Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from break of dawn to sunset. (Note: Because the beginning of Islamic lunar months depends on the actual sighting of the new moon, the start and end dates for Ramadan may vary.)
The fast is performed to learn discipline, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God's commandments. Fasting (along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the "five pillars" of Islam. Because Ramadan is a lunar month, it begins about eleven days earlier each year. The end of Ramadan will be marked by communal prayers called "Eid ul-Fitr," or Feast of the Fast-Breaking .
"Muslims look forward to Ramadan as a period of spiritual reflection and renewal. It is also a time when people of other faiths can learn more about Islam and the American Muslim community," said Omar Ahmad, board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group.
The Quran, Islam's revealed text, states: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint...Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Quran, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting.." (Chapter 2, verses 183 and 185)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his companions: "God has said: 'Fasting is like a shield. A person who fasts experiences two joys. He is joyful when he breaks his fast, and he is joyful when he meets his Lord.'" (Hadith Qudsi, Hadith 10)
Demographers say Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in this country and around the world. There are an estimated 7 million Muslims in America and some 1.2 billion worldwide.