Muslims all over the world are celebrating the arrival of Ramadan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, intense prayer, charity, and feasting.
The Islamic lunar calendar determines the start of Ramadan, which begins with local religious officials and astronomers observing the crescent moon, and can vary by nation.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the 12-month Islamic calendar, which is based on the moon’s phases. The solar calendar is 11 days longer than the lunar calendar.
As a result, Ramadan does not start on the same date every year, but rather moves through all the seasons over time.
From dawn to dusk, observant Muslims worldwide will abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse. Even the smallest sip of water would invalidate the fast, which is designed to help the mind focus on prayer and charity.
The dawn-to-dusk fast lasts between 12 and 17 hours, depending on where you are in the world.
The fast comprises abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse during daylight hours in order to increase “taqwa,” or God-consciousness.
More than 1.8 billion Muslims, or almost one-quarter of the global population, are anticipated to observe Ramadan.
