Islam’s holy month of Ramadan commences on Saturday – CIOG

The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) has said the crescent moon for the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan has not been sighted, therefore the period of fasting will commence on Saturday, April 25, 2020.
CIOG has also informed that Taraweeh prayers will commence on the evening of Friday, April 24.
Ramadan is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims. In Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of learning self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate.
Ramadan is a month of intense spiritual rejuvenation, with a heightened focus on devotion, during which Muslims spend extra time reading the Qur’an and performing special prayers. Those unable to fast, such as pregnant or nursing women, the sick, or elderly people and children, are exempted from fasting.
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on a 12-month lunar year of approximately 354 days. Because the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, each lunar month moves 11 days earlier each year. It takes 33 solar years for the lunar months to complete a full cycle and return to the same season.
Muslims fast from pre-dawn to sunset, a fast of between 11 and 16 hours depending on the time of year, for a period of 29-30 days. The fast of Ramadan entails forgoing food and drink, and if married, abstaining from sex during the fasting hours.
For Muslims, Ramadan is a time to train themselves both physically and spiritually by avoiding any negative acts, such as gossiping, backbiting, lying or arguing. Muslims welcome Ramadan as an opportunity for self-reflection and spiritual improvement.
The ultimate goal of fasting is gaining greater God-consciousness, in Arabic, taqwa, signifying a state of constant awareness of God. From this awareness, a person should gain discipline, self-restraint, and a greater incentive to do good and avoid wrong.
In commemoration of the revelation of the Qur’an, Muslim’s holy book, which began during the month of Ramadan, Muslims attempt to read the entire book during Ramadan, and gather nightly at mosques to hold special prayers during which the entire Qur’an is recited by the end of the month.
All Muslims who have reached puberty are obliged to fast. However, for people in situations where fasting would be a hardship, they are exempted from fasting. This includes anyone who is sick or travelling; women who are pregnant, nursing, or on their menses; or older people who are too weak or ill to fast. Anyone who is exempted must make up the fast later, except for those who cannot fast due to age or chronic illness. Instead, they can feed a poor person for every day of fasting they missed.
While children are not required to fast until they reach puberty, it is customary for children beginning around seven years of age to perform limited or symbolic fasting, such as fasting half days or on weekends. This trains them gradually and helps to engender a sense of inclusion during the month-long observance.
Mosques often give special recognition to children who are fasting their first full day or first Ramadan.
A Muslim family usually rises about 5:00 a.m. before the first of dawn and eats a modest, breakfast-like meal called suhoor. After the meal, the family performs the morning prayer, and depending on the circumstances, the family goes back to bed or begins the day.
At sunset, family members break the fast with a few dates and water, and depending on the culture, other light foods such as soup, appetizers or fruit. This is referred to as iftar, which means “breaking the fast.”
After performing the sunset prayers, the family eats dinner. Inviting guests to break the fast or going to someone else’s house for iftar is very common in Ramadan. Many families then go to the mosque for the night prayer and a special Ramadan prayer called Tarawih. After completing their prayers, the families return home and prepare for the next day.
During Tarawih, the prayer leader recites at least one thirtieth of the Qur’an, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur’an will have been recited.
Since Ramadan is a time for Muslims to be especially charitable, and fasting helps Muslims feel compassion for the hungry and less fortunate, many mosques hold food drives or fundraisers for charity during Ramadan.
Many mosques also host open houses for their friends and neighbours of other faiths to join them for their fast-breaking dinner or iftar at the end of the fasting day.
The Night of Power, known as Lailat al-Qadr, is believed to fall on one of the odd nights during the last ten days of Ramadan, but is most widely observed on the 27th night of Ramadan. It is considered the most blessed night in Ramadan because it is believed to be the night in which the Qu’ran was first revealed. Mosques are open all night as Muslims hold vigils in prayer, Qur’anic recitation, and contemplation.
However, this year, with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Muslims are urged to practise social distancing. This means that their mosques would be closed and all praying will be done in the confines of their homes. Additionally, there will be no Iftar gatherings among others.