Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar year, which begun on October 15 and will conclude on November 12. Ramadan is the holy month in which the Quaran was revealed to Muhammad, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. According to the Qur’an, the sacrosanct scripture of Islam, God requires the fast of Ramadan so that believers “may cultivate piety”.The practice of Ramadan is different for different Islamic sects but the ideology is similar. Generally, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset everyday, not consuming any food and drink, including water, during the daylight hours. For married adults, it also includes abstaining from marital relations during the fasting hours. In the mornings, Muslims awake early and have a pre-dawn meal called suhdoor, and at the end of the day the fast is broken by a meal called iftar. Later in the evening, Muslims attend special night tarawih prayers in which a small portion of the Qur’an is recited. A different portion is read each night so that the entire scripture is recited in the course of the month.
Muslims fast for several reasons. First, they believe it helps one feel compassion for those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, since each day Muslims feel greater appreciation for what they have as a result of feeling hunger and thirst. Second, it allows one to build a sense of self-control and will-power, which can be beneficial throughout life in dealing with temptations and peer-pressure. Through fasting, Muslims learn to control their natural urges such as hunger and thirst, and thus are able to better resist temptations for things which are not necessary, such as drugs or other unhealthy or harmful substances and behaviors. Finally, it offers a time for Muslims to “purify” their bodies as well as their souls, by developing a greater sense of humility, spirituality and community. Ramadan is a very spiritual time for Muslims, and often they invite each other to one another’s homes to break the fast and pray together. A greater sense of generosity and forgiveness is also characteristic of this time.
At the conclusion of Ramadan there is a festival called the Feast of Fasting or better known as Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan. It begins with the sighting of the new moon on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month in the Islamic calendar, and usually lasts for three days. Muslims take part in communal prayers, either in a mosque or an open space outside the city, and everyone must offer charity to the poor. The celebration has an important social dimension as well. Cities and villages take on a festive look, and people wear their best clothes. Friends, relatives, and neighbors meet in mosques and on streets, or visit one another, exchanging congratulations and embracing each other.