Ramadan Mubarak 2020

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time in which Muslims dedicate themselves to refocus on purifying their souls and conduct through self-reflection, self-sacrifice, and prayer. This year, Ramadan begins on the evening of April 25 and ends on the evening of May 24. During Ramadan, more than 1.8 billion Muslims around the world observe one of the Five Pillars (creedal duties) of Islam – fasting. Each day of Ramadan, from dawn to sunset, Muslims practice compulsory fasting. Muslims rise before dawn to partake in a pre-fast meal called suhoor. Each night, after sunset, the fast is broken with the post-fast meal called iftar. Saum, the Arabic word for fasting, literally means to “abstain” or to “refrain,” which is the general religious appeal of the month – not just abstaining from eating, drinking and marital sex, but also refraining from any activities that lead to a general lack of God-consciousness. In Islam, fasting is not merely a physical act – it is a spiritually comprehensive concept. Prophet Muhammad (S) said: “Fasting is not [abstaining] from eating and drinking only, but also from vain speech and foul language. If one of you is being cursed or annoyed, he should say, “I am fasting, I am fasting.” Also, he (S) said, “Whosoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah All-Mighty and Majestic requires not [i.e. will not accept] that he should leave his food and drink.” The mouth, for example, is restrained from idle talk and gossip, while the ears are restrained from listening to obscenities. In this way, a Muslim engages his or her entire self in the observance of the Ramadan fast.