What is Ramadan?
{{about|the Islamic month|the Islamic speaker|Tariq Ramadan}} [[File:Ramadan montage.jpg|thumb|[[Crescent]] is colourfully decorated and beautifully illuminated during Ramadan.]] [[File:Taipei Grand Mosque - Fast Break.JPG|thumb|Iftar at [[Taipei Grand Mosque]], [[Taiwan]] during Ramadan.]] '''Ramadan''' (sometimes spelled '''Ramazan''', '''Ramzan''', '''Ramadhan''') is the ninth month of the [[Islamic calendar]], during which [[Muslim]]s [[fasting|fast]] or do not eat or drink during the daytime. It is the holiest month in [[Islam]]. As mentioned in Sura Bakarah, verse number 183: O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may [learn] self-restraint. ==Overview== The date for the start of Ramadan is slightly different each year, depending on the position of the [[moon]]. Once Ramadan starts, [[Muslim]]s should not eat or drink between dawn and sunset. This usually continues for thirty days, but sometimes twenty-nine days. Fasting is supposed to teach Muslims about [[patience]] and [[spiritual|ibadah (faith)]]. It is a time for Muslims to think about how the poor and homeless suffer without lots of food. It helps [[Muslims]] to be more obedient, and less greedy. During Ramadan, Muslims ask to be forgiven for their [[sin]]s, and they pray for help in stopping them from doing bad things. Muslims<ref>{{Cite web|title=Irfani-Islam - इस्लाम की पूरी मालूमात हिन्दी|url=https://www.irfani-islam.in/|access-date=2022-02-25|website=Irfani-Islam - इस्लाम की पूरी मालूमात हिन्दी}}</ref> believe Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the [[Qur'an]] were revealed to [[Muhammad]]. Not everyone has to fast in Ramadan. Children do not have to fast. They should start when they reach the age of [[puberty]], so long as they are healthy. People who are travelling long distances do not have to fast. While menstruating, women do not have to. Pregnant women do not have to if they think it might harm their unborn baby. Sometimes sportsmen do not observe the fast