DUBAI Millions of Muslims around the world will mark the start of Ramadan on
Thursday, a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.
Here's a look at some questions and answers about Islam's holiest month:
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WHY DO MUSLIMS FAST?
The fast is intended to bring the
faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less
fortunate. Muslims often donate to charities during the month and feed the
hungry.
Fasting is an exercise in
self-restraint. It's seen as a way to physically and spiritually detoxify by
kicking impulses like morning coffee, smoking and midday snacking.
Ramadan is a time to detach from
worldly pleasures and focus on one's prayers. Many Muslims dress more
conservatively during Ramadan and spend more time at the mosque than at any
other time of the year.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of
the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily
prayer, charity, and performing the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
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HOW DO MUSLIMS FAST?
Observant Muslims abstain from
eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for the entire month of Ramadan, with a
single sip of water or a puff of a cigarette considered enough to invalidate
the fast.
Muslim scholars say it's not
enough to just avoid food and drinks during the day, though. Spouses must
abstain for sexual intercourse during the day, and Muslims should not engage in
road rage, cursing, fighting or gossiping.
Muslims are also encouraged to
observe the five daily prayers on time and to use their downtime just before
breaking their fast at sunset to recite Quran and intensify remembrance of God.
To prepare for the fast, Muslims
eat what is commonly called "suhoor," a pre-dawn meal of power foods
to get them through the day.
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HOW DO MUSLIMS BREAK THEIR FAST?
Muslims traditionally break their
fast like the Prophet Muhammad did some 1,400 years ago, with a sip of water
and some dates at sunset. That first sip of water is by far the most
anticipated moment of the day.
After a sunset prayer, a large
feast known as "iftar" is shared with family and friends. Iftar is a
social event as much as it is a gastronomical adventure. Across the Arab world,
juices made from apricots are a staple at Ramadan iftars. In South Asia and Turkey,
yogurt-based drinks are popular.
Across the Muslim world, mosques
and aid organizations set up tents and tables for the public to eat free iftar
meals every night of Ramadan.
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CAN MUSLIMS BE EXEMPTED FROM
FASTING?
Yes. There are exceptions for
children, the elderly, the sick, women who are pregnant or menstruating and
people traveling, which could include athletes during tournaments.
Many Muslims, particularly those
who live in the U.S. and Europe, are accepting and welcoming of others around
them who are not observing Ramadan. They also are not expecting shorter work
hours, as is the case in the public sector across much of the Arab world during
Ramadan.
However, non-Muslims or adult
Muslims who eat in public during the day can be fined or even jailed in some Middle
Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, home to
large Western expat populations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, minority Chinese Uighur
Muslims complain of heavy restrictions by the Communist Party, such as bans on
fasting by party members, civil servants, teachers and students during Ramadan,
as well as generally enforced bans on children attending mosques, women wearing
veils and young men growing beards.
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WHAT ARE SOME RAMADAN TRADITIONS?
Typically, the start of the month
is welcomed with greetings such as "Ramadan mubarak!" Another
hallmark of Ramadan is nightly prayer at the mosque among Sunni Muslims called
"taraweeh."
In Egypt, a common sight during
Ramadan is a lantern called the "fanoos," which is often the
centerpiece at an iftar table and can be seen hanging in window shops and
balconies.
In the Arabian Gulf countries,
wealthy sheikhs hold "majlises" where they open their doors for
people to pass by all hours of the night for food, tea, coffee and conversation.
Increasingly common are Ramadan
tents in five-star hotels that offer lavish and pricey meals from sunset to
sunrise. While Ramadan is a boon for retailers in the Middle East and South
Asia, critics say the holy month is increasingly becoming commercialized.
Scholars are also disturbed by the
proliferation of evening television shows during Ramadan. In Pakistan, live
game shows give away gifts promoting their sponsors. In the Arab world,
monthlong soap operas starring Egypt's top actors rake in millions of dollars
in advertising.
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HOW DO MUSLIMS MARK THE END OF
RAMADAN?
The end of Ramadan is marked by
intense worship as Muslims seek to have their prayers answered during
"Laylat al-Qadr" or "the Night of Destiny." It is on this
night, which falls during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, that Muslims believe
that God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad and revealed the first
versus of the Quran.
Some devout Muslims go into
reclusion those final days, spending all of their time in the mosque.
The end of Ramadan is celebrated
by a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr. Children often receive new clothes,
gifts and cash.
Muslims attend early morning Eid
prayers the day after Ramadan. Families usually spend the day at parks and
eating — now during the day.
AP
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