What You Don't Know About Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting.

Ramadan begins when the first sight of the new moon is seen in the sky.

During this period, All Muslims  worldwide are not supposed to eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. They are also instructed to avoid evil thoughts and sinful behavior such as cursing,lying and fighting except in self-defense.

According to the Islamic belief, Ramadan  is  commemoration of Muhammad's first revelation, the annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the five Pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.

During Ramadan, fasting helps Muslims with their spiritual devotion and developing a feeling of kinship with other Muslims. As the history goes, Ramadan is the month in which Allah contacted the prophet Mohammed [SAW] to give him the verses of the holy book 'Qu'ran'

The spiritual rewards of fasting are believed to be multiplied during Ramadan. During Ramadan Muslims stay away from sexual relations and sinful behavior , They devote themselves to salat (prayer), recitation of the Holy Quran.

They strive for purity and heightened awareness of God . After the sunset prayer, Muslims gather in their homes or mosques to break their fast with a meal called ifṭār that is often shared with friends and extended family. There's an additional prayers offered at night called the tawarīḥ prayers, preferably performed in congregation at the mosque. 

During these prayers, the entire Qurʾān may be recited over the course of the month of Ramadan.

Pregnant or nursing women, children, the old, the weak or ill, travelers on long journeys, and the mentally ill are all exempt from the requirement of fasting.

Fasting is important during Ramadan as it allows Muslims to devote themselves to their faith and come

Ramadan is also a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends.

People should make a special effort to connect with their communities and reach out to people who need  help  . It is common to have a meal (known as the suhoor) just before dawn and another (known as the   iftar) directly after sunset.

Islamic tradition states that on the “Night of Power” (Laylat al-Qadr) commemorated on one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, usually the 27th night, that God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad the Qurʾān,

Islam’s holy book, “as a guidance for the people.”

The end of the Ramadan fast is celebrated as Eid al-Fitr, The “Feast of Fast-Breaking” which is one of the two major religious holidays of the Muslim calendar (the other, Eid al-Adha, marks the end of the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are expected to perform at least once in their lives if they are financially and physically able). In some communities Eid al-Fitr is quite elaborate: children wear new clothes, women dress in white, special pastries are baked, gifts are exchanged, the graves of relatives are visited, and people gather for family meals and to pray in mosques.