Why does ramadan occur

The Quran consists of chapters and is taken to be the direct words of God , or Allah. Together they form the religious texts of Islam. During Ramadan, Muslims aim to grow spiritually and build stronger relationships with Allah. They do this by praying and reciting the Quran, making their actions intentional and selfless, and abstaining from gossiping, lying, and fighting. See how American Muslims celebrate Ramadan. Throughout the month Muslims fast, also refraining from drinking and sexual intercourse between sunrise and sunset.

Fasting is obligatory for all Muslims, except for the ill, pregnant, traveling, elderly, or menstruating. Days missed fasting can be made up throughout the rest of the year, either all at once or one day here and there. Read about Ramadan with your kids. Meals are opportunities for Muslims to gather with others in the community and break their fast together.

Pre-dawn breakfast, or suhoor , usually occurs at a. The evening meal, iftar , can begin once the sunset prayer, Maghreb , is finished—normally around Since the Prophet Mohammad broke his fast with dates and a glass of water, Muslims eat dates at both suhoor and iftar. A staple of the Middle East, dates are rich in nutrients , easy to digest, and provide the body with sugar after a long day of fasting. During these three days of festivities, participants gather to pray, eat, exchange gifts, and pay their respects to deceased relatives.

Some cities host carnivals and large prayer gatherings, too. This year, the coronavirus pandemic is disrupting Ramadan observances across the world, closing mosques and upending plans for traditional suhoor and iftar gatherings.

But while celebrations might be subdued this year, the spirit of this centuries-old tradition will remain the same for many as a time for piety and self-reflection. Shahadah : believing there is no deity but God and prophet Mohammad peace be upon him as his messenger. All rights reserved. Sultan Ahmed Mosque Blue Mosque Constructed during the early 17th century, Istanbul's most photogenic building gets its nickname from the blue tiles adorning the interior.

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. More about Ramadan Muslims Islam lifestyle feature. Already subscribed? Log in. Forgotten your password? Want an ad-free experience? The night of power is better than a thousand months. The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years, and the verses instructing Muslims to fast the entire month of Ramadan came in the latter half of that period.

During the first 12 years in Mecca, the Muslim minority faced torture, tyranny and persecution from the Qurayshi ruling pagan tribe, with many losing their lives.

The surviving Muslims migrated to the city of Medina in AD, over km away. The early Muslim community would awake for the pre-dawn meal, known as suhoor , and refrain from eating, drinking and marital relations until sunset, when they broke their fast iftar , typically on dates. During the final years of his life, Prophet Muhammad began to perform extra night prayers in Ramadan called taraweh.

His companions started joining him in the mosque and as the numbers grew, the Prophet became concerned they would regard it an obligation, so he continued his prayers alone at home. Since that time, congregational taraweh has become a defining feature of Ramadan, and one through which the Quran is recited in its entirety.

One particular dietary development that aided worshippers to perform the long night prayers was coffee — possibly derived from the Arabic word qahwa originally meaning wine, or from quwwa , meaning power or strength. When coffee was cultivated in Yemen in the 14th or 15th century, it was first consumed in zawiya s, or spiritual centres, and helped Muslims stay alert for their nightly Ramadan vigil.

While the core rituals and significance of Ramadan have remained unchanged since , the spread of Islam over the globe gave texture and diversity to the global Ramadan experience. In Ottoman times, drummers in Turkey woke people for the pre-dawn meal, and similarly in Morocco, a nafar town crier dressed in traditional Moroccan robe and leather slippers roamed the streets rousing people to the sound of an instrument, like a horn, trumpet, or daff.

These special Ramadan callers were also to be found in Syria, and future Tunisia and Algeria. In Egypt, a Ramadan lantern or fanoos , probably originating during the Fatimid dynasty of the 10thth centuries, became a symbol of the sacred month — perhaps to symbolise the spiritual light and blessings that Ramadan brings.