Ramadan

Ramadan (/ˌræməˈdɑːn/; Arabic: رمضان‎ Ramaḍān, also known as Ramazan, romanized as Ramzan, Ramadhan, or Ramathan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Laws and Practices: What is the Fast of the Month of Ramadan
A brief text on the significance of fasting in the month of Ramadan.

What is the Fast of the Month of Ramadan?
O Believers! Fast is prescribed for you as it was for those before you so that you may ward off evil. (Fast) a certain number of days… (Holy Qur'an: Chapter 2, Verses 182-183)

Every year in the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, vain talk and certain other actions from before sunrise until after sunset.

Muslims around the globe are observing Ramadan, a month of religious reflection and fasting that takes place every year and many will be wondering about the intricacies of the period.

One of the five pillars of Islam, Ramadan commemorates the Quran first being revealed to the Prophet Muhammad; a moment honoured with abstinence from food and water, cigarettes and sexual activity during daylight hours.

Fasting in Islam

Fasting in Islam, known as Sawm (صَوْم) or Siyām (صِيَام), the Arabic words for fasting, also commonly known as Rūzeh or Rōzah (Persian: روزه‎) in some Muslim countries, is the practice of abstaining, usually from food and drink. The observance of Sawm during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is the fourth of the Five Pillars of Islam, but is not solely confined to that month