Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims across the world fast,
begins today – 1^st August 2011. Besides fasting, it is a time for spiritual fulfilment, emotional rebalancing, mental reflection and physical purification. Traditionally, Muslims consider Ramadan the ultimate month of charity, prayer, Qur’an, family and community.  It lasts for 29 to 30 days depending on the sighting of the new moon (hilal), so is due to end in Eid ul Fitr on 30^th August.

Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection and prayer. It’s a time when one must strive to improve oneself through self-discipline. As guided by the Qur’an: ‘Purity of thought and action is paramount’ 1.  At this time, generosity to others is important to remind people of the suffering of the poor and much is raised through donations that help local charities along with many famine relief projects all over the world.  According to Islamic belief, Ramadan is also the month when the gates of heaven are open and those of hell are closed, making it easier to do and be good. For most, Ramadan is about spending time with family and friends and carrying out good deeds and charitable giving.

As Ramdan begins, let us wish our Muslim brothers and Sisters a blessed and meaningful Ramadan.  May Allah bless and keep you as you journey to find more closeness and unity with the Beneficent One. Boris Johnson, Lord Mayor of London, recently made this statement to online UK newspaper Ramadan Times,

“I am proud of London’s diversity and I believe and understand Ramadan is an important time for the Muslim community. I would like to pass on my best wishes to UK RamadanTimes and to all the people who will be taking part in Ramadan this year.”1

To learn more about the festival of Ramadan and have answers to all those questions you haven’t dared ask but always wondered about, read this article:

‘Ramadan Explained: everything you wanted to know about Ramadan and were afraid to ask.’
Which covers the following topics (some of which have related articles).

What is Ramadan?

Why do my Muslim friends/ colleagues around the world fast?

Are there any rules to fasting?

What should Muslims NOT do during Ramadan?

When does Ramadan take place?

So, when DO Muslims eat?

What’s it like to fast?

What’s it like to fast for a month?

As a non-Muslim, how can I help my friends during Ramadan?

Ramadan in the workplace: how can I help my colleagues?

‘10 ideas for Ramadan at your workplace’

How do you wish someone a ‘Happy’ Ramadan?

What does the word Ramadan mean?

I’ve heard about the 5 pillars of Islam but am unsure as to what they are?

A friend mentioned Laylat ul-Qadr- What is this?

What are the traditional foods to break the fast?

What happens at the end of Ramadan?

I’ve heard Muslims say the words ‘Ramadan Kareem’ and ‘Eid Mubarak’. What does this mean?

Charitable giving (Zakat) during Ramadan

Tags: Fasting, Muslim, Ramadan, Ramadan explained, Ramadan Kareem

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 9th, 2013 at 12:10 am and is filed under days of significance, General, other interesting stuff, social practices . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.