Topic 2 - Fasting

• Ramadan


  The ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the month of fasting
• Suhur

  The meal eaten before dawn, before fasting begins
• Iftar

  The meal eaten after the sun has set, when fasting has ended
• Sawm

  • Sawm is the fourth pillar of Islam. It is fard
  • It is the practice of fasting during the month of Ramadan
  • Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for 29/30 days
  • Ramadan is the holiest month of the year as it is the month in which the Prophet Muhammad received the first versus of the Qur'an, revealed to him by God
• Fasting

  • At dawn, eating and drinking stops the moment it is light enough to see a black thread from a white one
  • A special meal, known as suhur, is eaten before dawn
  • At dusk the fast is broken by the iftar meal, often consisting of dates and water
  • These meals are social events, with family, neighbours and friends
  • They must also stop evil thoughts, harmful actions and unkind speech