Ramadan 2023 is about to end, thus ending the holiest month for Muslims by commemorating the revelation to Muhammad of the Koran, the holy book of Islam (in the year 610 AD). It is also the end of the fast that this community must observe during the festival.
The beginning of Ramadan began in the week of March 20, coinciding with the waxing moon of the ninth month of the traditional Islamic calendar, and continues until the following waxing moon. Looking at the sky, the end of this epoch in 2023 comes on Friday, April 21 (or Saturday the 22nd, depending on the lunar calendar).
During this period, before the sun makes its appearance over the horizon, Muslims must comply with the rituals of fasting, which begins with suhur, the last food and drink that believers eat until sunset. Just then the fast is broken by iftar, a hearty dinner.
But Ramadan is not only fasting, it is also prayer and drawing closer to God. Bad thoughts, insults, criticism of third parties, sex and tobacco during daylight hours or lies must be banished during the days of the sacred month. With these premises, Muslims consider that this festival has a religious function, a health one (purifies the body), a mental one (strengthens the will) and a moral one (it helps to understand what people deprived of food suffer).
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be generous to his guest. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him keep family ties. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say good or keep silence”, recommends one of the sayings of the prophet.
As Ramadan comes to an end, Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al Fitr, a holiday that marks the end of Islam’s mandatory month of fasting. The celebrations last two or three days and believers dress in their best clothes and surround themselves with friends and family to pray and eat traditional sweets. In addition, children often receive gifts.
In addition to being the month in which the revelation of the Qur’an began, Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar calendar. It should be noted that the Islamic calendar (hijri) is based on the rotations of the Moon around the Earth.
Thus, while the Gregorian calendar, based on the Earth’s rotation around the Sun, has 365 days and a quarter of a day, the Hijri year has 12 months, each of which varies between 29 and 30 days. This variation, explains the mundoislam.com platform, causes Ramadan to begin 11 days earlier than the previous year, compared to the Gregorian calendar.
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