Ramazan

Ramazan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, worship, and reflection. The name is derived from an Arabic root associated with heat and thirst, and the month is traditionally linked to the Qur’an’s revelation in Islamic tradition.

Fasting from dawn to sunset is the central practice. Adult Muslims who are healthy abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and marital relations during daylight hours. Exemptions exist for the sick, travelers, pregnant or nursing women, the elderly, and children who have not reached puberty; they may fast later or provide compensation as prescribed.

Daily life often includes a pre-dawn meal (suhoor) and an evening meal (iftar). Additional prayers, known as tarawih in many communities, are performed at night. Ramazan also emphasizes Qur’an recitation, charitable giving (zakat and voluntary sadaqah), and acts of kindness toward others.

Ramazan lasts 29 or 30 days, depending on the lunar sighting, and shifts earlier in the Gregorian calendar each year. It ends with Eid al-Fitr, a festival marking the breaking of the fast. Practices and celebrations vary by country and culture, with some contexts using the name Ramazan, especially in Turkish-speaking regions.