Ramadan is on the ninth month of the Islamic year. It is believed that the month of Ramadan was that of which Muhammad received the first word's of Allah, the Qur'an.
The Arabic word for fasting is sawm (plural is siyam), which means ˜to refrain'. The Islamic term is to refrain from food, drinks and sexual activity from dawn to sunset.
There are many reasons for Muslims to fast, mainly to stay true to their God and religion. Muslims are to obey Allah's injunction. One of his injunctions is:
˜O you who believe, siyam is prescribed on you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you may become self-restrained.'
Fasting is also to practise the religion and learn to attain piety. To reach this, five daily salaat is compulsory, Zakat-ul fitr must be paid, prayers are to be said in both the evening and night of Ramadan, smoking must be stopped, pornographic videos and pictures are to be kept away and excessive intake of food is avoided. To get the full reward of the Night of Power and to show Muslims how to get their past sins forgiven are also reasons why Muslims do Ramadan fast.
Fasting begins at dawn, the start of the Salatul Fajr time, on everyday of the month, and ends at sunset, Salatul Maghrib. When the day is over, the fast is broken with a meal called iftar and a prayer. After the meal, it is customary for Muslims to visit family and friends. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours, and are forbidden to smoke or have any sexual relations. According to the Qur'an:
˜One may eat and drink at any time during the night until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by daylight: then keep the fast until night'
During Ramadan, Muslims spend several hours in mosques praying and studying the Qur'an. In addition to this, they recite a special prayer called a Taraweeh prayer (night prayer)
