Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day. This means not to eat, drink or smoke during the daylight hours. For married adults, it also includes refraining from marital relations during the hours of fasting (i.e. the daylight hours). The fasting person is expected to do his best to practice self control and discipline, not to get angry easy, refrain from using harsh language or insults and to tolerate, forgive and respect others. .
The elderly and the chronically ill,have to feed a poor person for each day they cannot fast. Sick people can compensate by fasting other days when they feel well,Children dont have to fast.
Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you many learn piety and righteousness" (Quraan 2:183)
YouTube - Muslims Welcome Holy Month of Ramadan
Fasting is prescribed for Muslims as was it prescribed for Jews before
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When fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed by God as in the Quran 2: 183
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
The explanation:
(O believers, fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those [Children of Israel] before you; that you may ward off [disease.])
That is because the fasting is prescribed by God in the Quran for believers, just as had God prescribed it for the Children of Israel in the past.
Jews fast for 23 hours/ day: they break their fast only for one hour following the sun-set.
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So at the beginning, Muslims started to fast like Jews 23 hours/ day; but that caused many difficulties for many of them: when some were outside the city then came after the hour of fasting elapsed so he continued the fasting for two successive days.
Other believers: youths with their hot blood, they cheated their wives to have sexual contact with them, which was a disobedience then.
So God – be glorified – made some alleviation and made the fasting for the whole night: from the start of the night darkness till dawn. So during this period of time, people can eat, drink and have sexual intercourse with their wives --- and this is lawful until dawn.
Therefore, the aya 2: 187
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَى نِسَآئِكُمْ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَّهُنَّ عَلِمَ اللّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْ فَالآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُواْ مَا كَتَبَ اللّهُ لَكُمْ وَكُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّواْ الصِّيَامَ إِلَى الَّليْلِ وَلاَ تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللّهِ فَلاَ تَقْرَبُوهَا كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
The explanation:
(It is made lawful for you to make sexual contact with your wives on the night of the fast. They are your cloak [or repose for you] and you are their cloak [or repose for them.]
God knew that you used to defraud yourselves, so He has relented towards you and has forgiven you. Now you may have sexual intercourse with them, and crave what God has ordained for you. And eat and drink until the whiteness of the daybreak will be distinct to you from the blackness of night.
Then continue the fast till the night.
But never have sexual intercourse with them when you devote yourselves [for worship] in mosques [that is the period of time between Sunset and the night prayer about 1 1/2 hours following the sunset.]
These are the rules of God, so draw not near to [change] them. As such will God make clear His signs [of revelation] to people, that haply they may ward off [the disobedience of God.])
This is according to the interpretation of Mohammed-Ali Hassan Al-Hilly the late interpreter of the Quran and the Bible.
See my next post about the mistake of Muslims about the breaking of their fast in Ramadan :smile: