What is Ramadan? The Islamic Holy Month - Behind the News

Summary

In this video, 14-year-old Ali explains the significance of Ramadan in Islam, a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset. Ali and other Muslims abstain from food and drink to empathize with the less fortunate and strengthen their faith. Despite challenges like playing sports without water, they cherish the spiritual growth and look forward to Eid celebrations marking the end of Ramadan.

Takeaways

• 🌙 Ali and his family fast during Ramadan, meaning they don't eat or drink from sunrise to sunset.
• 🕌 Ramadan is an important religious event for Muslims, marked by fasting to focus on their faith.
• 📖 Muslims use the time during Ramadan to read from their religious book, the Quran.
• ⏳ Ramadan starts on a different date each year because it follows the lunar calendar.
• 🍽️ While fasting, Muslims have meals before dawn and after sunset to sustain themselves.
• 💪 Ali finds fasting difficult, especially during physical activities like football and at school.
• 👧 Karima and Saleh also talk about the challenges of fasting while others around them are eating.
• 👶 Children typically begin fasting after reaching puberty, though some may practice it earlier.
• 🎉 The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a festival called Eid, where families gather for food and fun.
• 🌍 Around 1.6 billion Muslims globally observe Ramadan, though some people are exempt due to age or health conditions.

Q & A

What is the significance of fasting during Ramadan for Muslims?

Fasting during Ramadan is a way for Muslims to feel the struggles of the less fortunate who may not have access to food and water. It is also a test of faith and a time for spiritual reflection and growth.

Why do Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan?

Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan to emulate the Prophet Muhammad's practice and to focus on their faith without the distractions of eating and drinking.

How does fasting during Ramadan help Muslims to learn more about their religion?

Fasting helps Muslims to focus on their religious studies, such as reading the Quran, by providing a period of self-discipline and reflection.

What is the Islamic calendar, and how does it differ from the Gregorian calendar?

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar that is based on the cycles of the moon, unlike the Gregorian calendar which is a solar calendar. This is why Ramadan starts on different dates each year.

What is the Quran, and why is it important during Ramadan?

The Quran is the holy book of Islam, believed to be the word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is important during Ramadan because Muslims spend more time reading and reflecting on its teachings.

What special meals do Muslims have before and after their fast during Ramadan?

Muslims have large meals before dawn, known as Suhoor, and after sunset, known as Iftar, to provide energy for the day and to break the fast.

How do children like Ali and his cousins experience fasting during Ramadan?

Children like Ali and his cousins find fasting challenging, especially during activities like sports and school, where they cannot drink water or eat during the day.

Who is exempt from fasting during Ramadan, and why?

People who are pregnant, elderly, or sick are often exempt from fasting during Ramadan because it could be harmful to their health.

What is the celebration at the end of Ramadan called, and what happens during it?

The celebration at the end of Ramadan is called Eid. It involves going to the mosque for prayers, meeting with family, and enjoying a lot of food and festivities.

How does the experience of fasting change as a Muslim gets older, according to Ali?

Ali mentions that fasting was really hard when he first started at the age of 10, but as he got older, he got more used to it, making it a bit easier.

What is the global population of Muslims, and how does this reflect in the observance of Ramadan?

There are over 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, which is nearly one quarter of the world's population. While not all Muslims fast, the observance of Ramadan is widespread and a significant part of their religious practice.

Outlines

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🌙 Ramadan Fasting Experience

Ali, a 14-year-old Muslim, and his family are fasting during the month of Ramadan, a significant religious observance in Islam. They abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset, which is a challenging practice to empathize with the less fortunate and to focus on their faith. Ali explains that fasting is a test and an important part of his religion. Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan by reading the Quran and engaging in spiritual reflection, similar to how Christians celebrate Christmas or Easter, and Jewish people celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Although fasting is demanding, especially during activities like playing football without drinking water, Muslims look forward to large meals before dawn and after sunset. The Islamic calendar, which is lunar-based, determines the varying start dates of Ramadan each year.

Keywords

💡Ramadan

Ramadan is a holy month in Islam during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. It is a time for spiritual reflection, increased devotion, and worship. In the script, it is described as a key part of Ali’s religious practices, during which he and his family refrain from eating and drinking during the day.

💡Fasting

Fasting refers to abstaining from food and drink, and during Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. This practice is highlighted in the video as a central part of Ramadan. Ali and other Muslim children describe their personal experiences with fasting, including its challenges, such as playing football or attending school while fasting.

💡Islam

Islam is the religion followed by Muslims, and Ramadan is one of its most important observances. The script explains that Ali is a Muslim who practices Islam, and during Ramadan, Muslims deepen their connection with their faith by fasting and reading the Quran.

💡Quran

The Quran is the holy book of Islam, which Muslims read during Ramadan to deepen their understanding of their faith. The script mentions that during Ramadan, Muslims focus on their religion by reading from the Quran, which guides their spiritual practices.

💡Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise and sunset are crucial times during Ramadan, as they mark the beginning and end of the daily fast. Muslims begin their fast at sunrise and break it at sunset, with pre-dawn and post-sunset meals being the only times they eat. This cycle is a core part of Ramadan, as described by the children in the video.

💡Eid

Eid, specifically Eid al-Fitr, is the celebration at the end of Ramadan, marking the end of the month-long fasting. The script mentions that Ali and his cousins look forward to this big celebration, which involves feasting, prayers, and gathering with family and friends.

💡Muslim

A Muslim is someone who follows the religion of Islam. The script introduces Ali as a Muslim, and it discusses how he and his family observe Ramadan, one of the key religious practices in Islam. Muslims around the world observe Ramadan by fasting and engaging in spiritual practices.

💡Puberty

Puberty is mentioned in the context of when Muslims begin fasting. According to Islamic tradition, fasting during Ramadan becomes obligatory once a person reaches puberty. The script explains that younger children may practice fasting before reaching puberty but are not required to fast for the entire month until they reach this stage.

💡Islamic Calendar

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and Ramadan falls during a specific month within it. The script explains that Ramadan starts on a different date each year because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon's cycles, which differ from the Gregorian calendar.

💡Eid Prayers

Eid prayers are special prayers offered during the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan. In the script, Karima mentions going to the mosque for morning prayers during Eid, a significant part of the religious celebration where Muslims gather for worship.

Highlights

Ali and his family are fasting for Ramadan, a special time in their religion.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for a whole month.

Fasting means not eating or drinking anything during daylight hours.

Ali explains that fasting is to empathize with those who have limited access to food and water.

Ramadan is a time for Muslims to celebrate and reflect on their faith.

Muslims read the Quran to learn more about their religion during Ramadan.

Ramadan begins on different dates each year due to the Islamic lunar calendar.

Muslims have large meals before dawn and after sunset during Ramadan.

Ali finds it challenging to play football without drinking water during Ramadan.

Karima describes the difficulty of fasting while seeing classmates eat during lunchtime.

Saleh is preparing to fast for the first time at his new school.

Over 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide observe Ramadan, but not all fast.

Pregnant, elderly, and sick individuals often do not fast during Ramadan.

Children usually start fasting after reaching puberty.

Ali has been fasting since he was 10 and finds it easier now.

Ramadan concludes with a big celebration called Eid.

Eid involves prayers at the mosque, family gatherings, and lots of food.

Despite the challenges, Ali and his family cherish the learning and celebration during Ramadan.

Transcripts

This is the first food 14 year old Ali and his family have had all day.

They haven't had anything to eat or drink since sunrisethis morning!

It's because they're celebrating a special time of year in their religion, called Ramadan.

Ali is a Muslim which means he follows the religion of Islam. During the month of Ramadan

most Muslim people do something called fasting. That means they don't eat or drink anything

between sunrise and sunset for a whole month!

They can't even drink water through the day! It's pretty tough, but for people like Ali

it's a really important part of his religion.

Ali: It's just to feel how the poor people feel, you know they don't get to have a lot

of water and food so that's mostly what it's about. It's a test.

Just like other religions, Islamic people have certain times of the year to celebrate

their faith, and Ramadan is one of them. During that month they spend more time thinking about

their religion, kind of like Christmas or Easter for Christians or Rosh Hashanah for

Jewish people.

During Ramadan Muslim people learn more about the Islamic religion by reading from their

religious book which is called the Quran, and the fasting is to help them focus on that.

Each year Ramadan starts on a slightly different date, because the name Ramadan is actually

the name of a month in the Islamic calendar and that calendar is a little bit different

because it's based on the cycles of the moon.

Although many Muslims choose not to eat or drink through the day during Ramadan they

do have some extra big meals before dawn and after sunset. Because having no food or water

at all for a whole month would be impossible! But even with these big meals Ali says Ramadan

can still be pretty hard.

Ali: “It's a little bit hard, especially, like sometimes we have football games. We

still play but we don't drink water!”

And he and his cousins say going to school can be tricky too.

Karima: Usually my friends come with these amazing lunches from like different places

and I'm like in the classroom and they're all eating their lunch and recess and I'm

like, you know, waiting for the bell to go, so that's probably the hardest part.

Ali: Yeah it's a little bit hard, I get hungry really easily.

Saleh: I haven't told anyone about it because I moved to this new school and I haven't fasted

there yet. Tomorrow will be my first day fasting at my new school.

Around the world there are more than 1.6 billion Muslim people. That's almost one quarter of

the world's population! But not all of them fast during Ramadan. People who are pregnant,

elderly or people who are sick often don't. And kids can only start doing it after they've

reached puberty.

But some do practice fasting before then often just for a few days. Ali has been fasting

for Ramadan since he was 10 and he says it's a bit easier this time.

Ali: It was really hard back then you get more used to it.

And although it's a tough month, these guys love learning about their religion. And it

doesn't hurt that there's a big party called Eid when the month wraps up!

Karima: At the end we get this big celebration and we go to the mosque and we do our morning

prayer and stuff like that and it's really fun to meet up with family and stuff.

Ali: Well there's a lot of food we're allowed to eat yeah! And there's rides and it's a

lot of fun.

Ramadan can be a real challenge but these guys wouldn't have it any other way.