Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (sawm), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed to have been revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the five pillars of Islam and lasts 29 to 30 days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.

Fasting from dawn to sunset is obligatory (fard) for all adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically ill, traveling, elderly, breastfeeding, pregnant, or menstruating. The predawn meal is suhur, and the nightly feast that breaks the fast is iftar. Although rulings (fatawa) have been issued that Muslims who live in regions with a midnight sun or polar night should follow the timetable of Mecca, it is common practice to follow the timetable of the closest country in which night can be distinguished from day.

The spiritual rewards (thawab) of fasting are believed to be multiplied during Ramadan. Accordingly, during the hours of fasting, Muslims refrain not only from food and drink, but also from all behavior deemed to be sinful in Islam, devoting themselves instead to prayer and study of the Quran.

Ramadan is considered one of the holiest times for Muslims. During this month, adult Muslims fast daily from dawn (fajr) until sunset (maghrib) as an act of worship and self-discipline. The period emphasizes prayer, charity, reading of the Qur’an, and strengthening community ties.

The start of Ramadan is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, and the month lasts either 29 or 30 days depending on the lunar cycle.

Etymology

The word Ramadan derives from the Arabic root R-M-Ḍ (ر-م-ض) 'scorching heat', which is the Classical Arabic verb ramiḍa (رَمِضَ) meaning 'become intensely hot – become burning; become scorching; be blazing; be glowing'.

Ramadan is thought of as one of the names of God in Islam by some. Many hadiths say it is prohibited to say only "Ramadan" in reference to the calendar month and that it is necessary to say "month of Ramadan", as reported in Sunni, Shia and Zaydi sources. Others consider this Mawḍūʻ (fabricated) and inauthentic.

In the Persian language, the Arabic letter ض (Ḍād) is pronounced /z/. Muslim communities in some countries with historical Persian influence, such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Turkey, use the word Ramazan or Ramzan. The word Romzan is used in Bangladesh.

History

Ramadan is the month on which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the standard ˹to distinguish between right and wrong˺. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number of days ˹after Ramaḍân˺. Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful.

Muslims hold that all scriptures were revealed during Ramadan, the scrolls of Abraham, Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and Quran having been handed down during that month. Muhammad is said to have received his first quranic revelation on Laylat al-Qadr, one of five odd-numbered nights during the last ten days of Ramadan.

Although Muslims were first commanded to fast in the second year of Hijra (624 CE), they believe that the practice of fasting is not in fact an innovation of monotheism but rather has always been necessary for believers to attain fear of God (taqwa).^{[Quran 2:183]} They point to the fact that pre-Islamic pagans in Mecca fasted on the tenth day of Muharram to expiate sin and avoid drought. Philip Jenkins argues that the observance of Ramadan fasting grew out of "the strict Lenten discipline of the Syrian Churches", a postulation corroborated by other scholars, including theologian Paul-Gordon Chandler, but disputed by some Muslim academics. The Quran itself emphasizes that the fast it prescribes had already been prescribed to earlier biblical communities (2:183), though there is no explicit intertext for this pre-Islamic practice.

Important dates

The Islamic calendar is lunar; each month begins when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. The Islamic year consists of 12 lunar cycles and is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year. As the Islamic calendar does not use intercalation, Ramadan migrates throughout the seasons. The Islamic day starts after sunset. The estimated start and end dates for Ramadan, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia, are:

Many Muslims insist on the local physical sighting of the moon to mark the beginning of Ramadan, but others use the calculated time of the new moon or the Saudi Arabian declaration to determine the start of the month. Since the new moon is not in the same state at the same time globally, Ramadan's beginning and ending depend on what lunar sightings are received in each location. As a result, Ramadan dates vary in different countries, but usually by only a day. This is due to the cycles of the moon; the moon may not qualify as a waxing crescent, which delineates the change in months, at sundown in one location but later meet it in another location. Astronomical projections that approximate the start of Ramadan are available.

In Shia Islam, one of the special dates of this month is the day of the assassination of Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph and the first Shia Imam. Ali was struck during morning prayer on the 19th day of Ramadan, 40 AH, and died on the 21st day of the month. Shi'ites engage in mourning and prayer on these nights, especially in Iran.

Beginning

Because the hilāl, or crescent moon, typically appears one day after the new moon, Muslims can usually estimate the beginning of Ramadan, but many prefer to confirm it by direct visual observation.

Laylat al-Qadr

The Laylat al-Qadr (Arabic: لیلة القدر) or "Night of Power" is the night that Muslims believe the Quran was first sent down to the world and Muhammad received his first quranic revelation. It is considered the holiest night of the year. It is generally believed to have occurred on an odd-numbered night during the last ten days of Ramadan; the Dawoodi Bohra believe that Laylat al-Qadr was the 23rd night of Ramadan.

Eid

The holiday of Eid al-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر), which marks the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal, the next lunar month, is declared after a crescent new moon has been sighted or after 30 days of fasting if no sighting of the moon is possible. Eid celebrates the return to a more natural disposition (fitra) of eating, drinking, and marital intimacy.

Religious practices

The common practice is to fast from dawn to sunset. The predawn meal before the fast is the suhur, while the meal at sunset that breaks the fast is iftar.

Muslims devote more time to prayer and acts of charity, striving to improve their self-discipline, motivated by hadith: "When Ramadan arrives, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of hell are locked up and devils are put in chains."

Fasting

Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and heightened devotion and worship. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. The fast (sawm) begins at dawn and ends at sunset. In addition to abstaining from eating and drinking, Muslims abstain from sexual relations and sinful speech and behaviour during Ramadan. Fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities and to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. Muslims believe that Ramadan teaches them to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate, thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity (zakat).

Exemptions from fasting include those traveling, menstruating, severely ill, pregnant, or breastfeeding. Those unable to fast are obligated to make up the missed days later.

Suhur

Each day before dawn, Muslims eat a pre-fast meal called suhur. After finishing the meal and stopping a short time before dawn, they begin the first prayer of the day, Fajr.

Iftar

At sunset, families break the fast with the iftar, traditionally opening the meal by eating dates to commemorate Muhammad's practice of breaking the fast with three dates. They then adjourn for Maghrib, the fourth of the five required daily prayers, after which the main meal is served.