Ramadan (month)

This article is about the Islamic calendar month called Ramadan. For information about the holiday and religious observances during that month of the same name, see Ramadan.

Ramadan (Arabic:; رمضان) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. The Quran was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by Jibreel (Gabriel) to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Furthermore, Muhammad told his followers that the gates of Heaven would be open for the entire month and the gates of Hell (Jahannam) would be closed. The first day of the next month, Shawwal, is spent in celebration and is observed as the "Festival of Breaking Fast" or Eid al-Fitr .

Timing

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year and contains no intercalation, Ramadan migrates throughout the seasons. The Islamic day starts after sunset. The actual and estimated start and end dates for Ramadan in 2010–2020 were and are as follows:

CE / AD	AH	First day	Last day
2010	1431	11 August	9 September
2011	1432	1 August	29 August
2012	1433	20 July	18 August
2013	1434	9 July	7 August
2014	1435	29 June	27 July
2015	1436	18 June	16 July
2016	1437	6 June	5 July
2017	1438	27 May	25 June
2018	1439	16 May	14 June
2019	1440	5 May	3 June
2020	1441	24 April	23 May
Ramadan dates between 2010 and 2020. Dates may vary.

Many Muslims insist on the local physical sighting of the moon to mark the beginning of Ramadan, but others use the calculated time of the new moon or the Saudi Arabian declaration to determine the start of the month. Since the new moon is not in the same state at the same time globally, the beginning and ending dates of Ramadan depend on what lunar sightings are received in each respective location. As a result, Ramadan dates vary in different countries, but usually only by a day. This is due to the cycle of the moon. The moon travels the same path all year round and when the moon is seen in the east, it is then seen traveling towards the west. All the countries around the world see the moon within a 24-hour period once spotted by one country in the east.

Each year, Ramadan begins about eleven days earlier than in the previous year. Astronomical projections that approximate the start of Ramadan are available. It takes about 33 years and five days for Ramadan to complete a twelve month move across the yearly calendar.

Events

Ramadan is observed by Muslims during the entire lunar month by the same name. The month of religious observances consists of fasting and extra prayers. Some important historical events during this month are generally believed to include:

• 2 Ramadan, the Torah (Tawrat) was bestowed on Moses (Musa)
• 10 Ramadan, death of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid – first wife of Muhammad
• 10 Ramadan, in 1973, Operation Badr took place, starting the Yom Kippur War
• 12 Ramadan, the Gospel (Injil) was bestowed on Jesus (Isa)
• 15 Ramadan, birth of Hasan ibn Ali
• 15 Ramadan, In the Ottoman Empire, the sultan presented trays of baklava to the Janissaries in a ceremonial procession called the Baklava Alayı
• 17 Ramadan, death of Aisha bint Abu Bakr – third wife of Muhammad
• 17 Ramadan, the Battle of Badr was won by the Muslims
• 18 Ramadan, the Psalms (Zabur) were bestowed on David (Dawood)
• 19 Ramadan, Ali bin Abu Talib was struck on the head by a sword
• 20 Ramadan, the Conquest of Mecca by Muhammad
• 21 Ramadan, Ali bin Abu Talib died due to injuries he sustained by a sword
• 27 Ramadan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was established on 14 August 1947 (27 Ramadan 1366 in the Islamic Calendar)

Laylat al-Qadr is observed during one of the last ten days of the month (typically the odd nights). Muslims believe that this night which is also known as "The Night of Power" is better than a thousand months. This is often interpreted as praying throughout this night is rewarded equally with praying for a thousand months (just over 83 years i.e. a lifetime). Many Muslims spend the entire night in prayer.

See also

• Islamic holy books

External links

• Islamic-Western Calendar Converter (Based on the Arithmetical or Tabular Calendar)
• The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia
• Predicting the First Visibility of the Lunar Crescent (with lunar crescent visibility maps to 2019)