Today is Eid ul fitr and Muslims all over the world celebrate this festival which is after the month of Ramadan.
The festival of Eid takes place at the end of the holy month of Ramadan – something that depends on the sighting of the new moon.
It falls on the first day of Shawwal, which is the tenth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. The date varies from country to country.
Eid has fallen on Wednesday July 6 2016 in the UK, the Islamic Cultural Centre and London Central Mosque announced on Tuesday.
The Saudi Supreme Court earlier called on Muslims to look for the crescent moon on Monday evening to determine the beginning of the holiday. After the new moon was not seen, the court ruled that Ramadan will last 30 days and Eid will be celebrated on Wednesday.
Ramadan began on 6 June this year and Muslims around the world have endured 30 days of fasting from sunrise to sunset to mark the Islamic holy month.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is a month-long period of fasting, prayer to Allah, reading the Qur’an, giving to charity, deep contemplation and self-purification.
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and also abstain from smoking and sex during daylight hours throughout Ramadan. Some scholars believe that the Qu-ran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during the month, making it particularly holy. During Ramadan Muslims wake up very early in order to have time to pray, eat and drink before sunrise.
After sundown, also known as iftar, most Muslims break their fast with a traditional family meal.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam – the five key practices that underpin the Islamic faith.
Muslims believe that the physical ritual allows them to understand the suffering of others as well as increasing their closeness to God.
The fast of Ramadan is a time for patience, endurance, reflection and spiritual purification.
This post was written by Noor Zaman using our Create an article for South Leeds Life page.
