| The ninth month of the Muslim calendar carries the spiritualism of Ramadan. It is a time of fasting and a time of worship and contemplation. It is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. The holy Quern was revealed to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) only on this month. Unknown to many non-Muslims, the mystique of Ramadan signifies a lot more than just self-denial of food by Islamic people. And if we restrict the meaning of Islamic fasting to its literal sense we would be sadly mistaken. In fact, fasting is another unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam and is one of the five pillars of Islam- the other four are: the statement of faith; prayers five times a day; Zakat (almsgiving); and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
 Literally defined, fasting (sawm in Arabic) means to abstain completely from food, drinks, physical intimacy and smoking before the break if the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan-the ninth month of the Islamic year. But in its complete form, the month of Ramadan also births strong spiritual meanings and effortless prayer and to truly understand the meaning of it all, we should look to Allah, the Islamic God, and heed his actual words:
"Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Quran as a guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for guidance and judgement (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during the month should spend it in fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; he does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify him in that he has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful." Holy
Quran-Al-Baqarah/185.
Primarily Islamic fasting teaches a person the principle of sincere love: when one observes fasting he/she does it out of deep love for God and a person who loves God really knows what love is. It equips one with a creative sense of hope and an optimistic outlook on life, and imbues in any Muslim the genuine virtue of effective devotion, honest dedication and closeness to God. Further it indoctrinates a person in patience and selflessness; in moderation and willpower; clears the mind, encourages budgeting, adaptability and survival. The fasting of Ramadan is also said to originate in man the real spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood, of equality before God as well as before the law.
So rather than Muslims spending each day of Ramadan sleeping to suppress cravings for favourite foods, shopping for Eid gifts, and cooking huge iftar meals for themselves, they are encouraged to devote as much time as possible to doing things that praise Allah. Efforts are made toward prayer, in particular, Taraweeh, the Ramadan nightly prayer and reading and studying the Quran; as well as performing the neighbourly deeds of visiting the sick and tending to the less fortunate.
It is not until the fast ends, on the first day of the month of Shawwal, that celebrations begin. A festival called Eid-al-Fitr (the feast of the breaking) completes the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. During this time gifts are exchanged and the family and friends gather to pray in a congregation and for large meals. In some cities fairs are held to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
Fasting in Ramadan is compulsory upon every Muslim, male or female, as long as they are mentally and physically fit. There are obviously some basic guidelines: the first is to be of full age, the age of puberty and discretion, which is normally about 14. Muslims should be involved in the fast, no matter where they are across the globe (as long as they are not in the process of travelling) and to be fairly certain that fasting is unlikely to cause any harm, physical or mental, other than the normal reactions to hunger and thirst. Those who are exempt include children, the sick or elderly and women who are menstruating or pregnant.
Some may look at Ramadan as a gruelling religious experience. However, fasting has been an integral part of all major religions. Jesus fasted for 40 days before he was called to prophethood (Matthew4:2) Followers have attended to a similar passion as well, such as the Christians who primarily fast during Lent. What the Muslims claim, though, is a little different: fasting is not a punishing experience, but rather, more surreal. In fact, Islam appear to have taken the lead in reforming the institution of self-inflicted denial. Fasting was originally a symbol of sadness, mourning, atonement for the sins, a reminder of disasters and death in Christianity and other religions. Islam swears to have changed all that, radicalising this doom and gloom concept of fasting, into an enlightened concept of triumph over the forces of evil.
 Islamic fasting is not about self-denial and punishment of the body and soul either; a belief that was said to be widespread among the medieval European ascetics. Indeed, there is no such thing in Islam. Unlike others, fasting is not ensued 24 hours a day, but in tolerable bursts. Working is not stopped and businesses are not closed down for the fast. Alternatively, people carry on their accustomed careers and genres.
The timing of a fast is also different for Muslims. In some other religions is based on a solar calendar, like the Gregorian calendar. Alternatively, fasting in Islam is based on the lunar calendar and is tied to the sightings of Hill, the crescent, or new moon and changes each year. As we all know that lunar calendar is approximately 15 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. That means, if a man started his fasting at the age of 14 and continues to observe fasting every year, by the time he is 40 he might have observed fasting on almost all the days of the year irrespective of the seasons. By following the lunar system, Islam allows its followers this unique opportunity to observe fasting on all seasons whether it is summer, winter, autumn or whatever it may be.
Ramadan is a religious experience equal in power and right. It grounds its roots globally and is seen as a period of enlightenment and self-reflection. It paves the way to ones inner purification during these days and allows the man to know about the hunger and thirst of other people. No wonder this holy month is celebrated as a blessed month of Muslims all over the world.
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