Ramadan 2024
Ramadan 2024: Muslims all over the world are looking forward to celebrating Ramadan—also known as Ramazan, Ramzan, or Ramzaan—the month of healing, which is a time of communal harmony, reflection, and spiritual quest while fasting from dawn to dusk. It also involves intense recitations of the Holy Book Quran and the almost daily act of charity that ignites compassion. These events occur as wars, unrest, and political dramas tear countries apart.
Ramadan 2024: Depending on the moon sighting, the length of Ramadan varies between 29 and 30 days. All adult Muslims are required to fast during this time, with the exception of those who are ill, on the road, experiencing their menstrual cycle, pregnant, diabetic, or old.
Ramadan 2024: One of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Shahada (profession of faith), Salat (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (voyage), is the Arabic word ramida or ar-ramad, which means “scorching heat.” Iftar is the meal that breaks the fast after the call to the evening prayer of Maghrib is heard. sehri is the meal that is had prior to starting the fast.
Date
Ramadan 2024: Because the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, also referred to as moon phases, the Holy month of Ramadan always occurs around ten days early in the Gregorian calendar. If the moon is visible in Mecca, Ramadan is predicted to begin this year on either Monday, March 11 or Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
The Ramadan crescent is typically first seen in Saudi Arabia, certain regions of India, and a few Western nations. The remainder of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other nations typically see it a day later.
History and significance
Ramadan 2024: Since God originally revealed the verses of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad (Praise Be Upon Him) on the night of Laylat al-Qadr during Ramadan, Ramadan is thought to be a celebration of that revelation. The scriptures state that during Ramadan, all of the devils are chained up in hell and that no one can disturb those who are praying to Allah because the gates of Jannah, or paradise, are opened and the gates of Jahannum, or hell, are closed, too. This belief is held by Muslims.
The spiritual benefits of fasting are referred to as “thawab,” and it is thought that these benefits increase during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from all food and beverages, tobacco, sexual activity, and other immoral behavior and instead concentrate more on prayer, introspection, almsgiving, and taqwa, or elevated awareness of God. Iftar is the nocturnal feast that breaks the fast following the evening prayer, Maghrib, and suhoor, suhur, or seeri is the predawn meal that occurs before the call for the morning prayer, Fajr.
Celebration
Muslims fast throughout Ramadan—known as sawm or roza in Pakistan and India—and offer prayers to Allah as a sign of their devotion to the Almighty. Muslims abstain from worldly pleasures, excessive behavior, and spending during this month and observe the fast in the company of friends and family.
They rise early in the morning to eat Suhoor, also known as Sehri, a meal that includes sweet vermicelli, dates, fruits, and milk. After that, they observe their fast by not eating anything until dusk. They also don’t drink any water or anything else during this time.
When it’s nighttime, Muslims who are fasting (rozedaar) break their fast with dates, or if dates are unavailable, they break their fast with anything sweet or just water. The Maghrib prayer commemorates this, and it’s thought that Prophet Muhammad himself broke his fast with dates—some traditions have him having three dates and some water.
Ramadan 2024: The dinner that follows is called iftar, and it consists of a variety of dishes such kebabs, tikkas, biryani, and nihari, as well as desserts like kheer, phirni, shahi tukda, khlaja baklava, or khlaja pheni. Sheer khurma is a milky pudding prepared with vermicelli and saffron. They then offer the Maghrib prayer.
Taraweeh is the name of the special evening prayers when verses from the Quran are recited. Seen as the holiest night of the year, Laylatul Qadr, or the Night of Power, occurs at the end of Ramadan and is marked by intensive prayers.
Ramadan 2024: It honors the night that the Prophet Muhammad received the Quran for the first time and usually occurs on the 27th day of Ramadan. With Eid-ul-Fitr, Ramadan comes to a conclusion. Shawwal, which marks the beginning of the following month, translates to “festival of breaking of the fast.”