Ramadan when is it celebrated

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Simple enough, right? If it's been a while since your high school astronomy class, here's a reminder of what the phases of the moon look like:. Back in Mohammed's day, in sixth-century Arabia, astronomical calculations weren't as precise as they are today, so people went by what they could see with the naked eye. Since the new moon isn't actually super visible in the night sky as you can see above , Muslims traditionally waited to start fasting until the small sliver of crescent moon became visible.

There's even a saying attributed to the Prophet Mohammed about waiting to start the fast until you see the crescent. Some people think this is why the star and crescent is the symbol of Islam, but the crescent was used as a symbol long before Islam.

This method was a bit messy, though, since things like clouds or just the difficulty of spotting the moon in some locations often led to different groups starting their fast on separate days, even within the same country. Each community, village, or even mosque within the village might send its own guy out to look for the crescent, with rival groups arguing over whether the other guy really saw it. Today, however, we have precise scientific calculations that tell us exactly when the new moon begins, and we don't need to wait until someone spots a tiny crescent in the sky.

In fact, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Islam , "The need to determine the precise appearance of the hilal [crescent moon] was one of the inducements for Muslim scholars to study astronomy. So, problem solved! Except that some Muslim scholars believe we should still wait until the slight crescent moon is visible in the night sky because that's what Mohammed said to do and that's the way we've always done it. Others argue that Islam has a strong tradition of reason, knowledge, and science, and that if Mohammed were around today, he'd choose the more precise scientific calculations over sending the guy at the mosque with the best eyesight outside to squint at the night sky.

To make things even more fun, some argue that the whole world should just follow the official moon-sighting decrees of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and the location of its holiest sites. But not everyone thinks that's such a swell idea — especially rival countries like Pakistan and Iran, which balk at the idea of treating Saudi Arabia as the ultimate authority on anything having to do with Islam.

All this means that each year, Muslims around the world get to experience the delightful lunacy of "moon-sighting fighting. For the most part, no. Both Sunni and Shia Muslims fast during Ramadan. But there are some minor differences — for instance, Sunnis break their daily fast at sunset , when the sun is no longer visible on the horizon but there's still light in the sky , whereas Shia wait until the redness of the setting sun has completely vanished and the sky is totally dark.

Shia also celebrate an additional holiday within the month of Ramadan that Sunnis do not. For three days — the 19th, 20th, and 21st days of Ramadan — Shia commemorate the martyrdom of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed who was both the revered fourth caliph of Sunni Islam and the first "legitimate" imam leader of Shia Islam. Ali was assassinated in the fierce civil wars that erupted following the death of Mohammed over who should lead the Muslim community in his stead.

On the 19th day of the month of Ramadan, while Ali was worshipping at a mosque in Kufa, Iraq, an assassin from a group of rebels who opposed his leadership fatally struck him with a poisoned sword. Ali died two days later. Ali is a hugely important figure in Shia Islam. His tomb in nearby Najaf, Iraq, is the third-holiest site in Shia Islam, and millions of Shia make a pilgrimage there every year.

Although Sunnis revere Ali as one of the four "rightly guided" caliphs who ruled after Mohammed's death, they do not commemorate his death or make a pilgrimage to his tomb. In some Muslim countries, it is a crime to eat and drink in public during the day in the month of Ramadan, even if you're not Muslim. Of course, this is not the case in the United States, where we enjoy freedom of and freedom from religion.

And most American Muslims, myself included, don't expect the non-Muslims around us to radically change their behavior to accommodate our religious fast during Ramadan. I've had friends and coworkers who have chosen to fast along with me out of solidarity or just because it seems "fun" , and that was sweet of them, but it's not something I ever expect people to do.

Plus, they usually last about three days before they decide solidarity is overrated and being thirsty for 15 hours is not remotely "fun. All that said, there are things you can do, and not do, to make things a little easier for friends or colleagues who happen to be fasting for Ramadan. If you share an office with someone fasting, maybe eat your delicious, juicy cheeseburger in the office break room rather than at your desk, where your poor, suffering Muslim coworkers will have to smell it and salivate if they even have enough moisture left in their bodies to salivate at that point.

Try to remember not to offer them a bite or a sip of what you're eating, because it's sometimes hard for us to remember that we're fasting and easy to absentmindedly accept and eat that Lay's potato chip you just offered us. But if you do, it's okay. We're not going to get mad or be offended unless you're doing it on purpose, in which case, what is wrong with you?

If you're having a dinner party and you want to invite your Muslim friends, try to schedule it after sunset so they can eat. Muslims don't drink alcohol or eat pork, but we usually don't mind being around it.

Contrary to popular belief , we are not scared of or allergic to pork; we just don't eat it. It's not like we're vampires and pork is garlic.

Muslims believe that around A. The revelations were collected into a chapter holy book known as the Quran or Koran , which Muslims believe contains the exact words of God. Muhammad is, according to Muslims, the final prophet in a line of prophets including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus who were chosen by God to act as messengers and teach mankind.

Muslims believe there is one all-knowing God, and people can achieve salvation by following his commandments. A series of formal acts of worship, known as the Five Pillars of Islam, are fundamental to the lives of Muslims. The lunar calendar falls short of the solar calendar by 11 days. Ramadan is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of what became the Quran, the holy book for Muslims, from God.

So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk each day. They are supposed to avoid eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity, as well as unkind or impure thoughts and words and immoral behavior. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint and self-reflection. Fasting is seen as a way to cleanse the soul and have empathy for those in the world who are hungry and less fortunate.

Muslims go to work and school and take care of their usual activities during Ramadan; however, some also read the entire Quran, say special prayers and attend mosques more frequently during this time. All Muslims who have reached puberty and are in good health are required to fast. The sick and elderly, along with travelers, pregnant women and those who are nursing are exempt, although they are supposed to make up for the missed fast days sometime in the future or help feed the poor.

Iftars are often elaborate feasts celebrated with family and friends. The types of foods served vary according to culture.

It starts the day after Ramadan ends and lasts for three days.