9 Questions About Ramadan You Were Embarrassed To Ask (2023)

Ramadan is the Muslim holy month, and even in the midst of a pandemic, most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims celebrate it in some way.

That being said, it is highly likely that you, or a friend, colleague, neighbor, your child's teacher, celebrate, fast, and do all sorts of activities unique to the holy month.

But what exactly is Ramadan? What is fasting? And is there anything special you should do or say when you are with Muslim friends and acquaintances during Ramadan?

Don't worry, we've got you covered – here are the most basic answers to the most basic questions about Ramadan.

1) What is Ramadan really about?

Ramadan is the holiest month of the year for MuslimsProphet MuhammadHe is reported to have said, "When the month of Ramadan begins, the gates of heaven will open and the gates of hell will be closed and the demons will be chained."

Muslims believe that this month God revealed the first verses of the Koran, Islam's holy text, to Muhammad on a night known as "The Night of Power" (or Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic).

Throughout the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from sunrise to sunset. It is meant to be a time of spiritual discipline: deep contemplation of your relationship with God, additional prayer, increased charity and generosity, and intense study of the Qur'an.

But if that makes it seem too serious and boring, it really isn't. It is a time of celebration and joy to share with loved ones. At the end of Ramadan there is a big three-day festival called Eid al-Fitr, or the Feast of Breaking the Fast.

It's a bit like the Muslim version of Christmas in that it's a religious holiday where everyone gathers for big meals with family and friends, exchanges gifts, and generally has a good time.

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has made many of the more social aspects of Ramadan much more difficult to perform safely, given travel restrictions and the need to maintain social distancing and avoid large indoor gatherings. But the leaders of the Muslim community are aware of this and have spoken out against it.detailed instructionshow to have a happy and fulfilling Ramadan while making sure everyone is safe.

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2) How does fasting work?

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars, or duties, of Islam, along with the profession of faith, prayer, charity and the pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims must attend each year, although there are special exceptions for those who are ill, pregnant or nursing, menstruating or traveling, as well as young children and the elderly.

The practice of fasting has many spiritual and social purposes: to remind you of your human frailty and your dependence on God for sustenance, to show you what it is to be hungry and thirsty, so that you can have compassion (and a duty to )help) others feel. poor and needy, and reduce the distractions of life so you can focus more clearly on your relationship with God.

During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from all food, liquid drink, smoking, and all sexual activity from morning to night. This includes taking medication (even if you swallow a dry pill without drinking water). Chewing gum is also off-limits (although I didn't discover this until halfway through my first post-conversion Ramadan, oops).

If you do any of these things, your fast for the day is "voided" and you simply start over the next day. To make up for missed days, you can fast at the end of the year (all at once or a day here and there) or provide a meal to a person in need for each day missed.

Muslims should also try to contain negative thoughts and emotions like jealousy and anger, and even less things like swearing, complaining and gossiping during the month. Some people also choose to give up or limit activities like listening to music and television, often in favor of reciting the Qur'an.

3) What is a typical day in Ramadan like?

During Ramadan, Muslims rise well before dawn to take their first meal of the day, which must last until sunset. This means eating plenty of protein-rich foods and drinking as much water as possible until dawn, after which you should not eat or drink anything else.

At dawn, we perform the morning prayer. Since it's usually still very early, many people get some sleep before waking up to get ready for the day (I certainly do).

Muslims should not avoid work, school, or other normal tasks during the day just because they are fasting. However, in many Muslim countries, businesses and schools are allowedreduce your hoursduring the day or completely closed. However, for the most part, Muslims go about their daily business as we normally would, despite not being able to eat or drink all day.

When the nightly call to prayer isFinallydone (or when the alarm goes off on your phone's Muslim prayer app), we break the day's fast with a light meal, more like a snack, actually, called iftar (literally "breakfast") before afternoon prayer is performed. Many people also go to the mosque for evening prayers, followed by a special prayer that is only done during Ramadan.

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This is usually followed later in the evening by a larger meal, often shared with family and friends at each other's homes throughout the month. Then head to bed for a few hours sleep before it's time to wake up and start all over again.

(Note: There are good reasons to have a small snack before the evening prayer to break the fast and have a larger meal afterwards. Muslim prayers involve a lot of movement: bowing down, prostrating on the ground, standing up, etc. All those Physical Activities on a full stomach after 15 hours without eating is a recipe for disaster—just trust me.)

Despite the rigors of a month-long fast, most Muslims (myself included) actually look forward to Ramadan and are a little sad when it ends. It is very special to know that tens of millions of your fellow Muslims around the world experience the same pangs of hunger, dry mouth, and dizziness that you do, and that we are all in this together.

4) So you lose weight during Ramadan?

Some of you might be thinking, "Wow, that sounds like a great way to lose weight! I'll give it a try!" In fact, Ramadan is known to often cause weight gain.victoria🇧🇷 This is because eating large meals too early in the morning and late at night, with a long period of low activity, bordering on lethargy, can wreak havoc on your metabolism.

Onmeta-analysisof scientific studies on the effects of fasting in Ramadan on body weight found that “weight changes during Ramadan were relatively small and largely reversed after Ramadan, gradually returning to the pre-Ramadan state. However, Ramadan offers the opportunity to lose weightStructured and consistent lifestyle changes are necessary for permanent weight loss.” [Italics are mine.]

So, just like any other crash diet plan, you may lose a few pounds, but unless you really make "structured and consistent lifestyle changes," you probably won't see significant, lasting results.

5) Why do Ramadan dates change every year?

In religious matters, Muslims follow a lunar calendar - that is, a calendar based on the phases of the moon - whose 12 months add up to about 354 days. That's 11 days less than the 365 days of the standard Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the Islamic lunar calendar goes back about 11 days each year compared to the regular Gregorian calendar.

This means that the first day of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is delayed by about 11 days each year.

This has a huge impact on how people experience Ramadan from year to year. When Ramadan falls in winter, it's much easier to fast: the days are shorter, which means you don't have to fast as much, and it's colder outside, so not drinking water all day isn't too bad. to get a deal because you don't sweat as much.

On the other hand, when Ramadan falls in the summer, fasting can be brutal. Summer temperatures can prevail in many Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africareach levelsusually reservedthe deepest bowels of hell.

And in some northern European countries such as Iceland, Norway and Sweden (where, yes, there are Muslims) fasting can last for an average period.20 hours or morein summer. (And in some places above the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets in summer. In those casesThe Muslim religious authorities decreedthat Muslims can fast in the nearest Muslim country or in Mecca, Saudi Arabia).

6) Ok, but why is there confusion every year about the exact day Ramadan starts?

There's a reason "Ramadan start date" is one of the most searched phrases each year. Because Muslims around the world don't know exactly when Ramadan is supposed to start. If you google it, you'll see a little disclaimer below Google's answer that says "dates may vary":

This also has to do with the moon, as well as disagreements over science, history, and lore, plus a bit of geopolitical rivalry.

The beginning of each new month in the Islamic calendar begins with the new moon. That is, the month of Ramadan begins with the new moon. Pretty easy, right?

Incorrect.

If it's been a while since high school astronomy class, here's a reminder of what the phases of the moon look like:

Getty Images/iStockphoto

In Muhammad's time, in 6th century Arabia, astronomical calculations were not as accurate as they are today, so people used what they could see with the naked eye.

Since the new moon is not actually visible in the night sky (as can be seen above), Muslims traditionally waited until the small part of the crescent moon became visible before fasting. there is evena saying attributed to the prophet Muhammadabout waiting to start the fast until you see the crescent moon. (Some people think that this is why the star and crescent are the symbol of Islam, but the crescent was used as a symbol long before Islam.)

However, this method was somewhat confusing, as things like clouds or simply the difficulty of seeing the moon in some places often caused different groups to start fasting on different days, even within the same country. Each community, village, or even mosque within a village could send their own individual to search for the crescent, with rival groups arguing over whether the other individual actually saw it.

Today, however, we have precise scientific calculations that tell us exactly when the new moon begins, and we don't have to wait for someone to spot a tiny crescent in the sky. (actually strongoxford dictionary of islam, "The need to determine the exact appearance of the hilal [crescent moon] was one of the incentives for Muslim scholars to study astronomy").

So problem solved! Except some Muslim scholars believe we still have to wait until the dim crescent moon is visible in the night sky because Muhammad said so and always has.

others arguethat Islam has a strong tradition of reason, knowledge, and science, and that if Muhammad were around today, he would prefer the most precise scientific calculations to sending the guy from the mosque with the best view outside to squint at the night sky.

To make things funnier, some argue that the entire world should simply follow the official moon-sighting edicts of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and the location of its holiest sites.

But not everyone thinks it's a good idea, especially rival countries like Pakistan and Iran, which reject the idea of ​​treating Saudi Arabia as the ultimate authority on all things Islam.

All this means that Muslims around the world can witness the glorious madness of the "moon sighting battle" every year. It's such a well-known feature of Ramadan that there are memes about it:

7) Are there differences between the way Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims observe Ramadan?

Mostly not. Both Sunni and Shia Muslims fast during Ramadan. But there are some small differences - for exampleSunnis break their daily fast at sunset, when the sun is no longer visible on the horizon (but it is still clear in the sky), while the Shiites wait until the redness of the setting sun completely disappears and the sky is completely dark.

Shias also celebrate an additional holiday in the month of Ramadan that Sunnis do not celebrate. For three days, on the 19th, 20th and 21st of Ramadan, Shiites commemorate the martyrdom of Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, the revered fourth caliph of Sunni Islam and the first "legitimate" imam (leader) of Shia Islam.

Ali was killed in the violent civil wars that broke out after the death of Muhammad, who would lead the Muslim community in his place. On the 19th of Ramadan, while praying in a mosque in Kufa, Iraq, Ali was fatally wounded with a poisoned sword by an assassin from a group of rebels who opposed his leadership. Ali died two days later.

Ali is an extremely important figure in Shia Islam. His grave near Najaf, Iraq, is the third holiest site in Shi'ite Islam, and millions of Shi'ites make pilgrimage there each year. Although Sunnis revere Ali as one of the four "rightly guided" caliphs who reigned after Muhammad's death, they do not commemorate his death or make pilgrimages to his tomb.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

8) What can I do to be respectful to my Muslim friends during Ramadan?

In some Muslim countries it is an offense to eat and drink in public during the day during the month of Ramadan, even if you are not a Muslim.

Of course, this is not the case in the United States, where we enjoy freedom of religion (and freedom from). And most American Muslims, myself included, don't expect the non-Muslims around us to radically change their behavior to accommodate our religious fasting during Ramadan.

I've had friends and colleagues choose to fast out of solidarity with me (or just because it sounds "fun") and that was nice of them, but I never expected people to do that. (Also, they usually last about three days before they decide that solidarity is overrated and that being thirsty for 15 hours isn't remotely "fun.")

In short, there are things you can and can't do to make things a little easier for your friends or co-workers who are fasting in Ramadan. If you're sharing an office with someone who's fasting, maybe you'll eat your delicious, juicy cheeseburger in the office break room instead of at your desk for your poor long-suffering Muslim colleagues to sniff and drool over (if they still have any). enough humidity). 🇧🇷 🇧🇷 her bodies are salivating right now).

Try to remember not to offer them a bite or a sip of what they're about to eat, because sometimes we have a hard time remembering that we're fasting and it's easy to turn down that chip you just offered to absently accept and eat. . But if you do, that's fine. We won't get angry or offended (unless you're doing it on purpose, in which case, what's your problem?).

If you are having a dinner and you want to invite your Muslim friends, try to schedule them after sunset so they can eat. Muslims don't drink alcohol or eat pork, but we generally don't mind being around. 🇧🇷oppositeforVolksglaubeWe are not afraid or allergic to pork; we just don't eat. It's not like we're vampires and pork is garlic.) But if something contains alcohol or pork, please let us know so we don't accidentally consume it.

If you want to wish your Muslim friends or acquaintances a Happy Ramadan or Happy Eid al-Fitr, you can simply say "Happy Ramadan!" or "Happy Eid!" It's not offensive or anything. But if you want to show them that you've put in the effort to learn more about their religion, the standard greetings are "Ramadan/Eid kareem" (which means "Have a generous Ramadan/Eid") or "Ramadan/Eid mubarak." (meaning "Have a blessed Ramadan/Eid").

Even something as simple as learning one of these expressions and saying it to your Muslim friends with a smile will make them feel welcome and comfortable.

9) So if during Ramadan you shouldn't get angry, complain or gossip, how come terrorist attacks by groups likeTHATmiAl Kaidasometimes peak during Ramadan?

Because terrorists are idiots.

Look: Muhammad Ali's biggest fights took place outside the ring