Muslims will fast during sacred month of Ramadan

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard from evil.” (Quran 2:183).

Muslims in the Valley, as well as everywhere around the world, have started observing the month of Ramadan. (Ramadan started Friday or today, depending on the sighting of the new moon.)

Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar calendar, which is 10 or 11 days shorter than the solar calendar. Ramadan is considered a sacred month in which the Glorious Quran, God’s word, was revealed to Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him) for the first time more than 1,400 years ago.

Fasting the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The other four pillars are:

UThe testament of faith (to declare that there is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his messenger).

UOffering the five daily prayers (dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and night).

UPaying Zakah (alms), which is an obligatory charity that the Muslim must pay once a year (2.5 percent of one’s wealth) to the poor and needy.

UHajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca once in one’s lifetime for those who are physically and financially capable to do so.

Fasting means to refrain from eating, drinking, and marital affairs, starting from daybreak until sunset. Fasting also means to refrain from all vice and evils. Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If one does not abandon falsehood in words and deeds, Allah has no need for his abandoning his food and drink.”

It is obligatory for healthy adult Muslims to fast the month of Ramadan.

Exempt from fasting are young children, the elderly, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Travelers and sick adults may break their fast then make up for the missed days later on.

Ramadan is a monthlong school that teaches righteousness, self-discipline, and self-control.

Ramadan is a month of mercy, tolerance and forgiveness. It is an eye-opener and self-experience of what the less fortunate, the poor and the needy, are enduring and experiencing in their everyday lives.

Fasting in Ramadan is an occasion to show one’s commitment and submission to Allah Almighty and a chance to express gratitude for His countless blessings and guidance.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr, a holiday that continues for three days. They offer the Eid congregational prayer at the mosque early in the day, then visit one another and exchange sweets. They strive to carry-on the lessons and the good habits after Ramadan and throughout the whole year.

XRanda Shabayek is a member of Masjid Al-Khair Mosque in Youngstown.