In the spirit of understanding others spirituality and beliefs, the month of April marks the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, welcoming the widely celebrated Holiday of Ramadan. People around the world, not limited to Muslims, partake in the holy month of fasting. The dates are dependant on the appearance of the crescent moon and may vary in different countries but this year in the U.S, fasting began on Apr 2, 2022 to May 1, 2022. Ramadan is seen as the period of introspection, communal prayer at the mosque and reading of the Quran which is the holy book of islam. The purpose of fasting is for God or Allah to forgive the sins made by an individual with fasting, prayer and good intentions. Fasting is also a time for people to practice self-restraint from food, drinks or immoral thoughts or behavior.

Those who participate in the act of fasting are obligated to not eat, drink any beverages or even chew gum from dawn till dusk, therefore they habitually wake up before sunrise to eat a meal which is known as sahur and break their fast at sunset, which varies by the day; this is called Iftar. Traditionally, most break their fast with a date or water in custom of prophet Muhammed before having their meal. If one misses a day of fasting due to illness or any other reasons, they’re constrained to make it up after Ramadan is over. There is such a thing as being exempt from fasting which applies to pregnant women, children, elders, mentally ill or travelers on long journeys.

At the end of Ramadan there is a celebration called Eid al-Fitr, translated to “Feast of Fast-Breaking”, which is one of the two major holidays in islam along with Eid al-Adha.