The Non Muslims Guide To The Month Of Ramadaan

Are you a non-Muslim who would like to know more about the month of Ramadaan? Perhaps you have friends or colleagues who are fasting and praying and you would like to know the reasons behind the behavior. Then read on and be enlightened....

Ramadaan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar. If you've noticed that Ramadaan doesn't always correspond to the same time on the English calendar each year, you're right. The Islamic Calendar is a lunar calendar, as opposed to the English Calendar which is a Solar one. This means thatRamadaan comes 10 days earlier each year. There is a tremendous amount of wisdom behind this and I will explain it in detail a little further on in the article.

The most distinguishing factor about Ramadaan is that Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset. They wake up before sunset to partake of a special meal called Suhoor or Sehri. This doesn't have to consist of any special food, but it is a time when Almighty Allah sends down his blessings on those who are awake and partaking of this meal. Throughout the remainder of the day, Muslims cannot eat or drink anything at all. Not even a sip of water is permitted until sunset, when he/she can eat again.

Women who are menstruating cannot fast. Neither can those who are bleeding after childbirth. People who have health problems that can be made worse by fasting or who will feel too ill and weak are also excused from fasting.

So why do Muslims fast? There are 2 main reasons. The first is that staying hungry for a while causes a person to grow in Nearness to Allah. The only reason that a Muslim is going without food and drink from sunrise to sunset is to please his Creator and this leads to tremendous spiritual growth. The second reason is to remind the affluent about what the poor have to go through on a daily basis and by doing so encourage them to give more charity.

Many Muslims who are lax about performing their daily prayers during other times become more punctual during Ramadaan. And in the evening there are the lengthy Taraweeh prayers. Men usually go to the mosque and women perform them at home. Huffaz (those who have memorized the entire Quran) recite the Quran during these prayers and the congregation of Muslims follow behind them. Women at home who have not memorized the entire Quran can still perform these prayers on their own by reading the verses they do know and have memorized.

Muslims are also encouraged to recite the Quran as much as possible. At least one Tilawah (recitation) of the Quran is encouraged. The Quran consists of 30 Chapters so by reciting one Chapter a day, one can be finished by the end of the Month.

The Month of Ramadaan ends when the new moon is sighted, heralding the month of Shabaan. The first of Shabaan is the Day of Eid, which is day of celebration for Muslims all over the world.

The month of Ramadaan is filled with a serenity and a sense of blessing that is hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it before. But I hope that this article has shed some light on Ramadaan for you. And I sincerely hope that you experiance some of the blessingsthat this special month brings.