Ramadan, the month of ritual fasting, is a special and blessed period for Muslims. It was the month in which the revelations of the Qur\u2019an descended from Allah, through Jibra\u2019il (the Angel of Revelation, Gabriel), to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). As this was the starting point of Muhammad (PBUH) becoming a prophet and Messenger, it should also be a Muslim’s starting point to becoming an upholder and follower of the message of Islam.
\nThe essence of Ramadan is the changing of one\u2019s ways to become a better person, one who remains conscious of God throughout his or her life.<\/p>\n
\u201dFasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain piety.\u201dQur\u2019an 2:183<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As with any act of worship, fasting requires obedience and submission to Allah\u2019s commands through the highest degree of commitment and sincerity. Every year during the month of Ramadan (the 9th month of the lunar calendar), Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, abstaining from three key human needs \u2013 food, drink and sexual relations. One should also abstain from all sinful actions.<\/p>\n
Fasting during Ramadan is obligatory on every physically and mentally capable adult Muslim. Children, the sick, the mentally unfit, the elderly, menstruating women, and travellers are exempt.<\/p>\n
Some benefits of fasting:<\/p>\n
Promotes spiritual self-purification and growth.
\nScientifically proven health benefits.
\nSympathy for those less fortunate, prompting more charity.
\nA means of learning self-restraint and patience.
\nPurifies the soul and helps it acquire the habit of obeying Allah by restraining desires, and promotes steadfastness.
\nCreates an increased feeling of unity and collective identity amongst those fasting.
\nCreates an increased awareness about the state of affairs across the globe and the hardships endured.
\nForgiveness of sins. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, \u201cHe who fasts Ramadan, with faith and hoping for reward (from Allah), then his past sins are forgiven.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ramadan, the month of ritual fasting, is a special and blessed period for Muslims. It was the month in which the revelations of the Qur\u2019an descended from Allah, through Jibra\u2019il (the Angel of Revelation, Gabriel), to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). As this was the starting point of Muhammad (PBUH) becoming a prophet and Messenger, it … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Site Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Ramadan, the month of ritual fasting, is a special and blessed period for Muslims. It was the month in which the revelations of the Qur\u2019an descended from Allah, through Jibra\u2019il (the Angel of Revelation, Gabriel), to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). As this was the starting point of Muhammad (PBUH) becoming a prophet and Messenger, it…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcT0IL-e1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7091,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-five-pillars-of-islam\/","url_meta":{"origin":869,"position":0},"title":"The Five Pillars of Islam","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/07\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Every sound structure must have a solid foundation in order to remain strong. Islam\u2019s foundation is the five pillars it was built upon, forming the basis of Islamic teaching as taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), wherein he said: Islam is built upon five pillars: 1. The Declaration\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Transactions & Worship"","block_context":{"text":"Transactions & Worship","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/category\/transactions-and-worship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9451,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/why-muslims-love-the-month-of-ramadan\/","url_meta":{"origin":869,"position":1},"title":"Why Muslims Love the Month of Ramadan","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/26\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Islam uses a lunar calendar\u2014that is, each month begins with the sighting of the new moon, therefore because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar, Islamic months \u201cmove\u201d each year. 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