The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. In addition to abstaining from eating and drinking during this time, Muslims abstain from sexual relations and sinful speech and behaviour during Ramadan fasting or month. The fast ( sawm) begins at dawn and ends at sunset. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and heightened devotion and worship. The first and last dates of Ramadan are determined by the lunar Islamic calendar. This fast was later replaced with the fast of the 9th month (Ramadan). Relation to the Jews and Yom KippurĪccording to Al-Bukhari, Muhmmad initially chose the date of the fast as the day of Ashura (the 10th day of the 1st month), probably the Jewish Yom Kippur. Philip Jenkins argues that the observance of Ramadan fasting grew out of "the strict Lenten discipline of the Syrian Churches," a postulation corroborated by other scholars, including theologian Paul-Gordon Chandler, but disputed by some Muslim academics. They point to the fact that the pre-Islamic pagans of Mecca fasted on the tenth day of Muharram to expiate sin and avoid drought. Īlthough Muslims were first commanded to fast in the second year of Hijra (624 CE), they believe that the practice of fasting is not in fact an innovation of monotheism but rather has always been necessary for believers to attain taqwa (the fear of God). Muhammed is said to have received his first quranic revelation on Laylat al-Qadr, one of five odd-numbered nights that fall during the last ten days of Ramadan. Muslims hold that all scripture was revealed during Ramadan, the scrolls of Abraham, Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and Quran having been handed down on the first, sixth, twelfth, thirteenth (in some sources, eighteenth) and twenty-fourth Ramadans, respectively. The Muslim communities in some countries with historical Persian influence, such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, India, Pakistan and Turkey, use the word Ramazan or Ramzan. In the Persian language, the Arabic letter ض ( Ḍād) is pronounced as /z/. However, the report has been graded Mawḍūʻ (fabricated) and inauthentic. Ramadan is thought of as one of the names of God in Islam by some, and as such it is reported in many hadiths that it is prohibited to say only "Ramadan" in reference to the calendar month and that it is necessary to say "month of Ramadan", as reported in Sunni, Shia and Zaydi sources. The word Ramadan derives from the Arabic root R-M-Ḍ ( ر-م-ض) "scorching heat", which is the Classical Arabic verb " ramiḍa ( رَمِضَ)" meaning "become intensely hot – become burning become scorching be blazing be glowing". Īccordingly, during the hours of fasting Muslims refrain not only from food and drink, but also tobacco products, sexual relations, and sinful behavior, devoting themselves instead to salat ( prayer) and study of the Quran. The spiritual rewards ( thawab) of fasting are believed to be multiplied during Ramadan. Although fatwas have been issued declaring that Muslims who live in regions with a midnight sun or polar night should follow the timetable of Mecca, it is common practice to follow the timetable of the closest country in which night can be distinguished from day. The predawn meal is referred to as suhur, and the nightly feast that breaks the fast is called iftar. įasting from dawn to sunset is fard (obligatory) for all adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically ill, travelling, elderly, breastfeeding, diabetic, or menstruating. A commemoration of Muhammad's first revelation, the annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next. Ramadan ( Arabic: رَمَضَان, romanized: Ramaḍān also spelled Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan or Ramathan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting ( sawm), prayer, reflection, and community. Variable (follows the Islamic lunar calendar) Abstaining from all bad deeds and staying humbleĪt the last night of the month of Sha'ban Īt the last night of the month of Ramadan.Bengali: রমজান, romanized: Rômzan / Rômjan.
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