Ramadan the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon.
Ramadan is a period of reflection, communal prayer (ṣalāt) in the mosque, and reading of the Qurʾān. It is a time for Muslims to practice self-restraint, in keeping with ṣawm (Arabic: “to refrain”), one of the pillars of Islam. There are five basic tenets: Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj. Sawm is most commonly understood as the obligation to fast during Ramadan, it is more broadly interpreted as the obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behaviour, including impure or unkind thoughts.
After the sunset prayer, Muslims gather in their homes or mosques to break their fast with a meal called ifṭār that is often shared with friends and extended family.
At the end of Ramadan fast is celebrated as Eid al-Fitr, the “Feast of Fast-Breaking,” which is one of the two major religious holidays of the Muslim calendar.
References:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2024, February 27). Ramadan. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ramadan