Ramadan Fact Sheet for Adults Ramadan Five Pillars of Islam • Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year. • The Five Pillars of Islam are the pillars or basis of • During this time, many Muslims observe a strict Muslim life. They are the foundations of the Islamic fast between dawn and sunset. religion and detail the five most important acts of the • Fasting, or abstaining from food and drink during religion: Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting and Pilgrimage. daylight hours, is known as ‘sawm’. • Faith – This is known as Shahadah and requires • The observance of sawm during the month of Muslims to recite the Muslim profession of faith. Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. • Prayer – This is known as Salat and requires • Fasting is obligatory for adult Muslims, except Muslims to perform ritual prayers five times a day. for those who are ill, diabetic, travelling, elderly, • Charity – This is known as Zakat and requires pregnant or breastfeeding. Muslims to pay charity to help the poor and needy. • According to Islamic tradition, Ramadan • Fasting – This is known as Sawm and takes place commemorates when Allah revealed the first during the month of Ramadan. verses of the holy book, the Qur'an, to the • Pilgrimage – This is known as Hajj and describes prophet Muhammad. the pilgrimage to Mecca. Prime • The Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles. This means that each month begins and ends with the sighting of the new moon. As the lunar calendar During Ramadan is about 11 days shorter than solar calendars • Fasting lasts from dawn to sunset and healthy (such as the Gregorian calendar), Islamic holidays Muslims refrain from consuming food and drinks. seem to ‘move’ to different days of the year. Prime • They also refrain from smoking, fighting, sexual relations and false speech (such as lying). Fun Facts • Food and drinks are served daily, both before dawn, known as suhur, and after sunset, known as iftar. • The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic word, • Suhur (or suhoor), occurs before dawn and is ‘ramada’, which means ‘to be hot’ or ‘scorching heat’. followed by morning prayers, called farj. • ‘Suhur’ comes from an Arabic word meaning ‘of • Iftar are social occasions that occur after sunset the dawn’. and usually consist of dates, meats, vegetables • ‘Iftar’ comes from an Arabic word meaning and desserts. They are followed by prayers called ‘breakfast’ and is used to describe the breaking maghrib prayers. of the sawm fasting after sunset. • Children from the age of 12 participate in the fasting. • In Egypt, sometimes clocks are pushed back to • During Ramadan, many Muslims participate in shorten the days and increase the night, thus increased acts of charity. It is also seen as a time increasing the time when fasting is not required. for increased prayers and self-reflection. • In some predominantly Muslim countries, some • During the month of Ramadan, many Muslims read companies shorten work days to enable time for the entire Qur'an. increased prayers. • Colourful lanterns are used to decorate homes • Muslims in different parts of the world, fast for and streets during the month of Ramadan. Fanous different amounts of time, based on how much (or fanoos) lanterns are seen with candles inside. sunlight there is in different countries. Bright, colourful lights, often in crescent moon and star shapes, are seen too. Take a look at our Ramadan Fact Cards • A greeting heard during Ramadan is ‘Ramadan Mubarak,’ which means ‘Have a blessed Ramadan.’ within this Ramadan Discovery Sack • The end of Ramadan is marked by the festival, for some more fun facts! Eid al-Fitr. Prime Prime.