They gather to enjoy each other’s company, check on their relatives, and exchange happiness. It lasts for three days during which Muslims show delight. After Ramadan comes Eid al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast-Breaking), which signals the end of fasting. So, fasting extends from Suhoor to Iftar. The meal that precedes dawn before the start of fasting is called Suhoor.

Muslims will gather in their homes or mosques with their friends and extended family after the sunset prayer to break their fast. During Ramadan, Allah forgives sins and, frees people from the Hellfire every night. This Month is a time of fasting, prayer in the mosque, and reciting the Quran. As Allah, may He be exalted, says: “The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.” Chapter (97) sūrat l-qadr (The Night of Decree): 3. This means the good deeds on this night exceed those of 83 years. Additionally, this Night is better than a thousand months. Allah took away the Prophet’s knowledge of that night as people quarreled as he was about to inform them. The specific night among the ten changes every Ramadan. This blessed night lies in the final ten nights of Ramadan. That is Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree). On a very special blessed night, Angel Jibreel revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad for the first time. However, Ramadan actually marks the beginning of the Prophet’s mission. It only happened in year 2 A.H, after 15 years of the Prophet’s mission. Naturally, fasting the Month had not yet been made obligatory then. The festival can last for up to three days and also sees people donating to charity as part of the celebrations.Ramadan was already a known month of the calendar even before Prophet Muhammad’s mission. Muslims wish each other a happy Eid during the celebrations by saying “Eid Mubarak” and gather with family and friends to feast and pray together. What is Eid al-Fitr?Įid al-Fitr is the “festival of the breaking of the fast” and marks the end of Ramadan every year. Those who are too ill to fast can be exempted if participating would mean endangering their health, as can the elderly, those suffering from a mental illness, those who are travelling and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating. It is a period for reflection, self-restraint and warmth intended to bring Muslims closer to Allah, hence the abstention from earthly distractions like food and water, cigarettes and sexual activity during daylight hours.Ī modest meal is taken before dawn known as “suhoor” and after dusk known as “iftar” but nothing whatsoever is consumed in between, not even water.įasting during Ramadan is a requirement for all Muslims from a young age, in some cases beginning as early as 10. The Islamic calendar is lunar, meaning each month begins with the new astronomical moon.Īs lunar months are shorter than solar, the Islamic calendar does not correspond with the Gregorian calendar followed in the West and means Ramadan occurs around 11 days earlier every year. Ramadan in the UK for 2022 will begin on the evening of Saturday 2 April and end on the evening of Sunday 1 May, when Eid is celebrated. Consequently, the Islamic year is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year and contains no intercalation, Ramadan migrates throughout the seasons. The tablets of Ibrahim, the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and the Quran were sent down on the 1st, 6th, 12th, 13th and 24th days of Ramadan, according to the faith. The Islamic calendar is a lunar one: months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. The word of Allah is said to have been revealed to the prophet on “Laylat al-Qadr” (the Night of Power). “Allah desires for your ease He desires not hardship for you and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful.” “And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. What is Ramadan?Ĭhapter 2, Verse 185 of the Quran explains the purpose of the ritual: “The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong). Here we look at what the ritual means for Muslims, why worshippers fast and why the date alters from one year to another.

One of the five pillars of Islam - along with faith, prayer, charity and the pilgrimage - Ramadan commemorates the Quran first being revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, a sacred moment honoured with abstinence between sunrise and sunset. In 2022, Ramadan is expected to begin on Saturday 2 April, although it could come a day later if the moon isn’t sighted, and end on Sunday 1 May. The festival begins with the sighting of the crescent moon, which usually appears one night after a new moon. Muslims around the globe are set to observe the holy of month of Ramadan, a period of deep spiritual reflection and fasting that takes place every year.

Ramadan first day 2022