What is Ramadan?

Zayd Lahlou-Nabil, Staff Reporter

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the month that is believed that the Quran, The Book of Islam, was sent down from heaven. The purpose of the Quran was to guide men and women in the right direction. During the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast, meaning no food or drinks, every day from sunrise to sunset for about 29 to 30 days. Muslims fast as a sense of discipline, and use it to strengthen their relationship with God. This means extra prayer, increased charity, and the reading of the Quran.

When is Ramadan?

This is what the moon is supposed to look like at the start of Ramadan. There is a crescent moon and this is how it was determined that Ramadan would start this year on Sunday, March 10th.

The start of Ramadan changes as it follows the Lunar Calendar, which shifts about 11 days every year. The date always depends on the spotting of the crescent moon. This year the moon was spotted on the night of Sunday, March 10th, 2024. Ramadan ended on April 9th, 2024. Ramadan ended that day because of the crescent moon spotting, that indicated that the new month of Shawwal started.

Who Fasts During Ramadan?

There are exceptions for who fast and who doesn’t. For example, the young and elderly don’t fast during Ramadan, people who are sick don’t fast, women that are pregnant or breastfeeding don’t need to fast either. When women get their monthly cycle, they don’t need to fast for that period of time.

What are the benefits of Ramadan?

There are many benefits of fasting during Ramadan. Some benefits that stick out are:

Weight Loss
Lower blood pressure
Lower cholesterol
Better mental health

Fasting helps you control portion sizing and calorie intake, since the window that you can eat is already so short. This helps you enter into a calorie deficit and helps the body.

Fasting also lowers blood pressure because you’re not eating, you won’t have as much salt in your body which lowers blood pressure and inflammation.

Celebrity people fasting during Ramadan:

There are some celebrities that fast during Ramadan. They all believe in their faith and have said the following about it:

DJ Khaled: “The virtues that accumulate only through Ramadan are endless, a month when the human mind becomes free. The soul becomes nourished through hours of prayers” (Khaled, 2018).

Kyrie Irving: “Ramadan is a special month, so it’s a special time and just try not to think about the suffering too much and really focus on the journey with God and the path that you’re on and just stay focused on that and stay disciplined” (Irving, 2024).

Mohamaed Salah: “My religion is very important to me, and I always try to conduct myself in a way that reflects my faith” (Salah, 2016).

All of the quotes from these celebrity’s talk about themselves and how they better themselves in the month of Ramadan.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Ramadan?

These are some more examples of what to do and what not to do. One clarification for no music, you can’t listen if it pushes you away from God.

During Ramadan, some things that you should do include praying all your daily prayers on time and making a lot of Dua. A Dua is when you seek forgiveness from God. Another thing that is recommended is to educate yourself on religion. Some things to stop doing are smoking and quitting for good, no fighting, no swearing, no listening to music, and to not lose hope in your faith.

What happens after Ramadan?

This is one of the Eid Al-Fitr prayers in Orland Park. After the prayer was over the mayor of Chicago, Branden Johnson, held a speech to all Muslims and said “As mayor, I stand with you in the fight for peace so that we all can have a safe home. Whether it’s from Garfield Park on the West Side of Chicago, or in Gaza”.

This was the Eid Al-Fitr prayer held at the Rosemont Convention Center, where more than 10,000 people were present. This is one of the many locations where Muslims went to make their prayer.

The day after Ramadan ends is called Eid al-Fitr. It takes place the day after the new moon is seen at the end of the month of Ramadan and starts the new month of Shawwal. This month is the 10th month of the Islamic calendar. There are 12 months in the Islamic calendar, and this day usually consists of prayer and gifts for your loved ones.

Mukherjee, S. (2023, April 8). How Premier League footballers observe Ramadan: Fasting breaks, match prep & rules explained. Goal. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/how-premier-league-footballers-observe-ramadan-fasting-breaks-match-prep-and-rules-explained/bltbbf87b5b473e1c55

Struett, D. (2024, April 10). Johnson renews call for Gaza cease-fire at Eid celebration. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2024/04/10/brandon-johnson-eid-al-fitr-gaza-ceasefire

Salah, M. (2018). 30 Best Mohamed Salah Quotes With Image. Bookey. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.bookey.app/quote-author/mohamed-salah

Ramadan: The surprising health benefits of fasting. (2024, March 11). The New Arab. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.newarab.com/features/ramadan-surprising-health-benefits-fasting

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