Ramadan Countdown

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting from dawn to sunset, prayer, charity and community. Its start depends on the sighting of the new crescent moon.

History

Ramadan takes its name from the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a word rooted in the Arabic for scorching heat, recalling the season in which it was first observed. Muslim tradition holds that during this month, in the year 610 CE, the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Quran while in retreat near Mecca — an event remembered as the Night of Power, Laylat al-Qadr. Fasting from dawn to sunset was established as a religious obligation a few years later, around 624 CE in Medina, and it became one of the Five Pillars of Islam. As Islam spread across Arabia, North Africa, Persia and beyond in the centuries that followed, Ramadan traveled with it, adapting to countless cultures while keeping its core discipline intact. Because the lunar calendar is about eleven days shorter than the solar year, the month gradually rotates through every season, so successive generations experience both the short fasts of winter and the long fasts of high summer. The practice of confirming its start by sighting the new crescent moon grew into a cherished ritual in its own right. By the medieval period the month had acquired a distinctive public texture: pre-dawn drummers waking households for the suhoor meal, lanterns lighting the streets of Cairo, and a cannon shot signaling the breaking of the fast at dusk. Today more than a billion Muslims across every continent observe Ramadan, and its close — the festival of Eid al-Fitr — ranks among the most widely celebrated days on earth, a living continuity stretching back some fourteen centuries.

Meaning

For those who observe it, Ramadan is far more than abstaining from food and drink. The daily fast is a discipline of the whole self — a turning away from anger, gossip and excess, and a turning toward prayer, reflection and gratitude. Rising before dawn and breaking the fast at sunset gives the month a shared rhythm felt by entire communities at once. The month is also profoundly social. The evening iftar draws families, neighbours and guests to the same table, and charity — feeding others and giving to those in need — is woven through every day. Nightly Taraweeh prayers and the recitation of the Quran deepen the sense of closeness to God, while the Night of Power is regarded as the holiest night of the year. When the fast finally ends, that shared effort blossoms into the joy and gratitude of Eid al-Fitr.