv, for inthat month you came out of Mitzrayim. Shemot/Exodus 23/15

Again, for a third time, Mosheh (Moses) is told which month is the month of theAviv:

Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made withoutyeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed timein the month of the Aviv, forin the month of the Aviv you came out of Mitzrayim . Shemot/Exodus 34/18

And finally, for the fourth time, Mosheh is told that the month of the Aviv is when

Yahuwah brought the sons of Yisrael up out of Mitzrayim:

Observe the month of the Aviv and celebrate the Pesach of Yahuwah your Elohim,because in the month of the Aviv he brought you out of Mitzrayim by night. Devarim/Deuteronomy 16/1

It couldn't be clearer that the first month of the year is the month of the Aviv.

Next, we need to overstand what the Aviv is. The BDB identifies the Hebrew byIba'(pronounced aviv) as:

1. fresh, young ears of barley; 2. month of ear-forming, or of growing green, Abib,month of Exodus & passover.

TWOT translates our word as barley, and has this to say about it:

Barley. This noun refers to barley that is already ripe, but still soft, the grains of whare eaten either rubbed or roasted... Abib was also the early name (later, Nisan) of thfirst month of the Jewish calendar (the month of Passover). In that month the barleycame to ear.

And the HALOT says aviv is to be identified with :1. ears (of corn) already ripe, but still soft, to be eaten either crushed or roasted(Dalman Arbeit 2:245, 305), Ex 9:31 Lv 2:14;

2. bbaa'h' vd,xo month of the ears of corn, March-April;


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These lexicons of ancient Hebrew are in agreement that aviv has to do with the stateof ripeness of the barley ears.

Wikipedia summarizes the meaning of aviv:

Aviv (Hebrew: ) has several related meanings inHebrew: According to the Torah, Aviv is the first month of the Hebrew calendar.

Historically, aviv literally meant the stage in the growth ofgrainwhen the seedshave reached full size and are filling with starch, but have not dried yet. Durinthe plague of hail(Exodus9/31), thebarleywas aviv and theflaxwas giv`ol.

"Aviv" accordingly also meansspring,one of the fourseasons.Thus the majormodernIsraelicity ofTel Avivmeans "Spring Hill".

The month in theHebrew calendarwhen thebarleyhas reached or passed thisstage(Exodus 13/4;23/15) is called Aviv, or the "month of the aviv": the seventof the Jewish civil year, and the first of the Biblical ecclesiastical year. It begiabout the time of the vernal equinox (March 21). Since theBabylonian captivity, it has also been calledNisan(Neh 2:1). On the sixteenth day of the month,harvest was begun by gathering a sheaf of barley, which was offered as asacrifice to Elohim(Lev 23/4-11)when theTempleexisted.

Even though the Wikipedia definition of Aviv has been presented, we must understa

that Aviv as meaningspring is a modern definition , not the ancient Hebrew definition.The word spring is not what the word aviv meant when Tawrah was written.Theword aviv as used in Scripture refers to the ripening ears of barley.

In summary of the meaning of aviv, all sources are in agreement that aviv has to dowith the stage of ripeness of grain. All but one of these sources specifically identifithe barley as that ripened grain. This is because the first grain crop of the year inYisrael is the barley harvest. As such, the crescent moon when the barley has becomnearly ripe, that is, has green ears and is soft, is also called the month of the Aviv. Abecause this month of the aviv is near the time of the beginning of spring, although has no explicit connection (biblically) to the vernal equinox, the word aviv later becassociated with the word spring.

Keep in mind that aviv does not mean spring, it means green ears of barley, but thebarley becomes aviv at the time when the warmer spring season is dawning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Exodushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_%28season%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Avivhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barleyhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Exodus&verse=13:4&src=HEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisanhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Neh&verse=2:1&src=HEhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Lev&verse=23:4-11&src=HEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templehttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Lev&verse=23:4-11&src=HEhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Neh&verse=2:1&src=HEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivityhttp://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Exodus&verse=13:4&src=HEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Avivhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_%28season%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Exodushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language


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So"myqat"/"mawaqit" can signify timing/timings for completion of something.

And We appointed for Moussa thalthna laylatan (thirty nights), and We completedbi ashrin (with ten): thus was completed mqtu (the timing) of his Lord, arba nalaylatan (forty nights). Sura 7/142

Hence,the full-moon after the summer solstice is easier to witness. Moreover, becausethis orange moon appears while the days are longest, at the time of its appearance itstill daylight and it is still hot outside. All these signs are certainly not coincidental.

We also hear about 10 nights in Sura 89/2.

By the dawn ashrin walaylin (and ten nights) Sura 89/1-2

Interestingly, 10 nights is exactly how long it takes for the full-moon to reach the

crescent stage. Note the relationship between the 10 extra nights in 7:142 and the 10days of "hajj"/debate in Sura 2/196.

"And complete the Hajj or 'umra in the service of Allah. But if ye are prevented (Frocompleting it), send an offering for sacrifice, such as ye may find, and do not shaveheads until the offering reaches the place of sacrifice. And if any of you is ill, or hasailment in his scalp, (Necessitating shaving), (He should) in compensation eitheriymin (fast), or feed the poor, or offer sacrifice; and when ye are in peacefulconditions (again), if any one wishes to continue the 'umra on to the hajj, He must man offering, such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it , faiymu (then a fast) ofthree days during the hajj and seven days on his return, Making asharatun (ten days) in all. This is for those whose household is not in the Sacred Mosque. And fear Allaand know that Allah is strict in punishment. Sura 2/196

So we have the first full-moon after the summer solstice and this is when the full-moon of "ramadan" is the first restricted full-moon.

Hence, counting four full-moons beginning with the first full-moon after the summesolstice would give us the restricted four full-moons and as usual,the crescent times

the end of the periodwhich would be a period a bout 90+10 100 days in total. Thesolstice happens towards the later part of June 22 etc

The full-moon of scorching heat would be 0-30 days after that.

Thus, the start of the restricted full-moons would be on average around the beginninof the second week of July and would end around the third week in October this isaverage but it could be sooner or as late as end of October depending on when the fu
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moon occurred after the summer solstice. So the restriction full-moons cover the timfrom about mid-summer to mid fall.

The timing of the restriction is significant, especially given that the restriction is onhunting wild-life. Interestingly, the restriction doesn't cover domesticated livestockanimals.

O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts. Lawful for you are the animals ofgrazing livestock except for that which is recited to you, hunting not being permittewhile you are in the state of iram. Indeed, Allah ordains what He intends. Sura 5/1

So now we have to ask the question, why or what are the reasons for the restriction?

Could it be because the summer is the time when most wild animals and even wildbirds give birth? Hence, killing a wild female animal, this would be not just killing wild female animal but would also be inadvertently killing all its new-born off-sprinwho cannot feed and fend for themselves. Also, finding the new-born animals giveshunter an unfair advantage because the mother is sometimes reluctant to leave themthe hunter can just wait close by until the mother comes back for them and easily brher down.3

On the other hand, when a mother of a domesticated livestock animal is killed, her nborn can be easily cared for by people and they will survive fine. Of course, thisanalysis indicates that the restriction period would be different between the southern

and the northern hemisphere. There is nothing inthe Quran that indicates that theyshould be the same for people all over the world. We should orient our direction to ttruth from our Lord wherever we are, whether in the Southern or Northern hemisph

So from wherever you go out turn your face toward al- Masjid al-haram, and indeeis the truth from your Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what you do. Sura 2/149

Allah instructs us afterwards to fast during daylight hours and the length of the fastwhich basically means to complete a count of a few days.

So the initial information about" Shahr (Full Moon) Ramadan (of scorching heat) " issimply the marker and not a command to fast an entire lunar month which iscommonly believed and accepted by the masses that believes that we are supposed tfast 30 or 29 days and nights, otherwise the information about when and how manydays to fast would be redundant or contradicting this command.

3 http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9603044.0


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As a side note, there is also additional info in Classical Arabic dictionaries that link"ramadan" specifically to hunting. This is significant given the fact that the restricteperiod is about hunting.

This inhumane way of hunting would have a significant negative impact on thepreservation of wild life and would very quickly decimate it. Apparently, the Arabswere using this inhumane way of hunting during this period of hunting restriction.

Allah says:

"O ye who believe! Allah doth but make a trial of you in a little matter aydi (of game)tanluhu aydkum (well within reach of your hands) warim ukum (and yourspears) , that He may test who fear Him unseen: any who transgress thereafter, willhave a grievous penalty." Sura 5/94

Here we have in Sura 5/94 Allah says"aydi (of game) tanluhu aydkum (wellwithin reach of your hands) " would reach the wild game.

This means that it was an easy catch and the only time a prey/animals is normally suan easy catch is when the animal is exhausted and especially when it is young. This far more likely to happen during the time of extreme heat when young animals whohave recently been born are already suffering from the heat. We have man madecalendars thatcan be used as a guide, tooletc.

However, Allah doesn't give us calendars or prohibit us from using any calendars atAllah in fact does gives us NATURE to look at that conveys to us on a consistent bacosmic phenomenon for the purpose of timing the fast and the restriction on huntingwild life. Thus, Ahlul Kitab, Bani Israel as we know timed the major festivals accorto the full moon. This further points to the full-moon being the original marker asconfirmed in the Qur'an.

The Passover begins on the 15th day of the month ofNisan,which typically falls inMarch or April of theGregorian calendar.Passover is a spring festival, so the 15th dayof Nisan begins on the night of afull moonafter the northernvernal equinox.[citation needed ] To ensure that Passover did not start before spring, the tradition in ancient Israel helthat the first day of Nisan would not start until the barley was ripe, being the test foronset of spring.4

4 The barley had to be "eared` out" (ripe) in order to have a wave-sheaf offering of the first fruits according to theLaw. Jones, Stephen (1996). Secrets of Time. This also presupposes that the cycle is based on the northernhemisphere seasons.
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If the barley was not ripe, or various other phenomena[11] indicated that spring was notyet imminent, anintercalary month(Adar II)would be added. However, since at leastthe 4th century, the date has been fixed mathematically.

Called the "festival [of] thematzos"(Hebrew: hag hamatzot) in the HebrewScripture, the commandment to keep Passover is recorded in theBook of Leviticus:

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month betweenha'arbayim (attwilight/the two evenings) isYahwehs Passover. Leviticus 23/5

Blow up the trumpetvachodesh (at the new moon), ibakke she (at the full moon) , on ourfeast day. Psalm 81/3

ibakkeshe /kese or keseh means: time appointed or keceh {keh'-seh}; apparentlyfromkacah;properly, fullness or the full moon, i.e. Its festival -- (time) appointed.

The first part of (spring) festival cycle (Pesach, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits andPentecost) is geared to the first full moon of spring (Friday night) (Ex. 12:1) And thsecond part of the (fall) festival cycle is geared to the first full moon of fall (RoshHashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkoth). Both Passover and Sukkoth begin at the fullmoon and last seven days until the 2nd last or third phase of the moon. They are times offullness and joy.

Even in pagan religionsthe full moon (Harvest moon) was a time for celebrating,where people could celebrate at night by the greater light.

In Judaism, the relationship of the moon to the sun has been likened to our relationswith Yahweh. While we can never have His glory, we are constantly called to recallto reflect His glory and to understand that He is Yahweh of time we are called tomeasure or to mark time daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. That is why we celebratYahwehs Table at the new moon.

The Hebrew calendar is solar lunar and the year begins and ends according to the cyof the moon and 7 times every 19 years another month is added so that the festivals

aligned to the moon and the year stays aligned to the sun. The new moon is a solemtime when Hebrew Israelites think of new birth, of the coming redemption of thegrowing light which will one day deliver us from darkness.

Once a month, the old moon, in a single night, shifts into the new moon and the lighwhich was waning begins to wax. Thus we should understand that if our lives arealigned with the purposes of Yahweh it does not matter whether our fortunes wax or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover#cite_note-11https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover#cite_note-11https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercalation_%28timekeeping%29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adar_IIhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Leviticushttp://biblesuite.com/hebrew/3680.htmhttp://biblesuite.com/hebrew/3680.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Leviticushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adar_IIhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercalation_%28timekeeping%29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover#cite_note-11


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wane, they will continue to be regenerated and renewed by Yahweh/Allah. The fullmoon is a time of celebration

The full moon is the beginning of the two greatest times of rejoicing in the festivalsYahweh (Passover/Unleavened Bread and Sukkoth/Simchat Tawrah) . It was a timewhen the festivities would last into the night and the full moon light would guaranteboth that people could see as they celebrated and also that they could find their wayhome, because we know that light overcomes darkness.

In Medieval folklore, witches and warlocks were more active at the full moon. Thishave been due to the fact that many pagan religions of Europe held their wildestfestivals at the full moon (and felt that it was a time when their darkest magic powewere at their height. It may also be because that was when the Hebrew Israelites, twa year, were celebrating and meeting after dark (long into the night) and celebrating

and seemed to be singing songs to the moon (Kiddush Levanah).There is also the question of the effect of the moon on mankind. Both the monthly cof women and the conduct of the mentally unbalanced were thought to be affected bthe moon (hence the word lunatic). Pagan peoples feared the full moon because thefeel that when it is dark the powers of evil are greater and more active. We know themoon reflects the light of the sun and shines in the darkness to guide us through thedark. It is not affected by the dark, but overcomes the dark and we should do the sam

For us, the moon is one of two heavenly bodies Yahweh/Allah set in place todemonstrate His power over the light of day and the darkness of night and that Hisuniverse is full of order and precision, no matter what else is going on, Yahweh/Allais in full and final control over all that is in the heavens and all that on earth.

fasting according to the hebrew scripture and the qur'an

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