- 01 May 2021, 13:09
#20580
In Islam, Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting.
Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadhan that God revealed to the Prophet Mohammed the Qurʾān, Islam’s holy book, “as a guidance for the people.” For Muslims, Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer (ṣalāt) in the mosque, and reading of the Qurʾān. God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention.
Ramadhan, however, is less a period of atonement than it is a time for Muslims to practice self-restraint, in keeping with ṣawm , one of the pillars of Islam . Although ṣawm is most commonly understood as the obligation to fast during Ramadan, it is more broadly interpreted as the obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behaviour, including impure or unkind thoughts.
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. The ifṭār usually begins with dates, as was the custom of Prophet Mohammed.
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 .
In Islam, Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting.
Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadhan that God revealed to the Prophet Mohammed the Qurʾān, Islam’s holy book, “as a guidance for the people.” For Muslims, Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer (ṣalāt) in the mosque, and reading of the Qurʾān. God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention.
Ramadhan, however, is less a period of atonement than it is a time for Muslims to practice self-restraint, in keeping with ṣawm , one of the pillars of Islam . Although ṣawm is most commonly understood as the obligation to fast during Ramadan, it is more broadly interpreted as the obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behaviour, including impure or unkind thoughts.
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. The ifṭār usually begins with dates, as was the custom of Prophet Mohammed.
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 .
- By Fatema.Khimji