Ramadan began on April 1 and ended on May 1. The Islamic holy month is meant to strengthen Muslims’ relationships with God through fasting, reading the entirety of the Qu’ran, and doing special prayers.
“During the month of Ramadan on the weekends, we try our best to go to the nightly prayers spend time with the community. It was harder this year just because of everything going on. We also had our nightly dinners which is pretty important. On Eid, we go and have breakfast, celebrate with family, then have dinner with everyone.” Liane Bdair (‘24) said about her family’s routine during Ramadan.
The reason why Ramadan is so important is that it is believed that God gave Prophet Muhammad the Muslim holy book, the Qu’ran, during this month. In the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the ninth month of the year. The Islamic calendar follows the moon cycle, so the date of Ramadan can vary from year to year.
Fasting is an important part of Ramadan and is one of the five pillars of Islam. Almost everyone is expected to fast during Ramadan, but there are some exceptions. Those who are unable to fast, such as pregnant women, the sick, and children are not required to fast. Those exempt from fasting must make up the days they missed. But people who are unable to make it up due to health reasons should feed someone less fortunate for every day they miss.
Muslims start fasting at dawn and break their fast during sunset. The goal of fasting is to gain a better understanding of God and have a better state of awareness of God. This awareness should strengthen discipline, self-restraint, and a better sense of right versus wrong.
A common routine for Ramadan that most follow has the family waking up around 5:00 AM before dawn to eat a modest meal called suhur and perform the morning prayer. Then, at night to break the fast, families eat a few dates and drink water, and can also eat light foods such as soup, appetizers, and fruit. After the sunset prayers, families will either invite people over or go to others’ houses for iftar, which means “breaking the fast.” Finally, families will go to a mosque for the night prayer, a special prayer called Taraweeh.
Normally, there are five prayers: the fajr at dawn, duhr at noon, asr in the afternoon, maghrib at sunset, and the evening prayer isha. During Ramadan, the Taraweeh prayer is an additional prayer at night.
At the end of Ramadan, people celebrate Eid ul-Fitr which is the “Festival of the Breaking of the Fast.” Children receive gifts such as new clothes or money from family and friends. A special prayer is recited in the morning, and then there is a large community celebration. The common greeting for the celebration is Eid Mubarak, which means “blessed holiday.”
Ramadan is an important month to strengthen one’s relationship with God and help the community for many Muslims.
