Islam: Celebration and Pilgrimage » Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which follows the moon. A lunar month lasts 29 or 30 days, so Ramadan moves about 10 or 11 days earlier each year in the calendar most of us use. Muslims believe the Qur'an began to be revealed to Muhammad in this month, and the Qur'an itself says so (2:185). So Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer and the Qur'an.

Eid-ul-Fitr ("the festival of breaking the fast") is the celebration on the day after Ramadan ends, the first day of the next month, Shawwal. It marks the end of a month of effort and thanks Allah for the strength to complete it.

Key terms:

• Sawm: fasting. It is the fourth of the Five Pillars of Islam.
• Iftar: the meal that breaks the fast at sunset.
• Suhoor: the meal eaten before dawn, before the fast begins.
• Taraweeh: the extra prayers prayed at night in Ramadan, a Sunni custom.
• Eid-ul-Fitr: the festival that ends Ramadan.
• Fidyah: feeding a poor person in place of a fast that someone cannot make up.

The Night of Power

Muslims remember one night of Ramadan above all: Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power. Muslims believe it is the night the Qur'an was first revealed (you met the first revelation in the lesson on Muhammad's early life). Surah 97 says the Night of Power is "better than a thousand months". Muslims understand this to mean that worship on this night is worth more than worship over a thousand ordinary months, about 83 years.

Nobody knows the exact date. Muslims look for it in the last ten nights of Ramadan, and many especially seek it on the odd-numbered nights. Many Sunni Muslims especially mark the 27th night, while many Shi'a Muslims especially mark the 19th, 21st and 23rd nights. Some spend these nights in the mosque in prayer and Qur'an reading. Many also ask Allah for forgiveness.

The example of Muhammad in fasting

Muslims fast in Ramadan because Allah commands it (Qur'an 2:183) and because they follow the sunnah, the example of the Prophet. Reports about him say that he:

• broke his fast with dates and water, and Muslims copy this today;
• prayed extra prayers at night in Ramadan;
• was especially generous in Ramadan, giving more to people in need;
• recited and studied the Qur'an more in this month.

How Muslims keep Ramadan

Who is excused? Fasting is a duty for healthy adult Muslims. People who are ill, travelling, pregnant, breastfeeding, elderly or very frail are excused, and so are young children who have not reached puberty. Women are excused during their monthly period. Most who miss days make them up later. Those who can never fast, such as someone with a long-term illness, give fidyah instead.

Eid-ul-Fitr

Once the new moon of Shawwal is seen, Ramadan is over and Eid begins. Muslims do not fast on Eid day. It is a joyful day with several parts:

• Zakat-ul-Fitr: a small charity payment made for each person in the household, given before the Eid prayer so that the poor can celebrate too.
• Eid prayers: a special congregational prayer, in a mosque or in an open space such as a field or park, early in the day. People wear their best clothes and say "Eid Mubarak" (blessed Eid).
• Family celebrations: new clothes, visits to relatives and friends, gifts (often money for children) and special food and sweets.

Different understandings

All Muslims fast, but they stress different reasons for it:

• Obedience: fasting is a command from Allah and one of the Five Pillars, so Muslims do it to show submission.
• Self-discipline: Qur'an 2:183 says fasting is so that people become mindful of Allah. Controlling hunger, temper and speech builds self-control and brings Muslims closer to Allah.
• Sharing the hunger of the poor: going hungry helps Muslims feel for people who often have no food, and so leads to more giving.
• The month of the Qur'an: some stress that Ramadan is mainly about the Qur'an, so reading and prayer matter as much as hunger.

Muslims also differ on how the month starts. Many Muslims wait until someone sights the new moon, either in their own country or anywhere in the world. Others use astronomical calculation to fix the dates in advance. This is why Muslims in the same city sometimes begin Ramadan or Eid on different days.

Importance today: Many Muslims say Ramadan strengthens faith, family and community more than any other month. Some young Muslims in busy modern lives find long fasts hard, but many still say the month brings unity, because Muslims across the world fast together.

Exam-style question

(a) Outline two ways in which Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. [4 marks]

(b) Explain why fasting in Ramadan is important to Muslims. [6 marks]

(c) "The Night of Power is the most important part of Ramadan." Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. [10 marks]