Salaam dear young friends, and may God Almighty accept your earnest endeavours of fasting, prayers, and other acts of worship that definitely include the social work you carry out to help family, friends, neighbours, and other members of the society, especially the have-nots.
As our dear friends know, these are the days of the anniversaries of two of the most doleful events in the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
On the 10th of Ramadhan he lost his loyal wife of 25 long years, Hazrat Khadijah (SA), and before the year could complete its full cycle, his loving uncle and guardian, Abu Taleb (AS), left the mortal world on Ramadhan 7.
The year is thus known in the history of Islam as “Aam al-Hozn” or Year of Grief. It if it was the fatherly affection, custodianship, faith in monotheism, and social stature in Mecca of Uncle Abu Taleb (AS) that guarded the Prophet and his message of Islam, it was conjugal love, sincere belief in the husband’s mission, and the will to sacrifice all her vast wealth in the path of God that ensured success for Islam and Muslims.
So inextricably firm were the bonds between the Messenger of Mercy and these two primordial Muslims that the Prophet’s Progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt, whom God Almighty has exalted above the rest of mankind, is the result of the marital union between Abu Taleb’s Infallible Son and Khadijah’s Immaculate Daughter – Imam Ali (AS) and Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA) of Abu Taleb (AS), the parents of all present day Saadaat (plural of Seyyed).
Well friends, today happens to be our last chat of the outgoing year, 1403 solar Hijri, in view of the New Year holidays starting next Wednesday, we wish you a Happy Nowrouz in advance.
For the information of foreign readers of our weekly column, the Iranian calendar year has since ancient times been based on the vernal or spring equinox, starting on 20 March, and is more perfect than the Gregorian calendar of the West.
As Iran is a Muslim country, the official calendar, like its lunar Hijri counterpart, is dated according to the auspicious migration of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) from Mecca to Medina.
Yes friends, Nowruz and Ramadhan can sometimes overlap, although this is relatively rare due to their different calendars. Nowruz follows the solar calendar, always falling around 20-21 March, while Ramadhan follows the lunar calendar, moving about 10-12 days earlier each year.
Because of this difference, Ramadhan occasionally coincides with Nowruz every 33 years or so. In regions such as Iran, Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia, where Nowruz is widely celebrated, this overlap creates a unique cultural and spiritual experience.
Families may adapt their Nowruz traditions to align with Ramadhan’s focus on fasting and spiritual reflection. Festive Nowruz meals may become iftar (the evening meal to break the fast). The usual daytime Nowruz gatherings may shift to the evening after Maghrib (sunset prayer).
This blending of traditions highlights the adaptability of cultural practices while maintaining religious devotion.
Goodbye and God bless you, dear young friends, until our next chat in the new Iranian year of 1404 on 9 April.