
I’m taking this opportunity to talk about Ramadan and shed some basic information about it to my fellow muslims, non-muslims, and converts/reverts, so here goes.
What is Ramadan and what’s so special about it?
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, where it was chosen that fasting is obligatory by God “as it was upon those before you”. This refers to the divine religions before Islam which are Christianity (such as Lent) and Judaism (for example Yom Kippur), who also perform a period of fasting.

Fasting of course is one of the 5 pillars of Islam, and whether it is compulsory (during Ramadan) or preferably (the rest of the year), fasting begins from sunrise to sunset. During this time, eating, drinking, and sexual activities are prohibited.
Note: The Arabic word for fasting is “si-yam”, where the first syllable is pronounced as in the word “sit”, and the “a” in the second syllable is pronounced as in the word “calm”.
Why fast…I mean, come on, what benefit do you gain?!

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