Ramadan

{rah-mah-dahn'}

The 9th month of the Muslim year, Ramadan is a period during which all the faithful must fast between dawn and dusk. Observance of the fast is one of the five "pillars" of Islam. Because a lunar calendar is used, Ramadan falls at different times each year. It is sacred as the month in which the Koran was revealed to Muhammad.

Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year, the holy month of fasting ordained by the Qur'an (Koran) for all adult Muslims (see Islam). According to the Qur'an, the fast of Ramadan has been instituted so that believers "may cultivate piety"; this particular month was designated because it was the month during which Muhammad received the first of the Qur'an's revelations.

The fast during Ramadan begins each day at dawn, when the "white thread becomes distinct from the black thread," and ends immediately at sunset. During the fast Muslims are forbidden to eat, drink, or smoke. Before retirement each night, special congregational prayers are offered in which long passages of the Qur'an are recited. The night between the 26th and 27th days of Ramadan, on which the first revelation occurred, is called the Night of Determination, during which, according to the Qur'an, God determines the course of the world for the following year. The day after the end of Ramadan is called the Fast-Breaking and is celebrated with special prayers and festivities.

Fazlur Rahman