Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is during this month the first verses of the holy Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. During this period, Muslims fast, give to charity, show kindness and patience, strengthen relationship with God and recite the holy Quran.
Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which lay the basis as to how Muslims are required to live their lives. The other pillars are: Faith, prayer five times a day, zakat and pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca at least once in lifetime. Ramadan fasting encourages spiritual reflection.
Muslims have an early morning meal before dawn, known as suhoor or sehri. During the day, they do not eat or drink anything – including water. After sunset, the fast is broken with an evening meal – Iftar. Persons exempted from fasting are young children, pregnant or breastfeeding or menstruating women, those who are ill or whose health could be affected by fasting and those who are travelling.
If you want to wish someone then say “Ramadan Mubarak” (“Blessed Ramadan”). We can also say “Ramadan Kareem” (“Generous Ramadan”). Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle. Each month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon and lasts 29 – 30 days. In 2024, Ramadan is expected to last 30 days, with fasting beginning on Monday the 11th March and expected to end on Tuesday the 9th April.
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (“Feast of the Sacrifice”) are the two main festivals. Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, is expected to be celebrated on Wednesday the 10th April, 2024 with the first sighting of the new moon.
Eid al-Adha is celebrated just over two months after Eid al-Fitr and lasts for four days. It coincides with the later part of the Hajj – the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. This year is expected to fall around 16 to 20 June. Eid al-Adha commemorates prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac on God’s orders.
During both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, Muslims attend prayers at their mosque in the morning. Before Eid prayers, Muslims are required to make a donation to a charity.
Both Eid days are moments of great celebration, with families and friends coming together and sharing large meals. It is common for children to receive money or small gifts from elders. To wish someone well at Eid, you can say “Eid Mubarak”, which means “Blessed Eid”.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
