Month of Ramadan

Ramadhan Poster Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | ShutterstockCelebrated by millions of Muslims across the globe, Ramadan is observed every year during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Taking place for approximately 30 days – depending on the sighting of the new moon – it marks the month that the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in AD 610. One of the five pillars of Islam and mandatory for all able-bodied Muslims, the holy month is marked with shared traditions such as fasting, charity and prayer, as well as practices that vary from culture to culture, from bathing rituals in Indonesia to lantern-lighting in Egypt.

Fasting during the month of Ramadhan aims to create self-discipline and piety. In a world where enough food is produced to feed every person, nearly a billion people still go to bed at night hungry. Fasting during Ramadhan creates empathy for the poor and destitute - for people starving day in and day out with no end in sight to their hunger.

Ramadhan is a month where charity is emphasised along with feeding the poor. After going through hunger and thirst for a month, it creates a profound feeling of gratitude. Fasting is not just a question of abstaining from food and drink. It is also a spiritual month in which lying, backbiting and slandering are especially discouraged. It is a month when you learn to control your eyes, ears and tongue, and then take these lessons you have learned forward with you, into the rest of the year.

Last modified: Friday, 30 April 2021, 11:15 AM