Intro to Ramadan

Article

Ramadan (رمضان) has arrived, and it just occurred to me that many people might be curious to know about it and what it is like to experience Ramadan in an Arab country. For now, I’ll just explain about Ramadan and the principles involved so you can be informed about it or even participate yourself. In a future article I will write about the unique Yemeni traditions during the month of Ramadan.

A little background

Ramadan is the month–long period in which every Muslim fasts each day from certain activities from sunrise to sunset. It is considered the “third pillar” of Islam and central to the faith. In addition to fasting, Muslims focus on prayer, alms–giving, and overall purification of the body and mind during this time.

Principle of Fasting

Fasting, as you probably already know, is not unique to Islam. One can find references to fasting all through the scriptures. In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast for the people to ask God for protection from their enemies. In Ezra 8 the people fasted to seek the will of God for their lives, as well as their posterity. In Joel, one finds examples of fasting connected with the expectation of the “day of the Lord” which parallels the age in which we live now. In Jonah 3, the people of Nineveh fast as an act of repentance for their sins. In Matthew 6 Jesus tells the people to fast with the right intentions…not to be seen by men, but to please God.

Basically the purpose of Ramadan is to redirect the mind from worldly activities to spiritual ones.

How to participate

Maybe you would like to participate in fasting during the month of Ramadan? If done with the right intentions, it can be a powerful experience to draw closer to God and even to your friends and family. Even if you are not Muslim, you can still apply the principles of Ramadan to your life and gain a blessing.

What activities are included in the fast?

All eating, smoking AND DRINKING are avoided. This includes water. All sexual activity is avoided during these hours as well. Not only this, special attention is paid toward avoiding anger, envy, greed, lust, sarcasm, backstabbing, and gossip.

What is the fasting time period?

Fasting begins September 12 this year, give or take a day or so, and will conclude 30 days later. Each day, you are encouraged to eat a light meal before dawn and refrain from the above activities until sunset. At that point, most Muslims will gradually break the fast with water and dates first, then eat a solid meal. This break–fast time is called Iftaar (إفطار).

The last ten days of Ramadan are called I’Tikaf (إعتكاف) and is a period of intense soul searching and prayer. During this time many Muslims will spend the entire night at a Masjid (Mosque) in prayer or group Qur’an studies.

What other activities are encouraged?

Many Muslims will spend much time in devotions and will read the entire Qur’an during Ramadan.

Giving to charity is also important during Ramadan. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims participate in Zakat Al Fitr (زكاة الفطر) which is a generous gift given to the poor in the local community.

One often finds Muslims crying while seeking God during this time.

Sunrise/Sunset calendars

To help with finding the correct times for fasting, the following calendars will provide sunrise and sunset times for your local area.

• Sunrise, Sunset Calendars
• Great Widget for MAC users
• Prayer time Gadget for Vista

Other helpful links

• Wikipedia Article on Ramadan
• Haq Islam Ramadan overview
• Ramadan, fasting and good health