What Is Ramadan?
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Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims with a fast from dawn until sunset. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and far more than simply going without food. Understanding Ramadan tells you a great deal about how the faith is practised.
Why this month
Ramadan is held to be the month in which the Quran began to be revealed, which is why it is treated as the most significant month of the year. The fast lasts the whole month, ending with a major festival.
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan moves roughly eleven days earlier each year against the solar calendar. Over a lifetime a Muslim will fast Ramadan in every season, with very different day lengths depending on the time of year and how far from the equator they live.
How the day works during Ramadan
Those fasting eat a meal before dawn, called suhoor, then take no food or drink until sunset. The fast is broken with a meal called iftar, traditionally started with dates and water.
The fast covers more than eating. It includes drinking, and Muslims are also encouraged to avoid arguments, gossip and anger, treating the month as training in self restraint. Extra prayers are common in the evenings, and many aim to read through the whole Quran during the month.
Who fasts and who does not
Fasting is expected of healthy adults, and the tradition contains clear exemptions:
- •Young children, who often try partial fasts as they grow
- •People who are ill, temporarily or long term
- •Travellers, who may make up the days later
- •Pregnant, nursing and menstruating women
Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan
Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast. It begins with a communal prayer, usually in the morning, followed by visiting family, sharing food and giving gifts, especially to children.
A charitable payment is expected before the Eid prayer so that everyone in the community can take part in the celebration. That link between fasting and giving is a recurring theme, and many describe the experience of hunger as sharpening awareness of those who go without by necessity.
Fasting at extreme latitudes
Ramadan poses a genuine practical problem far north or south, where summer days can run beyond twenty hours and in some places the sun barely sets at all. A dawn to sunset fast becomes impossible or dangerous.
Religious authorities have issued several rulings for these situations. Common approaches include following the timings of the nearest location with a normal day and night cycle, or following the timings of Mecca. Different scholars and communities have adopted different solutions, and Muslims in northern Europe generally follow the guidance of their own local authorities.
The takeaway
Ramadan is a month of dawn to sunset fasting, extra prayer and deliberate self restraint, ending in the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, and it functions as one of the strongest shared experiences in Muslim life.