Ramadan

Ramadan [...] in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which all Muslims must fast during the daylight hours. Indulgence of any sort is forbidden during the fast. There are only a few who are exempt, e.g., soldiers, the sick, and the young. Because of the purely lunar calendar, Ramadan falls in different seasons. The final day of Ramadan, Id al-Fitr, is celebrated by a day of feasting. The first revelation of the Qur'an is commemorated in this month.

About half [of Britain's] Muslims will begin fasting on Friday morning, while the other half will delay the start until Saturday.

It is a similar story across the Muslim world, despite efforts each year to reach agreement.

The start of Ramadan begins when the new moon is sighted, according to Islamic texts from the age of the Prophet Mohammed.

Modern astronomy can calculate it more precisely and says the new moon arrives on Thursday evening.

Clerics in Birmingham are among those who have declared they will observe the astronomical times and fast from dawn on Friday.

But many other British Muslims will wait for the first physical sighting in Saudi Arabia to be relayed to London.

Overcast skies could delay this happening until Friday night, which means fasting will not start until Saturday.

The Quran requires Muslims to follow five basic practices, sometimes called the five pillars of Islam. These include the great confession, prayers, almsgiving, the fast of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ramadan is derived from the Arabic root word ramida or ar-ramad denoting intense scorching heat and dryness, especially the ground. From the same root there is ramdaa, sunbaked sand, and the famous proverb: ''Kal Mustajeer minar Ramadaa binnar'' - to jump out of the frying pan into the fire. And in a hadith the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: ''The prayer of repenters is due when the young camel can feel the sun's heat early in the morning.'' (Muslim)

Thus, the word Ramadan is so called to indicate the heating sensation in the stomach as a result of thirst). Others said it is so called because Ramadan scorches out the sins with good deeds, as the sun burns the ground. Some said it is so called because the hearts and souls are more readily receptive to the admonition and remembrance of Allah during Ramadan, as the sand and stones are receptive to the sun's heat. The framers of this beautiful language may have been inspired by Allah (SWT) in naming this month Ramadan. Otherwise, the relation between the heat and its properties is miraculously similar to that of Ramadan. While the heat represents the matter that helps shape, form, and mold virtually every matter - from metal and plastics, to plants and living cells - Ramadan undoubtedly helps a serious believer remold, reshape, reform, and renew his physical and spiritual disposition and behavior.

Ramadan is a challenge to Christians. It challenges our lack of discipline, especially in prayer and fasting. It challenges us with the fact that so few Muslims have become followers of Jesus. It is also an extremely strategic time for us as Christians to believe that God would sovereignly reveal Himself to those who do not yet know Him.

As an act of identification with the Muslim World, Christians are being encouraged to seriously pray for the 1.1 billion Muslims, most of whom have never heard the Gospel. Next Ramadan, as many as 10 million people are expected to take part in the [...] annual global month of prayer. Throughout history there are countless testimonies of Muslims receiving dreams and visions of Jesus. Often these visions are the result of years of prayer and labour by God’s people, including martyrdom.

• The face of Jesus appeared, bringing a message of hope, in a sandstorm over war-torn Somalia on the morning of February 1st, 1992. Many recorded healings and miracles followed.
• During the early 1980’s in a village in Algeria, God revealed Himself through dreams, visions and angels in such a way that several hundred Muslims converted.
• At least 35% of all recent Turkish conversions were in response to dreams and visions of Jesus as the Son of God.
• In Albania, during Ramadan last year, the Holy Spirit came into a classroom with only Muslims and revealed God to them!

To help you pray, a prayer guide has been written. A quarter of a million prayer guides were in use around the world during last Ramadan. This year the material is distributed in about 27 languages. A childrens' version is also available.

Many Christians who took part in the last 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus commented on how much they learned about Islam, and that their often fearful, simplistic views about Muslims were displaced by faith and loving concern as they read about and prayed for Muslims.