Many Muslim students are currently observing Ramadan, the Month of Fasting, which began on Nov. 16. But Ramadan is more than a time for fasting: it is also a time in which many Muslims engage in intensive worship, read the Qur'an, give to charity, and perform good deeds.
Fasting is seen as a way of developing sympathy for the less fortunate or for learning to be thankful for one's blessings. It is also believed to break a person's usual habits and over-indulgences. Some basic facts about Ramadan:
- Voluntary fasting is always recommended in the Muslim tradition, but Ramadan is an obligatory fast from which only sick people, travelers, and some women are exempt.
- Ramadan takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. In the US, most Muslims accept the sighting of the new moon anywhere in the country as the start of the month.
- Fasting begins when dawn breaks and ends when the sun sets. During these hours, Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sex.
- Typically, a pre-dawn meal and a post-sunset meal are eaten during Ramadan.
- Ramadan fasts last approximately 13.5 hours.
- During Ramadan, many Muslims try to read as much of the Qur'an as they can and some spend at least part of each day listening to the recitation of the Qur'an in a mosque.
- If you have a friend who is observing Ramadan, you may want to wish them Eid mubarak, a universal Muslim greeting that wishes them a blessed Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
- compiled by The Tufts Daily
