Ramadan (624- ) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is when most of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset by not eating or drinking or having sex. It is one of the five pillars or duties of Islam.
In 2016 Ramadan runs from about June 6th to July 5th on the Gregorian calendar. The Muslim year is some 354 days long, so next year Ramadan will start sooner on the Gregorian calendar, about May 27th. I keep saying “about” because in many places the actual day depends on sighting the first crescent moon of the month.
Eid al-Fitr is the day after Ramadan. It is the Muslim counterpart to Christmas: people get together with family, eat big meals, give gifts, wear new clothes, and so on. It can go on for up to three days.
Iftar is the light meal you eat after sunset, like maybe some fruit juice and dates or a soup. That can be followed by prayers and then a larger meal.
Laylat al-Qadr was the night of Ramadan when the angel Gabriel began to tell Muhammad the Koran. Sunni Muslims observe it on the 27th, Shias on the 23rd. It is why Ramadan is a holy month.
Ramadan is harder in the summers because the days are longer and hotter. In places like Britain and the US, it can mean 16 to 19 hours without food or water. The new mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, says the thing he will miss most is his coffee!
Not everyone has to fast. If you are too old or too young (pre-puberty), you do not have to. If you are ill, menstruating, pregnant, travelling, fighting in a jihad or have some other good excuse, you can make up any missed days later in the year.
Other activities: Not smoking, chewing gum, dancing or playing music can be part of the fast. People are more likely to dress modestly, pray, read the Koran and go to mosque. The Koran has been divided into 30 parts so that you can hear or read the whole thing in the course of the month. Towards the end of the month, you are supposed to give to those in need if you are able.
In Muslim-majority countries, schools and businesses often close early. Because everyone eats iftar at the same time, it can lead to bad traffic. There are special Ramadan dishes and television shows. In Egypt people decorate their houses with lanterns. In Dubai, night clubs are closed. Even MTV Middle East took part by not playing music during the day.
In Xinjiang, China it is the other way round: government workers, teachers and students are not allowed to fast! It is part of the Chinese persecution of Uighurs.
On Tumblr some non-Muslims mark posts that have bad language, nudity, sex, kissing, food or drink with #NSFR – the Ramadan version of #NSFW.
Benefits: Ramadan helps Muslims to feel as one, to get closer to God, and to have a clearer, less materialistic view of life. That comes from the shared fasting.
– Abagond, 2016.
See also:
- external links:
- Islam
- Uighurs
- Gregorian calendar
- Christmas
- Tumblr
- The incomplete list of children Obama has killed with drones – Obama sends drones during Ramadan
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Well, while I was in college my Muslim classmates take Ramadan seriously. I thought it was around November? However, my Hindi friends told Ramadan moves around a lot on the Islamic calendar.
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I have some Muslim clients and I live in a northern clime where summer days can be long. Ramadan can be really difficult in June. As you note days can be 14+ hours, and it can be very hot here in June. There are exceptions to the “no water” rule for medical needs. I also asked about Ramadan above the arctic circle. With migration of Muslims to Nordic countries, there are now Muslims living above the arctic circle. There, you have a presumed day/night length of 12 hours.
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Compare Lent. In San Francisco, I had a Catholic friend (Irish Catholic) who, for Lent, gave up beer. On weekdays.
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Ramadan, just like the rest of Islam’s supposed holy days, are nothing short of paganistic rituals, established by Muhammad, a pedophile who had an unquenchable inclination for 9 year-old girls. Moreover, Islam worshipped the moon as their God prior to Muhammad coming on the scene.
The Bible was in existence for over 600 years before it was plagiarized by Muhammad which subsequently became the Qur’an.
Simply put, Islam is garbage!
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Abagond, thanks for including information about Ramadan.
Some non-Muslim Black people I know make a special effort to honor the daily fasts of of their Muslim neighbors. Sometimes they perform small tasks so that their Muslim coworkers, neighbors and friends don’t overexert themselves on long summer days when the thirst and hunger are particularly trying.
I read somewhere that in some cultures, many older men will spend the entire month on a religious retreat away from home. During this retreat, they subject themselves to a water-only fast for the month. They spend the time studying and praying.
Some older women will also spend the month on retreat, but they remain in the home, (fully or partially) excused from household duties while they fast, study and pray.
It seems that custom of religious retreat adds a great deal of depth and meaning to this month holy to Muslims.
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If you’re getting your information that people in China can’t fast during Ramadan from Radio Free Asia, keep in mind that’s an extremely biased source that is against governments that don’t bend over for the West.
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@Miss Minnie,
The restrictions on observing Ramadan in China have been repeated all across the Western press, from Wall Street Journal to the UK Independent. It certainly is not coming only from Radio Free Asia.
Or do you prefer Al Jazeera?
China bans Muslims from fasting Ramadan in Xinjiang
Civil servants, students and teachers prevented from fasting and restaurants ordered to remain open in Xinjiang region.
(http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/06/china-bans-ramadan-fasting-muslim-region-150618070016245.html)
Or from the China Communist Party mouthpiece itself – the Global Times
(http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/929994.shtml)
On the one hand, the headline says:
Govt denies banning Xinjiang Ramadan fasts
but then says:
So, you can observe Ramadan as long as you observe the Party discipline, which tells you not to fast.
This has been going on for years.
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Enlightening post.
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@ Minnie
It is perfectly in character for the Chinese government. For years it has persecuted the Uighurs and sees any organized religion it does not control as a threat.
My source was the Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/ramadan-2016-china-bans-civil-servants-and-students-from-fasting-in-mainly-muslim-region-a7068481.html
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@ ericrhetoricamubu
On the Muslim calendar, Ramadan is always held during the month of Ramadan. It never changes. But on the Gregorian calendar, the main calendar used in the West, it changes every year. That is because the Muslim year is about 354 days long, so Ramadan starts about 11 days earlier each year on the Gregorian calendar.
From 2000 to 2002 it was in November and it will be again from 2033 to 2035. From 2014 to 2016 it was in June. For the next three years it will be in May. Then it will be in April. And so on.
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Yes that is important on how non Muslims can relate to Ramadan
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I’ve always seen Middle Eastern people, Islam or whatever Abrahamic religion as western. To me Arabs are ‘Middle Western’ and have more in common with Europeans than Asians. Most Arabs identify with being ‘white’ and commonly have Eurocentric views when it comes to standards of beauty and race. I’m sorry I feel this way but it is what it is.
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@TeddyBearDaddy
I’ve noticed that tendency, too.
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Thanks for the info about Ramadan—with Islamophobia around…it is always helpful to spread correct knowledge.
The month of fasting is about increasing empathy and compassion for those who are in need, poor, hungry, oppressed, etc—Justice in general and its particular component, social justice is an important aspect of Islam(—or at least, it was supposed to be, but commercialization and corporate greed does get in the way of spiritual practice) In the West, some Muslim youth have teamed up with organizations that provide food to homeless and poor people…charity is a way to increase empathy and compassion.
Sharing is also an important aspect of human relations—if we all developed our ability to share—we would be making less wars? Many Mosques in the West are opening their doors to non-Muslims for Iftar during the Ramadan month…it may be an interesting opportunity to meet with Muslims and share a meal?……
There is a perception that “Islam” = Arab, but it is not so simple. Many Arabs were/are Christians and Jews and many Muslims (actually the majority of them) are non-Arabs.
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Correction: Eid al-fitr is 1 day, not 3. The only reason for 3 days is because some muslims disagree on when Ramadan begins therefore disagree on when it ends.
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That happens mainly because of moon sighting issues. Some think Ramadan starts when Saudi Arabia sights it, some say when their country of residence sights it, some say when their birth country sights it!!!
Source: I’m ex-muslim.
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@ 1tawnystranger
So the celebration of Eid al-Fitr is only one day long?
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Eid celebrations can be a day, 2 days or 3 days—depending on the country. Some countries do not recognize Muslim holidays or give one day off, other countries recognize the holiday and give 2 or 3 days off. In countries where holidays are not recognized, Muslims take a day off. Apparently Turkey is giving 9 days off this year…?…(people celebrate with families and so many return to their hometowns creating mass travel).
Moon sighting—some groups rely on sighting to determine dates, other groups use both sighting and calculations—for ex, the Fiqh council of North America….
(according to George Saliba, an expert on Islamic science, the interest of Muslim scholars in astronomy and mathematics was partly fueled by the need to establish proper timings and such, for rituals….)
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Sadiq Khan is no more British than Genghis Khan…
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@Bobby M
According to Wikipedia, Sadiq Khan was “born in London to a working-class British Pakistani family.” In addition, Lord Mayor Khan, “holds the largest personal mandate of any politician in the history of the United Kingdom and the third largest personal mandate in Europe.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadiq_Khan
Let’s see:
1. Born in the UK
2. Educated in the UK
3. Elected with the largest personal mandate (margin of victory) in the history of the UK.
Seems pretty British to me… and to thousands of UK voters. That’s what really matters.
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@ anon @ 1tawnystranger
I updated the post to say that Eid al-Fitr is the day after Ramadan but that the celebrations can last up to three days.
Thanks.
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Ѵery nice article thanls fоr shwring maу Allah SWT reward you
for it
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