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Ramadan or Ramadhan (Arabic: رمضان ) is the ninth month of the Islamic year. Siyam or Saum ("fasting" in English) is the fourth of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam and one of the eleven Branches of Religion in Shia Islam. It involves fasting during the month of Ramadhan. Ramadan reaches its height in its last ten days. The 27th day of the month is called the Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), marking the believed date of the revelations of the first verses of the Qur'an to the Prophet. The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر) marks the end of Ramadan.
Timing
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Because the Islamic calendar has no correction for the fact that the lunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Ramadan migrates throughout the seasons.
(While some Muslims insist on the physical sighting of the moon, there is no such requirement in the Qur'an, and some Muslims allow that the start of the month can be determined by astronomical calculations.)
The date known as the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) is generally taken to be the 27th night of the month. The Qur'an states that this night is better than a thousand months, and some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.
At the termination of the great month of Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated. Muslims come out and rejoice with a sense of accomplishment for coming closer to Allah. It is a time for Muslim families and friends to worship and celebrate together.
What is prohibited while fasting?
Eating, smoking, drinking and sexual relationships during the day(for married couples) are prohibited. During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to refrain from indulging in violence, anger, envy, greed, lust and backbiting, and are meant to get along with each other better than normal.
The prohibitions only extend during daylight hours. Traditionally this begins at dawn from the moment a white line can be seen at the horizon and ends at sunset, when the sun's disk sinks below the local horizon. These times are known as Fajr and Maghrib, respectively.
Ramadan fasting is not obligatory on:
- Children before the onset of puberty. However, if puberty is delayed, fasting becomes obligatory for males and females after a certain age.
Ramadan fasting is relaxed for these groups based on the conditions prescribed, until they recover from their condition. Upon recovery, they must fast to compensate for the lost days of fasting in Ramadan, day for day. If they choose, they may fast during Ramadan, but it is suggested that they opt for the relaxation.
- Soldiers on the battlefield
- Travelers
- Weak, elderly, and sick people
- Pregnant women, if they feel it might endanger their child
- Women who are breastfeeding babies
- Chronically ill persons, who are exempt from fasting
Ramadan fasting, as well as all other forms of regular prayer, is prohibited for menstruating women. They need to compensate for the lost days of fasting by making up the days after Ramadan.
The Siyam are intended to teach the believers patience and self-control, and to remind them of the less fortunate in the world. The fast is also seen as a debt owed by the believer to God. Faithful observance of the Siyam is believed to atone for personal faults and misdeeds, at least in part, and to help earn a place in paradise. It is also believed to be beneficial for personal conduct, that is, to help control passions and temper. The fast is also meant to provide time for meditation and to strengthen one's faith.
Communal aspect
Integrated into the Ramadan season is also a sense of community. Many mosques will sponsor iftar (literally: break fast) meals after sundown for the community to come and end their day's fasting as a whole. It is also common for such meals to take place at Muslim soup kitchens. Extra optional prayers, called tarawih are prayed each night in the mosque during Ramadan as well. These are encouraged.
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Fasting in other religions
The Christian Lent and the Jewish Yom Kippur are also times of fasting. These relate to that mentioned in Quran 2:183, ".. Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you..", fasting is prescribed to Muslims as it was prescribed to those before them, e.g. Christian and Jewish, although the fasting practices of each religion might be different from one another.
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