A basic guide to Ramadan
Ramadan is a month of both great simplicity and complexity. It is the holiest month of the Islamic calender, when people fast daily and increase in acts of prayer and charity for the sake of Allah. Outwardly Muslims abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset, while inwardly increasing in closeness to God and perfecting our characters by practising restraint and self-discipline.
It is a time to seek the forgiveness and mercy of Allah, an opportunity to reap great spiritual rewards and a reminder to reconnect with our communities and people in need of our help.
Cultivating character
As well as taking particular care to avoid actions that might invalidate the fast, Muslims also try to cultivate purity of thought and deed to improve our character. At the very least level, fasting Muslims have to watch what we say, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, 'Whoever fails to leave off ruinous speech, and acting on it [during Ramadan], Allah does not need him to leave off eating and drinking.' (Hadith Bukhari).
Sunnah
The Prophet (peace be upon him) showed us the best ways of drawing closer to Allah, as he embodied the spirit of the Qur'an, and Muslims try to follow his sunnah (way). In Ramadan these include having a pre-dawn meal (suhur), even if it is just water, and hurrying to break the fast when it is time. Muslims usually break their fast with dates, choosing an odd number as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did, or water.
Closer ties
The priority in Ramadan is to increase our acts of worship - reading Qur'an, praying tarawih prayers each night, spending time in itikaf (spiritual retreat) in the mosque during the last ten days of the month.
As we work on improving our relationship with Allah, we are also encouraged to make efforts to improve our relations with family, friends and neighbours. There are many ways of doing this including sharing food, volunteering locally and giving charity. Helping to mend community relations is particularly important where there's an atmosphere of suspicion towards Muslims.
Food for all
Sharing food is a sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said, "He who breaks another's fast earns the same reward as the one who fasted without diminishing the latter's reward in the slightest.' (Hadith Tirmidhi)
Food should also be shared with non-Muslim neighbours and friends as the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised: 'He does not truly believe who eats his fill while his neighbour remains hungry by his side.' (Hadith Bayhaqi).
In many Muslim countries there is a tradition of organising free food kitchens for the poor in Ramadan. In the West, some Muslims volunteer or donate to local homeless charities or food banks, or project such as Islamic Relief's Ramadan Food Parcel programme.
Reduce waste
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also discouraged waste, especially of food and water as Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Eat and drink and don't be wasteful. Verily Allah dislikes those who waste." (Qur'an 7:31)
Ramadan is a good opportunity to re-evaluate and cut down on our consumption and waste.
Charity
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most generous of people and he was even more generous in Ramadan. Many Muslims try to pay their annual zakat in Ramadan each year, and it is important to pay the zakat of Eid al-Fitr before the Eid prayer. Spiritual rewards for both worship and charity are multiplied in this month, motivating people to do more.
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