Ramadan is the Islamic calendar’s ninth month. Muslims all over the world observe Ramadan as a month of fasting (sawm), meditation, contemplation, and gathering. The annual observance of Ramadan, which commemorates Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) first revelation and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next, and it is regarded as one of Islam’s Five Pillars.
Fasting is compulsory for all adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically sick, traveling, aged, breastfeeding, diabetic, or menstruating from sunrise to sunset. Suhur is the name for the early morning meal that Muslims can have it before sunrise, and iftar is the name for the nightly feast that breaks the fast.
During Ramadan, the spiritual benefits (thawab) of fasting are said to be multiplied. As a result, Muslims abstain from not only food and drink, but also alcohol, sexual intercourse and immoral conduct, instead focusing on salat (prayer) and Quran recitation.
Ramadan can mean different things to different individuals and it has special vibes. Ramadan is more of a family gathering especially back home but this year is hard because of COVID. It has special vibes back home because everyone will be fasting, and every single house will be celebrating it. One of the most parts that I’m missing is when we share our food with all the neighbors around and they do the same and also we make more food than we usually do.
There is an Islamic celebration holiday that comes the day after Ramadan is over called Eid al-Fitr, also known as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast” or Lesser Eid, is a Muslim religious holiday that marks the conclusion of Ramadan’s month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting. This religious Eid is the only day in the Shawwal month when Muslims are not allowed to fast. The start of any lunar Hijri month is determined by when local religious authorities see the new moon, so the day of celebration varies by place. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for one to three days. Eid is one of our favorite days of the year and we always look forward to celebrating it.
Khalid Al Mustafa.
— Liz Illg
