Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting

Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting — page 1 — Contents 7 Introduction Chapter One What Is Ramadan 13 What Is Islam and Who Is a Muslim 15 The Five Pillars of Islam 15 Fasting in Ramadan A Pillar of Islam 18 The Ninth Month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar 19 The Month of the Qur’an 22 The Requirements of Fasting 26 Exceptions Valid Reasons Not to Fast 27 Uzma's Story 28 Ibtihaj's Story Chapter Two The Stages of Ramadan 31 The Three Ashras 34 The Mysterious Night of Destiny 37 Eid-al-Fitr The Great Celebration 41 Eid Charity 44 Hamzah's Story Chapter Three The Spirit of Ramadan 47 Giving Back 47 GIVE 30 50 Project Downtown 52 Camp Ramadan 54 Other Social Programs and Efforts 56 An Iftar Story 57 Salima's Story 4

Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting — page 2 — Chapter Four Ramadan Traditions Around the World 59 Bosnia 60 China 62 Egypt 64 India 65 Indonesia 67 Iran 68 Kenya 68 Nigeria 69 Pakistan 70 Palestine 73 Saudi Arabia 74 Sudan 75 Turkey 76 Dunya's Story 78 A final word from the author 80 Glossary 82 Resources 84 Index 87 Acknowledgments Henna decorations on the hand to celebrate Eid Athif Ali Khan

Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting — page 3 — Indian Muslims break their fast during the month of Ramadan at a mosque in the old part of the city New Delhi India iStock com BDphoto

Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting — page 4 — Introduction Saskatchewan wheat fields iStock com 4loops I remember my first Ramadan as clearly as if it were yesterday And by this I mean the first time I kept a fast during Ramadan the holy month of fasting for Muslims I was 9 years old and I lived in Prince Albert Saskatchewan a beautiful city on the prairies with long hot very dry summers The summer of the first Ramadan I fasted the sun was setting at around 9 30 pm When the sun rises or sets is very important to a kid who is fasting The fast begins at dawn and ends at sunset So on a typical Ramadan summer day you could begin fasting around four o’clock in the morning and break your fast at nine thirty at night This means you wouldn’t have anything to eat or drink for fifteen hours or

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