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Ramadan

Ramadan is celebrated during the ninth month of the Muslim calendar.

Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam. Around 610 A.D., a caravan trader named Muhammed was walking in the desert near when a voice called to him from the night sky. It was the angel Gabriel, who told Muhammed he had been chosen to receive the word of Allah. In the days that followed, Muhammed found himself speaking the verses that would be transcribed as the Qur’an.

Customs

At many mosques during Ramadan, about one thirtieth of the Qur’an is recited each night in prayers known as tarawih. In this way, by the end of the month the complete scripture will have been recited. Some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.

The evening of the 27th day of the month of Ramadan, the day that Muhammed first received the Quran, Muslims celebrate the Laylat-al-Qadr (the Night of Power). According to the Quran, this is when God determines the course of the world for the following year.

Fasting

Muslims practice sawm, or fasting, for the entire month of Ramadan. They do not eat or drink anything while the sun shines. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. Following the iftar, it is customary for Muslims to go out and visit family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning, after suhoor, a meal eaten before the sun rises. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam. As with other Islamic duties, all able Muslims take part in sawm from about age twelve.

When the fast ends (the first day of the month of Shawwal) it is celebrated for three days in a holiday called Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking). Gifts are exchanged. Friends and family gather to pray in congregation and for large meals. In some cities fairs are held to celebrate the end of the Fast of Ramadan.

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