Ramadan is the ninth month of
the Islamic calendar, and a
time when Muslims across the
world will fast from sunrise
till sunset.

During Ramadan, Muslims
celebrate the time when the
verses of the Qur'an were
revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him).
This time begins on the night
the first verses were
revea
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Ramadan is the ninth month of
the Islamic calendar, and a
time when Muslims across the
world will fast from sunrise
till sunset.

During Ramadan, Muslims
celebrate the time when the
verses of the Qur'an were
revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him).
This time begins on the night
the first verses were
revealed, a night known as
Lailut ul-Qadr ('The Night of
Power') which falls within the
last 10 days of the month.
The month of Ramadan is a time
for spiritual reflection,
prayer, doing good deeds and
spending time with family and
friends. The fasting is
intended to help teach Muslims
self-discipline,
self-restraint and generosity.
It also reminds them of the
suffering of the poor, who may
rarely get to eat well.
Reading the Qur'an is an
important part of Ramadan, and
many Muslims will attempt to
read the whole of the Qur'an
at least once during the
Ramadan period. Many will also
attend special services in
Mosques during which the
Qur'an is read.

It is common to have one meal
(known as the suhoor), just
before sunrise and another
(known as the iftar), directly
after sunset. This meal will
commonly consist of dates,
following the example of the
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Because Ramadan is a time to
spend with friends and family,
the fast will often be broken
by different Muslim families
coming together to share in an
evening meal.

At the end of the month, once
fasting has been completed, a
big celebration takes place
known as 'Eid-ul-Fitr', the
Festival of the Breaking of
the Fast. During this
celebration Muslims dress in
their finest clothes, give
gifts to children and spend
time with their friends and
family. At Eid it is
obligatory to give a set
amount of money to charity to
be used to help poor people
buy new clothes and food so
they too can celebrate.

Do all Muslims have to fast
during Ramadan?

Certain people are exempt from
taking part in the Ramadan
fast. Children under the age
of puberty, the sick, the
mentally handicapped, the
elderly and anyone who would
be putting their health at
serious risk by fasting are
not obliged to do so during
Ramadan. There are also
certain circumstances where
people normally able to fast
are unable to, such as when
people are on a tiring journey
or if a woman is pregnant (if
her or her babies life will be
at risk), and in these
instances the person must make
up the fast at a later date,
or provide meals to the needy
in order to make up for
breaking the fast.

More on Ramadan:
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Category Howto & DIY

Tags Anwar, Al, Awlaki