The Ramadan Fast

The practice

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year, when Muslims believe the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Fasting through it, called sawm, is one of the five pillars of Islam.

How it is kept

From dawn to sunset, healthy adult Muslims abstain from food, drink, and marital relations. The day begins with a meal before dawn and ends with iftar, the fast breaking meal after sunset, often shared with family, neighbours, and the poor. Children, the elderly, the ill, travellers, and pregnant women are excused.

What it means

The fast trains God consciousness, called taqwa in the Qur'an. Hunger makes the body's appetites answerable to the soul, and remembering the poor becomes impossible to avoid at an empty table. The month ends with Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast.