Artical on Ramadan
Ramadan , Arabic Ramadan , in Islam , the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting . It begins and ends with the appearance of the new moon. Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadan, on the “Night of Power” ( Laylat al-Qadr)—commemorated on one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, usually the 27th night—that God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad the Qurʾān , Islam’s holy book, “as a guidance for the people.” For Muslims Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer ( ṣalāt ) in the mosque , and reading of the Qurʾān . God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention. Ramadan, however, is less a period of atonement than it is a time for Muslims to practice self-restraint, in keeping with ṣawm (Arabic: “to refrain”), one of the pillars of Islam (the five...