Ramadan Is the Holiest Month

Ramadan is the holiest month of the year for Muslims, a time of strict religious observances and fasting. We fast only from sunrise to sunset and are permitted to eat during the dark hours. When we break the fast we do so with a small family meal and not by gorging ourselves, because one of the main meanings of Ramadan is self-control. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims also abstain from coffee, sex, and other hedonistic behaviors. Ramadan is the time to turn inward and seek God. Although the name Ramadan technically means the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, most Muslims view Ramadan as a month-long religious holiday. Ramadan is like no other month of the year. It is when we are most conscious of our religious faith. We read from the Qur'an together or alone and we spend extra time on our prayers and family activities during Ramadan.

Non-Muslims might not understand exactly what Ramadan means. I often have to explain to my friends why I am fasting or why I cannot go out with them. Most of them respect the religious observances but when they ask the purpose behind Ramadan, I can only say that the holiday is a celebration of our prophet Muhammad. According to Muslim beliefs, Muhammad received the Qur'an from God during the month of Ramadan. To honor this sacred gift, we spend the entire month of Ramadan in worship and prayer. We give thanks, we abstain from worldly pleasures, and we return to our roots. Many of us forget to pray regularly. Some of us barely pray at all except during the month of Ramadan, which is why I have always accepted the holiday as a part of my culture and religion.

As a young child, I did not have to fast with my parents. It is believed that the elderly, the ill, small children, and anyone else who cannot fast for medical reasons is not obliged to do so. The point of Ramadan is not just to abstain from eating. Even without fasting, a Muslim person does not indulge in drinking, smoking, gossip, swearing, or any kind of sexual behavior during Ramadan. We do not party during Ramadan. Instead, Ramadan is a time of peace and meditation. Anyone, even the very ill, young, and elderly can observe Ramadan without fasting. People who cannot fast on certain days can make up for those days later, or perform some kind of charity work instead. The rules are not strict because the fast comes from our hearts. While we celebrate our Prophet Muhammad and the revelation that is the Qur'an, we worship solemnly but united with all our Muslim brothers and sisters.

For most Muslims, fasting is a very important part of Ramadan. Fasting is a sign of our devotion to Allah and also of our self-restraint. In fact, fasting at Ramadan is so important to Islam that it is considered one of the five pillars of our faith. The other four include belief in God, daily prayers, charity work, and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Therefore, a Muslim must have a very good reason to not fast.

In my experience, hunger during Ramadan is not so much of a problem. Very rarely during the month I will feel hungry and weak during the day. When I was first starting to fast, my parents would allow me to eat a small snack during school. Gradually I tried to refrain from doing this, and eventually I did not feel like eating during the day. Fasting like my parents did made me feel more mature. The self-control I learned was at first a source of pride for me. Now it is something I do because I honor my religion. Also, because we are allowed to eat a meal before dawn and after dusk the fast is not extreme or unhealthy.

During Ramadan, our minds are occupied with spiritual matters. When I first started to observe the holiday I would read from the Qur'an with my parents. As a young child they would read the Qur'an to me during Ramadan as part of an evening family activity. When I was older and still now, I read parts of the Qur'an to myself before bed at night and then again in the morning before school. Just as fasting during Ramadan made me feel more mature, so did reading the Qur'an on my own. I was not fasting and praying because my parents or anyone else told me I had to. Instead, I was performing these rituals because I wanted to.

Muslims pray five times each day, and this practice is especially important during Ramadan. Ideally the prayers are said at certain key times of the day: at dawn, at noon, in the afternoon, at sunset, and before bed. When I am at school or somewhere else in public I say the prayers to myself silently. It is important to pray facing Mecca but most of all it is important to keep Allah in my thoughts. During Ramadan our family prays together formally in the afternoon, at sunset, and before bed. We become more aware of the role of prayer in our lives during this holy month.

The holiday becomes a time for us to reaffirm our faith and our role in the Muslim community. Ramadan is one of the only times of the year that our family regularly attends Mosque. I have met other Muslim students and children my age during Ramadan, which is important for me since I attend a public school. Ramadan does not seem like a social holiday but it actually can be. Hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide are linked together during one month of the year. The feeling of unity within the community can be powerful during Ramadan. On the weekends after sundown during Ramadan, we often get together with other Muslim families for the Iftar (fast-breaking meal). The atmosphere is convivial. We eat traditional Muslim foods like dates, because they connect us with our heritage.

Ramadan falls on a different day and month each year because Islam uses a lunar calendar. Muslims always know when Ramadan is arriving from our calendars but the official beginning is usually foretold by word of mouth. When I was a young child, my mother used to take me outside to see the tiny sliver of moon that marks the beginning of the month. New moons are sacred to Islam, which is why the crescent is a ubiquitous symbol of the religion.

Toward the end of Ramadan, we worship more intensely by devoting our time to the Muslim community. The last ten days of Ramadan are especially important to the month, and consist of more involvement with community service. I have participated in youth group activities during this time of Ramadan, and my parents usually participate in some kind of volunteer or charity service. Feeding the poor is considered a sacred duty for Muslims, and especially during Ramadan.

Fasting is a symbolic activity that becomes most meaningful during the holy month of Ramadan. We learn to control our desires, turn our thoughts toward Allah, refrain from evil thoughts, words, and deeds, and place faith first in our lives. Fasting also helps us to remember those less fortunate than we are. When we give alms during the month of Ramadan, we are especially aware of the fact that many Muslims and non-Muslims around the world go to bed hungry. When we break the fast of Ramadan each evening with our families, we give tremendous thanks to Allah for the bounty that we have, and pray for those who have less. Abstaining from food voluntarily is far different from not being able to eat. Therefore, fasting during Ramadan has taught me more than self-control. Fasting has taught me how to be thankful.

Laylat al-Qadr is the most important night during Ramadan. Traditionally it falls on the 27th day of Ramadan and means "Night of Power." The Night of Power commemorates Mohammad receiving the first verses of the Qur'an. Thus, the Laylat al-Qadr is the essence of Ramadan itself. Worshippers around the world spend the entire night in prayer because Laylat al-Qadr is believed to contain the spiritual power of a thousand months. I have stayed up with my family during the Night of Power and the experience is like nothing else. To be in a room full of people praying and worshipping at the same time does indeed feel like a Night of Power.