Ramadan

What it is

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar — the month in which Muslims believe the Quran began to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). Fasting during Ramadan is the fourth of Islam's Five Pillars: obligatory for every adult Muslim who is physically able. The fast runs from Fajr (dawn prayer) to Maghrib (sunset prayer) — no food, no drink (including water), no smoking, and abstention from sexual relations during daylight hours.

The fast is not the whole of Ramadan. Alongside it come nightly Tarawih prayers (extended voluntary prayers after Isha), intensified Quran reading (the goal: complete the Quran in 30 days), increased sadaqah (charitable giving), and a heightened focus on ethical behavior — restraint of anger, gossip, and harmful speech is considered part of the fast.

Suhoor and Iftar

Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal eaten before the fast begins — a practical preparation for the day ahead. Iftar is the breaking of the fast at sunset, traditionally begun by eating dates and drinking water (following the Prophet's practice), followed by the Maghrib prayer, and then a full meal. Iftar is intensely communal — mosques serve free meals, families gather, and neighbors share food across the Muslim world.

Laylat al-Qadr — the Night of Power

Laylat al-Qadr ("Night of Power" or "Night of Decree") falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan — the Quran says it is "better than a thousand months" (97:3). This is the night when the Quran's first revelation came to the Prophet. The exact night is not known but is traditionally sought on the odd nights of the last ten days (nights 21, 23, 25, 27, 29). Muslims often spend these nights in extended prayer and Quran recitation, believing that prayers and worship on this night carry extraordinary spiritual weight.

Who is exempt

Children (before puberty), people who are elderly or chronically ill, travelers, pregnant or nursing women, and those menstruating are exempt from fasting. Missed days are to be made up later (qada) when possible; those who cannot make them up may pay a fidya (feeding a person who is poor for each missed day).

What it means

The Arabic root of Ramadan (r-m-d) relates to intense heat — the scorching away of sins. Fasting in Islam is not punishment; it is a training ground for self-discipline, gratitude, and solidarity with people who go hungry not by choice. When hunger is felt at noon, the Muslim is reminded: some people always feel this. The communal Iftar embeds this solidarity into daily practice. The month is understood as a time of heightened spiritual receptivity — with the nafs (ego/lower self) quieted, the ruh (spirit) has more room.

Common threads

Extended voluntary or obligatory fasting for spiritual discipline appears across traditions: the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur, Christian Lent (40 days), the Buddhist Vassa (rains retreat of intensified practice), and Hindu fasting days tied to calendars and deities. The consistent logic: reducing physical appetite creates space for spiritual attention. The communal dimension of Ramadan's Iftar has parallels in Seder meals (Passover), Langar (the Sikh free communal kitchen), and sangha meals in Buddhism — the table as theological statement.