The Gregorian calendar is based on the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. Muslims use a special Hijri calendar. Each month has its own name in it, and the year is calculated on the basis of lunar cycles and lasts 354 or 355 days, and not the usual 365 or 366. Because of this discrepancy, the dates of the main sacred holidays are shifted annually. The beginning and end of Ramadan in 2024 - after sunset March 10 to April 09. On the last day of Uraza, after sunset, the faithful gather in mosques for prayers.
The essence of the post
Ramadan is the ninth month of the year according to the Hijri calendar, sacred to every Muslim. Allah sent him to the faithful to strengthen faith, educate the spirit, purify the soul. The essence of fasting is not a diet or starvation. Uraza teaches monotheism, repentance and patience, makes you remember everyone who is deprived of fate. It was in Ramadan that the Holy Book of the Koran was revealed to Muslims.
The holy month is an opportunity to show devotion to the faith. Those who steadfastly endured all hardships can count on the blessings of Allah in the future. But only food restrictions and the rejection of intimacy, without prayers and comprehension of the Koran, make Ramadan a useless pastime. It takes a lot of effort to get clean. People who observe the prescribed provisions formally are equated with sinners, and when disobeying Allah this month, the punishment increases many times over.
Ramadan Rules
Reinforce your strength only after sunset. And the whole day should be spent in prayer, confirming by actions that you adhere to Muslim customs voluntarily. Confirmation is niyat, the words that the faithful utter every day during daylight hours. Approximate translation: “I fast in the name of Allah in the Holy month.”
Two meals are officially allowed. Evening is called iftar, pre-dawn - suhoor. It is prescribed to eat moderately, first the “second”, and then, not earlier than after 1 hour, quench your thirst. Such consumption of food helps the body to use it rationally. Refusing to fast should not only be from food during the daytime, but also from secular entertainment and intimacy. In addition, smokers will be able to demonstrate resistance - they cannot use tobacco products during the day, and this is harder for many than giving up food.
As soon as the first day of Ramadan arrives, it is important that nothing enters the body during daylight hours. The ban is imposed on taking medicines, drops in the nose or ears, the use of enemas.
Even knowing the exact date of the holiday, it is impossible to change the physiological cycles of women. If menstruation began on fasting, it should be interrupted, and after it ends, the missed days should be compensated.
Possible violations
It is not considered a sin if fasting:
- accidentally swallowed saliva after rinsing the nose;
- swallowed daytime food caught between teeth while eating;
- donated blood;
- tinted eyebrows and eyelashes;
- breathed incense;
- accidentally vomited stomach contents (rather than deliberately inducing vomiting);
- performed the necessary medical procedures (for example, they were given injections).
If a person forgot about the restrictions, and accidentally ate or drank something, and then remembered and stopped, he did not commit a sin in the eyes of Allah.
Who should fast
Islam does not require submission, every Muslim must voluntarily comply with the restrictions. The orthodox decision maker must be:
- adult;
- he althy, so that austerity does not damage the general condition;
- be of sound mind and memory.
It is allowed to transfer the religious instructions of the Holy Month to those who are on a trip or in difficult conditions, the elderly, believers who have he alth problems, women during pregnancy or lactation.
Compensation
The faithful try to find out in advance what date Ramadan will begin in 2024 in order to have time to prepare for it. But if this did not work out - it was not possible to return from a long business trip, or recover from a long illness, people will be able to offer their sacrifice to Allah in a different form - material (in the form of fitr-sadaqah).Sadaka in the Holy Month is calculated for each family individually. As soon as a person has recovered, or his circumstances have changed, he begins fasting after consulting with his confessor.
The most serious sin is sexual intercourse. For redemption, you will have to start fasting again and keep it for 60 days, or feed 60 poor people.
Ramadan fun
If in the daytime it is necessary to observe the established restrictions, then at night even entertainment is allowed for the faithful. After dinner, they will be able to strengthen their strength, invite relatives, friends, or go to visit themselves. It is better to do this with the whole family - the month is intended not only to serve Allah, but also to strengthen family ties and spiritual rapprochement.
And when Ramadan ends, the most fun and favorite Muslim holiday begins - Uraza-Bayram, the days of breaking the fast, the opportunity to receive a reward for devotion to the faith.
