Around the world, the Muslim community has completed Ramadan, the month of fasting. Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, is terminated with the ceremony of Eid, a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing.

This Ramadan should be like no other. I am a little surprised this expression has not yet become a cliché. It lends itself to the type of human characteristic that annually engages in resolution-making, where the resolution is celebrated, but its execution is neglected. That is typical human behaviour. We make grand intentions about change and improvement for the better, often with sincerity, and then routinely struggle and fail to deliver.

Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic lunar calendar. This month was regarded as one of the sacred months in which battles were prohibited in the days of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

With the sighting of the new moon the Islamic New Year is ushered in. The first month Muharram, is a month of great reward and virtue.  Muharram itself means ‘sacred’ and is from those months which have been mentioned as sacred in the Holy Qur’an.