Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar — and the holiest. During this month, the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. In observance of that revelation, Muslims around the world fast from the first light of dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib), every day for 29 or 30 days.
What the Fast Involves
The fast is total: no food, no water, no smoking, no sexual relations during daylight hours. This applies to every Muslim who has reached puberty, is mentally sound, and is physically able. Exemptions exist for the sick, pregnant or nursing women, travelers, children, and the elderly — those who cannot fast are often expected to make up the days later or provide food to those in need.
The Quran prescribes the fast directly: *"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you, that you may become righteous."* (2:183)
The Spiritual Logic
Physical fasting is the visible surface. Beneath it, Ramadan is understood as a month of intensified spiritual discipline. The Prophet Muhammad described it as a time when the gates of heaven are open, the gates of hell are closed, and the devils are chained.
More practically: Ramadan cultivates *taqwa* — God-consciousness, awareness, restraint. Every moment of hunger or thirst is an opportunity to remember God. Every moment of desire controlled is a small act of worship. The discipline of the body trains the discipline of the soul.
Iftar and Suhoor
Each day has two focal points. *Suhoor* is the pre-dawn meal eaten before the fast begins — typically simple, substantial, meant to sustain through the day. *Iftar* is the breaking of the fast at sunset, traditionally begun with dates and water following the Prophet's example, then followed by a full meal.
Iftar is often a communal event — families gather, mosques host communal iftars for the poor and for travelers, and the sense of shared experience is profound. One of Ramadan's gifts is the collapse of the ordinary rhythms of individualized life into a shared schedule.
Laylat al-Qadr — The Night of Power
In the last ten nights of Ramadan — particularly the odd nights, and most particularly the 27th — Muslims seek Laylat al-Qadr: the Night of Power, on which the Quran was first revealed. The Quran describes it: *"The Night of Power is better than a thousand months."* (97:3)
Many Muslims spend these nights in the mosque in continuous prayer, Quran recitation, and supplication, seeking the particular blessings of this night.
Eid al-Fitr — The Celebration
Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr — the Festival of Breaking the Fast. It is one of the two major Islamic holidays: a day of prayer, feasting, new clothes, gifts, and visiting family. Before the Eid prayer, every Muslim is required to give *Zakat al-Fitr* — a specific charity ensuring that the poor can also celebrate.
The fast ends. The celebration begins. And for many Muslims, Ramadan's end is also tinged with genuine grief — at losing the heightened spiritual atmosphere that comes only once a year.
Traditions Covered