Fasting for Ramadan
Published: Guardian
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
A volunteer distributes free food for people to break their day-long fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan on a street in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, yesterday. AP Photo
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan started last week, and most of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims will be observing it. This means there’s a good chance you might encounter someone—a friend, a co-worker, your child’s teacher—who is celebrating Ramadan. But what is Ramadan, exactly? Here are the most basic answers to the most basic questions about Ramadan.
What is Ramadan actually about?
Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims. Muslims believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Qu’ran, Islam’s sacred text, to Mohammed, on a night known as “The Night of Power†(or Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic). During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from sunrise to sunset. It is meant to be a time of spiritual discipline—of deep contemplation of one’s relationship with God, extra prayer, increased charity and generosity, and intense study of the Qu’ran.
At the end of Ramadan there is a big three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr, or “the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast.†Everyone comes together for big meals with family and friends, exchanges presents, and generally has a good time.
How does fasting work?
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars—or duties—of Islam, along with the testimony of faith, prayer, charitable giving, and making pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims are required to take part every year, though there are special dispensations for those who are ill, pregnant or nursing, menstruating, or traveling, and for young children and the elderly.
The practice of fasting serves several spiritual and social purposes: to remind you of your human frailty and your dependence on God for sustenance, to show you what it feels like to be hungry and thirsty so you feel compassion for (and a duty to help) the poor and needy, and to reduce the distractions in life so you can more clearly focus on your relationship with God.
During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating any food, drinking any liquids, smoking cigarettes, and engaging in any sexual activity, from sunrise to sunset. Doing any of those things “invalidates†your fast for the day, and you just start over the next day.
Muslims are also supposed to try to curb negative thoughts and emotions like jealousy and anger, and even lesser things like swearing, complaining, and gossiping, during the month.
www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2016-06-14/fasting-ramadan
