What Ramadan means to Yellowknife's Muslim community
The melodic sound of prayers ring throughout the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife each night as Muslims across the world observe one of their most important holy times of the year.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and a time when Muslims reconnect with their faith. It's observed by fasting from dawn to dusk, praying and giving back to the community.
"We pray and we ask God for his mercy and we ask for many good things for us to happen in the future," says Grade 6 student Ibrahim Ahmed Ali.
He holds up a Ramadan good deeds list that includes "read lots of Qur'an" "say only good things" and "eat Suhoor" (the pre-dawn meal).
"It lists what me and other kids will do or try our best to do," explains Ali. "For us it's a practice so when we get older and we do it we don't have problems."
On the back of his list is the Ramadan Highway Code. It shows symbols of things to do during Ramadan — like pray five times a day — along with things not to do like swearing or fighting.
This year, Ramadan began on May 6 and is expected to end around June 4 in Canada.
In Yellowknife, people have been gathering at the Islamic centre nightly for prayers and to break bread. A group of girls gathers around to enjoy slices of chocolate cake.
An Imam from Toronto, Ibrahim Habib, is also visiting.
"The community ... they are very joined together, they are really nice people," Habib says.
Grade 8 student Zakiya Yalhow says she's been praying, reading the Qur'an and trying to stay positive this month.
"For me, I think [Ramadan] means a month of the year so you could fast and do better good deeds and so you can forgive your sins as well," Yalhow says.
Nazim Awan, chair of the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife, compares Ramadan to a factory being shut down and everything is cleaned.
"Ramadan is a special month where all year, we wait for that and it is important for physical and spiritual health," he says.
Awan says his favourite part of Ramadan is that it gives a "refresher" or "crash course" on the Islam faith.
"The message is that during Ramadan, Muslims they have to practice compassion and the message to other people is peace and forgiveness, mercy, love," Awan says. "And if we are feeling hungry it should create a wave of empathy and care and giving."
This will likely be the last time Ramadan is celebrated in the Islamic centre as it still stands. The building will soon be torn down to make way for a long-awaited new mosque.
For many, it's bittersweet.
"It feels a little sad but a good feeling because we're going to have a bigger mosque and way more space to pray," says Ali, the Grade 6 student.
"I am going to miss this place though."
The Yellowknife Muslim community "means a lot" to Ali because "it has nice people and there's a lot of things to do," he says.
"We will miss this place for sure," says Awan. "But we're excited to have the new place."
The end of Ramadan is celebrated with Eid al-Fitr or "the breaking of the fast" which includes feasting and gift giving.
