What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic Calender. It is the month that Allah first revealed the Qur'an to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). In this month, the whole Qur'an was sent down to the first sky from Lauhi Mahfouz.
During the month of Ramadan, the gates of Jannah (Paradise) are opened and the gates of Jahannum Hell-fire are shut.
What is Fasting?
In Ramadan, Muslims don't eat or drink anything at all from dawn to sunset. This is called sawm and is one of the Pillars of Islam.
Muslims get up very early in the morning, before the sun rises and have Suhur. You can have your usual breakfast at this time. After this, you do not eat or drink until it is Iftar time, when the sun sets.
Since Muslims come from just about every place in the world, different families have different foods they like to eat for their iftar or Suhur meal.
Our beloved Prophet used to break his fast with dates, that is why many Muslims eat dates during Ramadan.
If you are too young or too old, or are sick or on a journey, then you do not have to fast.
Good Deeds
During Ramadan, we have to try and be extra good and try and do more good deeds. We have to do our best to not complain and to avoid getting angry or irritated with people, We are supposed to focus on inner peace and goodness.
Any good deed that you do during this month is given more Hasana reward. That is why you should try and do as many good deeds as you can during this holy month.
Many Muslims try and read the Qur'an more in Ramadan. Many Muslims will try to read the whole of the Qur'an at least once during Ramadan or make sure that they read more Qur'an during this month.
Also during Ramadan, people at many mosques recite the Qur'an a night so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an will have been recited. These nightly prayers are called tarawih.
Laylatul Qadr
Ramadan has one of the most blessed night of the whole year, the night of
power or night of destiny - Laylatul Qadr.. This night is in the last 10 days of the month of Ramadan, and it is the night when the Qur'an was first revealed. Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) says in the Qur'an that this night is better than a thousand months!
Fasting has many benefits. It helps you become a better Muslim. Fasting makes you stronger as a believer, closer to Allah, more blessed and happier to be with Allah and to obey Him. It makes you feel what a hungry, poor or needy person feels when he or she does not have any food to eat.
Eid ul-Fitr
At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate a very festive and joyful holiday called Eid ul Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast.
People dress in their best and nicest clothes and perform salahtul Eid - Eid Prayers at the mosque. They visit family and friends and give cards and gifts to each other. Children are given gifts, money, and sweets. It's also a time to give money to the poor. This is called Zakat.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint"
[Surah al-Baqarah, 2: 183]
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