Millions of Muslims around the world will mark the start of Ramadan next month. Islam’s holiest month involves intense prayer and dawn-to-dusk fasting.
The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate.
As with fasting in other religious traditions, it’s seen as a way to physically and spiritually purify oneself. Muslims often donate to charities and feed the hungry during Ramadan. Many spend more time at mosques and use their downtime to recite the Quran.
The end of Ramadan is marked by intense worship as Muslims seek to have their prayers answered during “Laylat al-Qadr” or the “Night of Destiny.” It is on this night, which falls during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, that Muslims believe God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad and revealed the first verses of the Quran.
