Ramadan رَمَـــــــضان (2) The Spiritual Significance of Ramadan Ramadan is a period of spiritual growth and increased devotion. Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, refraining not only from food and drink but also from negative behaviors such as gossiping, lying, and arguing. The fast, known as Sawm, teaches self-control, humility, and empathy for those less fortunate. Muslims also engage in increased prayer, reflection, and recitation of the Quran during this month. Special nightly prayers called Taraweeh are held at mosques, where long portions of the Quran are recited. Many aim to complete the entire Quran during Ramadan, reflecting on its teachings and seeking spiritual growth. الأهميةُ الرُّوحيةُ لشهرِ رمضانَ رمضانُ هو فترةٌ للنُّموِّ الرُّوحيِّ وزيادةِ التَّقوى. يصومُ المسلمونَ منَ الفجرِ حتى غروبِ الشَّمسِ، مُمتنعينَ ليسَ فقط عن الطَّعامِ والشَّرابِ، ولكن أيضًا عن السُّلوكياتِ السَّيِّئةِ مثلِ الغيبةِ والكذبِ والشِّجارِ. يُعلِّمُ الصِّيامُ، الذي يُعرَفُ بـ الصَّومِ، ضبطَ النَّفسِ والتَّواضعَ والتَّعاطفَ معَ المحتاجينَ. يُكثِرُ المسلمونَ منَ الصَّلاةِ والتَّأمُّلِ وتلاوةِ القرآنِ خلالَ هذا الشَّهرِ. وتُقامُ صلواتٌ خاصَّةٌ في اللَّيلِ تُعرَفُ بـ التَّراويحِ في المساجدِ، حيثُ تُتلى أجزاءٌ طويلةٌ منَ القرآنِ. ويسعى كثيرونَ إلى خَتْمِ القرآنِ كاملاً في رمضانَ، متدبِّرينَ معانيَهُ وساعينَ إلى النُّموِّ الرُّوحيِّ.

The Story of Valentines day Valentine's Day is everywhere: chocolate, flowers, and love notes. But have you ever actually thought about why we're doing it? It turns out the history's not as rosy as you'd think. One story sets its sights on ancient Rome. There was a priest named Valentine who secretly arranged marriages for couples. When this occurred, Emperor Claudius II had outlawed marriage for young men because he felt that unmarried men made better soldiers. Valentine was not going to obey, so he kept marrying people in secret. When the emperor found out, he had Valentine arrested and ultimately executed. Before he was executed, he supposedly wrote a letter to the jailer's daughter, signing it "From your Valentine." Ring a bell? There's also a school of thought that Valentine's Day originated in Lupercalia, a rowdy mid-February celebration in which the Romans pretty much got wild, honored fertility, and possibly even played some strange matchmaking games. At some point, the church then chose to make it a more civilized holiday and call it after St. Valentine instead. Now forward a few centuries, and by the Middle Ages, people began associating February with romance. Others even believed that birds chose their mates during this time of the year. Already, by the 18th century, love letters were being penned by humans. These evolved into the elaborate cards we see today. Valentine's Day is now celebrated all over the world. Some love it, others roll their eyes at it, but whatever, it's a good excuse to remind someone that you like them. And who doesn't want an added reason to indulge in chocolate?

Hello there English language learners! I was born in the United States and still live in the country. I started tutoring on Italki in 2018. I've helped students improve their spoken American English skills. I've helped with pronunciation, vocabulary, phrasal verbs, prepositions and more! If you'd like a tutoring lesson from me you can go to my tutor profile and check out my schedule and book a lesson!

Hello. I am going to meet someone (from Mexico and female) and I wish to show great respect. Which is most appropriate- Es un placer conocerle or es un placer conocerla?

The following sentence: ¨it did not seem as if the subject of his address were of great importance¨. My question is: Could I replace ´´as if´´ by ´´like´´? Would it be gramatically correct/ wrong? Would there be a change in meaning?

Hello eceryone , i need help in learning urdu letters,any recomendation ?

Today we're talking about a professional piece of vocabulary that we can use to talk about ourselves in a critical way, especially in the form of a jokes. This is "self-deprecating". Take a listen to today's episode of the podcast for a full explanation and I hope you find it useful! Don't forget that if you're an international professional who want's to improve the way they use English at work then I help people like you every day, right here on iTalki. Feel free to book some of my time and let's get to work!

Hey English learners! 👋✨ The other day, my friend said: “So we are like chalk and cheese!” Do you know what that means? Let's put your knowledge to the test!😉