Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Fasting from dawn to sunset during the month is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

The month begins with the sighting of the new crescent, so the civil date moves each year. The lunar year is shorter than the solar year, and a local sighting can still shift the start by a day.

The last ten nights include Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power. Ramadan is followed by Eid ul Fitr. The tile below is the next start of Ramadan in the catalog, not a fixed civil date.

The fast is called sawm. The meal before dawn is suhoor, and the meal after sunset is iftar. The Qur'an, in 2:185, names Ramadan as the month in which the Qur'an was sent down.