Ramadan 2025 is drawing near –
The month of blessing,
The month of purity and forgiveness,
The month of charity,
The month of Qur’an.
The best month of the year
Fasting, one of the Five Pillars of Islam is one of the key elements of Ramadan, where Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. Fasting is more than just abstinence from food but also a form of worship and a way to build closer and deeper connections with Allah (SWT). Fasting teaches us what it is like to go without, it teaches us to have patience with oneself and those around them, as well as how to have compassion for those less fortunate. Fasting was ordained to us in the Qur’an; it is an obligation –fardh- for all Muslims who are able and well.
Why are more than 1 billion people around the world abstaining from food, drink, physical relations from dawn until dusk for one month every year? Simply because it is the month of Ramadan where Muslims observe abstinence.
Fasting (Saum) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and the abstinence from earthly pleasures is as an act that is not only pleasing to Allah (SWT) but also beneficial for mind, body and soul.
The fast begins at dawn – after the Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) when the following dua is recited:
وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَّوَيْتُ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ
Wa bisawmi-ghadinn nawaiytu min-shahri Ramadan.
I intend to fast tomorrow during Ramadan.
The fasting day ends at dusk when the iftar (the breaking of the fast) is consumed. It is a Sunnah to break the fast with a date and/or water and recite the following dua:
اللَّهُمَّ اِنِّى لَكَ صُمْتُ وَبِكَ امنْتُ وَعَليْكَ تَوَكّلتُ وَ عَلى رِزْقِكَ اَفْطَرْتُ
Allahumma inni-laka-sumtu, wa bika-aamantu, wa alayka tawakkaltu, wa ala rizqika-aftartu.
O Allah! I have fasted for You, and I believe in You and have put my trust in You, and I break the fast with what You have bestowed.
Muslims follow the lunar calendar and the month of Ramadan begins when the new moon is sighted.
Ramadan is a special time for the Muslim world – not only is it a time of immense barakah it also teaches us to share and give to those less fortunate. It is a physical way to experience what a hungry person feels and allows us the opportunity to help those that go without food and drink because of feeling the pangs of hunger.