The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began at sunset Wednesday as worshipers prepared for a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting intended to bring them closer to God and remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate.
For the next 30 days, Muslims will refrain from eating or drinking anything, even the slightest sip of water, from sunrise to sunset. Many will strictly observe prayers, read the Qur’an and donate to charity as they seek to get closer to God. Family and friends will gather for joyful evening parties.
This year, many will struggle to afford Christmas treats amid sky-high prices fueled in part by the war in Ukraine. Iran, Egypt and Lebanon are grappling with economic crises that have weakened their local currencies, making things even more expensive.
The holy month will also be overshadowed by suffering in Turkey and Syria, where an earthquake last month killed more than 52,000 people, and in conflict zones across the Muslim world, although there have been some encouraging signs of possible reconciliation.
“We used to look forward to Ramadan as the most beautiful month of each year,” said Rama Jamal, 19, recalling how his family decorated the house and sat together to read the Koran.
She now lives alone in the war-torn province of Idlib in northern Syria. After surviving more than a decade of war, her parents and her brother died in the earthquake.
“Now I am alone, and there is no Ramadan mood, there is no joy,” Jamal said. “I miss my family all the time, every hour.”
In the impoverished Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade since the Hamas militant group seized power there in 2007, residents struggling to cope with higher prices also fear another war amid months of escalating violence. Israeli-Palestinian.
“The prices of many basic products have gone up like crazy,” said Mohammed Forra, a grocery store owner in Gaza City. He said the price of cooking spices has doubled since last year.
More than 1.8 billion Muslims, representing about a quarter of the world’s population, are expected to observe Ramadan. Islam follows a lunar calendar, so the month starts a week and a half earlier each year, going through the seasons, including the long days of hot summers.
The beginning of the month depends on the sighting of the crescent moon by local religious authorities and astronomers, and can sometimes vary from country to country. But this year there was wide agreement that he started on Wednesday night, declaring Thursday as the first day of fasting.
In Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, worshipers flooded into mosques for evening prayers after authorities said teams of Islamic astronomy observers had sighted the crescent moon in different regions. Muslim authorities in Saudi Arabia and several other Middle Eastern countries have also announced that Ramadan will begin on Wednesday night.
Muslims believe that God began revealing the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan more than 1,400 years ago.
Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory for all Muslims, although exceptions are made for young children and the sick, as well as pregnant, lactating, or menstruating women. Travelers are also exempt, including athletes attending tournaments away from home.
Those who observe the fast must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse from sunrise to sunset. They are also encouraged to refrain from swearing, fighting, gossiping or getting behind the wheel during the entire holy month.
Many Muslims, particularly those living in the US and Europe, accept and welcome those around them who do not observe Ramadan. Nor do they expect shorter working hours, as is the case in the public sector in much of the Arab world during Ramadan.
Eating or drinking in public during the day is generally frowned upon in Muslim-majority countries. In some, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, home to large expat populations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, you can be punished by fines or imprisonment.
The normal bustle of the cities dies down at the end of the afternoon, the streets empty and the shops close early. Muslims traditionally break their fast at sunset as the Prophet Muhammad is said to have done, with a sip of water and some dates. Some can be seen happily enjoying a long awaited cigarette.
After sunset prayers, family and friends gather for “iftars,” feasting on local festive delicacies like sweets and nuts. Mosques and charities organize open-air banquets where the poor can eat for free every night of Ramadan. Muslims then get up early for “suhur”, a small meal eaten just before sunrise.
Five-star hotels, particularly in wealthy Gulf Arab countries, host lavish iftars and cable networks present big-budget soap operas, raking in millions in advertising. Both practices have been criticized by conservatives who fear Ramadan is becoming too commercial.
Ramadan culminates in Laylat al-Qadr, or the Night of Destiny, during the last 10 nights of the month, when Muslims engage in intense nocturnal worship. Muslims believe that this was the night that God sent the angel Gabriel to the prophet to reveal the first verses of the Qur’an.
After the last day of fasting, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a three-day festive holiday in which children are often given new clothes and gifts.
