Q: What is Ramadan and when does it fall?
When we speak of Ramadan Month, we speak of an annual spiritual event so serious that it impressively engulfs the entire Muslim Ummah in a religious season surpassing any annual event in the world.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, Al-Hijrah. This calendar is based on the lunar system. There are twelve months in the lunar year. They are: 1. Al-Muharram 2. Safar 3. Rabee'ul Awwal 4. Rabee'ul Athathanee 5. Jumadah Awwal 6. Jumadth Thanee 7. Rajab 8. Sha'aban 0 9. Ramadan 10. Shawwal 11. Dhul-Qidah 12. Dhul-Hijah
Q: How many days is it?
Ever since the Lawgiver (Shaari'e) prescribed fasting, the method and the process of ascertaining the knowledge about the starting and the ending time of fasting has been to physically sight (ru'eyah), the new crescent moon (hilal) of Ramadan. Thus, when the birth of the new moon, of the month of Ramadan is ascertained, the fast begins.
The fast ends with the birth of the hilal of the tenth month, Shawwal. In the event that clouds, smog, or fog block the sky, preventing eye sighting of the hilal, we compute the days of the month. If after, or on the evening of, the twenty-ninth day of Sha'aban, we are unable to sight the hilal of Ramadan, due to cloudiness or obstruction in the sky, we will complete Sha'aban thirty days, and the fast begins the next morning.
Similarly, if after the 29th of Ramadan, we are unable to sight the hilal of Shawwal due to cloudiness or obstruction, we complete Ramadan 30 days. The next day becomes 'Eidul Fitr, the Festival of Fast-Breaking.
Q: What is the culture and the religions intention behind it?
Every year, more than one billion Muslims around the globe observe the importance of the month of Ramadan. This time of the year is a time for reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims show their devotion to God by fasting, or abstaining from food.
Many religions encourage some kind of fasting for religious purposes. For instance, Catholics give up meat for Lent and Jews fast during the holiday of Yom Kippur.
For Muslims, fasting is a very important component of Islam. The benefits of fasting for Ramadan are numerous. The most important, though, is the idea that through the self-control of fasting one can pay special attention to his spiritual nature.
Ramadan is an important time for Muslims, not simply because it helps develop a closer relationship with God, but also because Ramadan is a time to think about those who are less fortunate. Another goal of fasting for Ramadan is to experience hunger in sympathy for those without food. It is a way that many Muslims learn thankfulness and appreciation for what they
Q: What are the should, should not do (Social Restrictions) during Ramadan
In Ramadan we fast or “ Siyam” which means and implies a specific act, that, is, "to worship Allah, abstaining, with intention to please Him from fast breakers, such as physical nourishment, food, drink, and sexual intercourse or a lustful discharge of semen from the period between the break of dawn until sundown.
