Well, here we are again in this blessed month of Ramadan and here we are again trying to reconnect with one another and live a few weeks of community spirit and harmony. Ramadan gives us the opportunity to strengthen our ties with our Creator through our worship and adoration but it also creates the mood and environment where we see each other closer to one another. There is that spirit of oneness of purpose, oneness of work and oneness of preoccupation. Time is one main factor of unity both in terms of the month itself and in terms of the timing of starting the fast at Fajr (dawn) and breaking it at Maghrib (sunset). Time guides us and organizes our schedule. We work with the timings as they change every day and we have no other choice but to do so. Time of course is one of the pillars of fasting. The other main factor is the activities we add in Ramadan such as Taraweeh, Khatmul Qur'an, Iftar dinners and Suhur meals. Due to the significance of these activities, our different routines change and become similar in the month of Ramadan. At Maghrib time, one can be certain that all the Muslims are sitting around their dining tables or sofras having their meals and the same thing can be said before dawn.

There are a few other factors but if something one needs to learn is that when we have a system, an organized life and consensus over important things we can certainly achieve harmony and unity.
Dr. Hamid Slimi