Ramadan and What You Need to Know

March is a month for many things, such as Women's History Month. But this year, something new takes place. That is Ramadan. This year, Ramadan started on February 18th and is expected to end on March 19th.

 This is an extremely sacred time as it’s the month that the Holy Qur’an was sent down from heaven. (When I say month, I’m not referring to the months on our calendar; I'm referring to the months in the Islamic lunar calendar, which is what most Islamic holidays follow.) Muslims honor this by fasting for the entire month from sunup to sundown. Their fast includes abstaining from water, food, and sexual relations.

The start and end dates of Ramadan vary every year. It is not a very drastic change, only falling back about 11 days per year. Ramadan occurs in the 9th month of the lunar calendar and lasts for 29 to 30 days. The interesting thing about it is that the dates and times vary depending on culture, location, and your own interpretations. It’s not a very big difference, though, only one or two days. The way the times vary is pretty simple, depending on the typical sunrise and sunset. 

Before sunrise, many people who are fasting wake up for suhoor. During suhoor, since the sun has not yet risen, you can eat and drink as much as you want to conserve some energy for the day. Once the sun has risen and they are no longer able to eat, many do the morning prayer before going back to bed. Suhoor takes place at around 5:30 this year in our area.

Just like Suhoor is for eating before you need to start fasting, Iftar is when you eat right after sundown, breaking your fast. This year, Iftar occurs at around 6 pm before daylight savings and at around 7 pm afterwards. Again, this is all relative to location, as sundown and sunset are different all around the world.

Now, there are some places in the world where the sun sets very late, and it stays dark for a very short time. In places like Iceland or Norway, there are special exceptions made. Muslims in areas like this have three  options to choose from: they can observe according to the nearest country with non-continuous daylight, the nearest Muslim majority country, or they can just observe using Saudi Arabia’s time. That is not to say that there are not people who follow the dawn-dusk times of the country they are residing in, sometimes fasting for 21 hours. It’s a big difference to our local time, which this year, ranges from 12 to 13 hours

There are exceptions made for other things as well. If you are ill, menstruating, or have a medical condition that could be affected by fasting, you are excused. You are also not obligated to fast if you are travelling. 

The end of Ramadan is marked by a festive holiday called Eid al-Fitr. On this day many attend the mosque in the morning for congregational prayers and spend the rest of the day celebrating with loved ones. 

 While Ramadan may seem like a harsh and strenuous holiday, when you're surrounded by people who love you, it becomes a lot easier. Plus, it helps hone your mind to focus on important things. So, if you or someone you know is observing Ramadan this year, make sure you give them lots of support.