Exactly What Is Ramadan About?

 

Even though Islam is the world's fastest growing religion, with well over a billion practitioners many people in the world ask this question.  So I'll take a few minutes to answer it.  What is Ramadan about?




Ramadan is the holiest of months in the Islamic calendar, and fasting in this month is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. The name came from the time before the Islamic calendar, when the month of Ramadan fell in the summer.

Fasting during this month is often thought figuratively to burn away all sins. Muslims believe that the Qur'an was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by the angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Furthermore, Muhammad told his followers that the gates of Heaven would be open all the month and the gates of Hell (Jahannum) would be closed The first day of the next month, Shawwal, is spent in celebrations and is observed as the "Festival of Breaking Fast" or `Eid ul-Fitr.

Happy Ramadan  Be Well, Happy, Blessed and May your life be Rich and Peaceful!

  Ramadan which lasts 29 to 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. Muslims fast for the sake of God (Arabic: الله‎, trans: Allah) and to offer more prayer than usual.

Compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards by about eleven days each year depending on the moon; thus, a person will have fasted every day of the calendar year in 34 years' time. Muslims believe Ramadan to be an auspicious month for the revelations of God to humankind, being the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic 

What Is Ramadan About? | Why Fast?

This is the aspect of Ramadan that has most people asking what is Ramadan about.  In the West, where the dominant religion is Christianity, our culture does not have any periods of fasting that last as long as Ramadan. The fast, during this month, is intended to be a challenging act taking the believer to a higher level of closeness to God. Some of the expected outcomes are cleansing of the soul by staying away from worldly pleasures, practicing self-discipline, sacrifice, generosity and charity.

What Does Ramadan Kareem or Ramadan Mubarak Mean?

Ramadan Kareem is like saying Ramadan is "generous".  Ramadan Mubarak is like wishing someone a "blessed" Ramadan.  In some muslim countries you will hear a person respond to Ramadan Kareem with Ramadan Mubarak.  You can say Ramadan Kareem Mubarak wishing someone a blessed and generous Ramadan.  You would say something like Ramadan Kareem Mubarak towards the beginning of Ramadan.

So now you know what to say to your Muslim friends and/or family during Ramadan!  Or you can always just say "Happy Ramadan" as well.  Towards the close of Ramadan it is customary to say Eid Mubarak or Eid Saeed which is like wishing a happy or blessed end to your fast.


prophet, Muhammad.  Simply Beautiful!   Happy Ramadan! Peace!