The Fast of Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran "was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation" It is during this month that Muslims fast. It is called the Fast of Ramadan and lasts the entire month. Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning According to the Holy Quran: One may eat and drink at any time during the night "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night" The good that is acquired through the fast can be destroyed by five things - the telling of a lie slander denouncing someone behind his back a false oath greed or covetousness These are considered offensive at all times, but are most offensive during the Fast of Ramadan During Ramadan, it is common for Muslims to go to the Masjid (Mosque) and spend several hours praying and studying the Quran. In addition to the five daily prayers, during Ramadan Muslims recite a special prayer called the Taraweeh prayer (Night Prayer). The length of this prayer is usually 2-3 times as long as the daily prayers. Some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer On the evening of the 27th day of the month, Muslims celebrate the Laylat-al-Qadr (the Night of Power). It is believed that on this night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran. And according to the Quran, this is when God determines the course of the world for the following year When the fast ends (the first day of the month of Shawwal) it is celebrated for three days in a holiday called Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking). Gifts are exchanged. Friends and family gather to pray in congregation and for large meals. In some cities fairs are held to celebrate the end of the Fast of Ramadan. PRAY 5 TIMES A DAY Salah is the second pillar and one of the most important pillars of Islam. Salah is the key to Islam. Salah is Ibadah or worship. In our lives we have many duties that we do like school, jobs and other sort of activities. And when we are doing these things we forget Allah and that we are his servants. Allah doesn’t want us to forget that we are His servants and also why we are here in this universe. That’s the purpose of Salah and why Allah made Salah. Salah not only helps us to remember Allah and that we are his servants. But it also keeps us on the right path, it helps us from not doing bad, from disobedience of Allah, makes us clean and healthy and also it gets us closer to Allah. If you stopped offering Salah you would no longer be a proper Muslim. There are five obligatory daily Salah in a day. Fajr is the first Salah of the day, which helps us to start our day with remembering Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). Fajr is prayed early in the morning before sunrise. Zuhr is the next Salah. It is prayed after mid day in the afternoon, so that after you have eaten your lunch you can remember Allah. Then comes Asr which is prayed when most parents and children come back from school or work. This is another time to remember our great Lord Allah. After the Asr Salah is Maghrib which is prayed immediately after sunset when the sky becomes dark. We remember Allah after sunrise and now we remember our Mighty Lord again after sunset. After Maghrib comes Isha. It is the last Salah of the day, when we pray to Allah to thank Allah for all He has given us that we asked for! We pray for the forgiveness of our sins. We also pray for a peaceful night and also another happy and successful day tomorrow. The Jumua prayer is the most important Salah in the week. The Jumua Salah is at the time of the Zuhr prayer, prayed on Friday, with a kutbah and in a jama’ah, but the farz Salah of the Jumua prayer is only 2 rak’ah. If you miss the Jumua Salah you can pray it as Zuhr, but the Jumua Salah is highly recommended to pray. Salah has to be prayed right. Wudu is the key to Salah. If you did not do wudu properly and you pray Salah your Salah will not count. And when you are praying Salah you must be facing the Qiblah. The Qiblah is the direction, which faces the Ka’ba. Children at the age of ten must start praying Salah and at the age of 12 Salah is obligatory. Salah is so important to be prayed that in any circumstances you still must pray salah. Even if you are on a journey, and also if we are very ill and are confined to bed you still must pray Salah. You may ask how are you supposed to pray Salah when you are truly ill and are confined to bed? In that case, we can pray Salah while lying down in bed, using postures and signs. References: The Children’s Book of Islam, Part Two