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OVERVIEW OF RAMADAN
Ramadan or Ramadhan (Arabic) is the ninth month of the Islamic year. Siyam or Saum ("fasting" in English) is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam and involves fasting during Ramadan.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Because the Islamic calendar has no correction for the fact that the lunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Ramadan migrates throughout the seasons.
HISTORY OF RAMADAN
During Ramadan eating, smoking, drinking and sexual relationships are prohibited. During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to refrain from indulging in violence, anger, envy, greed, lust and backbiting, and are meant to get along with each other better than normal.
There are a number of groups of people who do not need to observe Ramadan, though they may if they wish:
* Children before the onset of puberty
* Soldiers on the battlefield
* Travelers
* Weak, elderly, and sick people
* Pregnant women, if they feel it might endanger their child
* Menstruating women
* Women who are breastfeeding babies
The prohibitions only extend during daylight hours. Traditionally this begins at dawn from the moment a white line can be seen at the horizon and ends at sunset, when the sun's disk sinks below the local horizon. These times are known as Fajr and Maghrib, respectively.
The Siyam are intended to teach the believers patience and self-control, and to remind them of the less fortunate in the world. The fast is also seen as a debt owed by the believer to God. Faithful observance of the Siyam is believed to atone for personal faults and misdeeds, at least in part, and to help earn a place in paradise. It is also believed to be beneficial for personal conduct, that is, to help control passions and temper. The fast is also meant to provide time for meditation and to strengthen one's faith.
The month of Ramadan is the month of great gains and profits. The smart trader is the one who makes the most of special occasions to increase his profits. So make the most of this month by doing lots of acts of worship, praying a great deal, reading Qur’aan, forgiving people, being kind to others and giving charity to the poor.
In the month of Ramadan the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are shut. The devils are put in chains and a caller cries out each night, O seeker of good, proceed, O seeker of evil, desist. The month of Ramadan is the best of months.
At the termination of the great fast of Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated. Muslims come out and rejoice with a sense of accomplishment for coming closer to Allah. It is a time for Muslim families and friends to worship and celebrate together.
TRIVIA::
Integrated into the Ramadan season is also a sense of community. Many mosques will sponsor iftar (literally: break fast) meals after sundown for the community to come and end their day's fasting as a whole. It is also common for such meals to take place at Muslim soup kitchens. Extra optional prayers, called tarawih are prayed each night in the mosque during Ramadan as well.
Source: The English Wikipedia
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