Ministry of Hajj
Ministry of Hajj
Ministry of Hajj
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Sawm (Fasting)

Al Masjid al Haram at night

Al Masjid al Haram at night

The imposition of fasting, which means complete abstention from food and drink and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset during the month of Ramadan, is the third basic tenet of the Islamic religion.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Arabian calendar, which consists of twelve lunar months. Therefore, the Arabian lunar month is either twenty-nine or thirty days but never thirty-one days.

Fasting in Ramadan, besides being a religious duty, is no doubt of great benefit as it trains one to be patient, wise, well disciplined and to share the feelings of others. In particular, it reminds all Muslims of the hardships faced by those less fortunate than themselves.

Ramadan, traditionally held to be the month in which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, received his first revelation and the month in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet, is considered particularly holy by Muslims. Ramadan and, with it, the period of abstinence ends with the festival of Eid ul-Fitr. With a sense of achievement that ensues from submission to the will of God, families and friends gather together to share celebratory meals.