Ramadan (also known as Ramadhan) is
the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is a time when Muslims around the
world focus on prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and religious devotion. The
last third of Ramadan is a particularly holy period, as it commemorates when
the Koran's (Qu'ran) first verses were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
What
do people do?
Muslims worldwide fast (or swam)
during the hours of daylight in Ramadan. They do not eat, drink, smoke or
engage in sexual intercourse during the fast. They also focus on reading the
Koran (Qu'ran) and understanding the content of Qu’ran , and try to practice in
daily life. donating to charities (zakaat), and certain activities such
as refraining from gossip. Some people try to recite the entire Koran by the
end of Ramadan.
Communal prayers and meals are held
at mosques or in private homes in many Islamic communities in the evenings of
Ramadan. The prayers and meals are usually well-attended. Some people spend the
entire night praying or reading Islamic texts at a mosque, particularly on Laylat-al-Qadr, which is in the last third of
Ramadan. Many people of Islamic faith give money for various charitable causes,
such as providing food and new clothes for those in need.
The sun rises and sets at different
times around the world so many people use applications, including time
calculators, electronic reminders and printed calendars, to remind them of when
the Ramadan fast starts (when the sun rises) and pauses (when the sun sets) in
their time zone.
Timeanddate.com’s Sunrise and Sunset Calculator helps people find
out when the sun rises and sets in their area. All times are adjusted for local
time zones and daylight saving time. The calculator also provides a local time
for dusk, dawn and twilight, as well as the sun’s distance, altitude, and day
length.
Public
life
Many businesses and organizations
run by Muslim families or business operators may amend their business hours to
suit prayer times during Ramadan in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. There may also be some
congestion around mosques during prayer times, particularly in the evenings.
Background
Ramadan is the ninth month in the
Islamic calendar, which consists of 12 months and lasts for about 354 days. The
word “Ramadan” is derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground
and shortness of food and drink. The month of Ramadan traditionally begins with
a new moon sighting, marking the start of the ninth month in the Islamic
calendar. Many Muslims (except children, the sick and the elderly) abstain from
food, drink, and certain other activities during daylight hours in Ramadan.
Gossiping and fighting are also prohibited in this period.
Ramadan is considered as the holiest season in
the Islamic year and commemorates the time when the Qu’ran (Islamic holy book)
is said to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. This occurred on Laylat Al-Qadr, one of the last 10 nights of the
month. Ramadan ends when the first crescent of the new moon is sighted
again, marking the new lunar month’s start. Eid-al-Fitr is the Islamic holiday that marks the
end of Ramadan. Wallahualam
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