When was Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting, first observed? And how have its practices changed? Here, Remona Aly considers its history and evolution across the world…

Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting, has been observed and celebrated by Muslims around the world for more than 14 centuries. In the seventh century, Nabi Muhammad (saw) stated that Islam is built upon five pillars and that fasting in Ramadan was one of them. Today, nearly a quarter of the world’s population mark or observe the fast during daylight hours, giving great respect to the Islamic month in which the Quran, was revealed to the Nabi (saw) .

The blessed month of fasting contains great virtue in Islam. Fasting is the fourth pillar of the Muslim faith. It is a means of attaining piety and God-consciousness. One of the Quranic verses mentions taqwa, which means doing what Allah has enjoined and avoiding what He has forbidden. Fasting in Ramadan is one of the greatest means of helping a person fulfil the commands of Islam.

Fasting teaches restraint, the ability to control worldly desires and spend time in prayer and meditation. The Quranic verses about Ramadan clearly explain these requirements and characteristics of the noble month.

What was initially practiced by around a hundred early Muslims in the seventh century is now emulated by 1.8 billion people around the world.

What does Ramadan mean?

Ramadan literally means ‘intense heat’, denoting the scorching summer month to which it was originally ascribed. It formed part of the pre-Islamic Arab calendar well before Islam came to Mecca, the holy city in today’s Saudi Arabia, in the seventh century.

When is Ramadan?

Muslims embrace Ramadan as the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Moonsighting – the practice of spotting the new moon on the first night of each Islamic month with the naked eye – is a tradition that has endured to this day, as Muslims across the world wait in anticipation and excitement for the birth of the Ramadan moon.

Why do Muslims fast during Ramadan?

The Quran was revealed to Nabi Muhammad (saw) over a period of 23 years, and the verses instructing Muslims to fast the entire month of Ramadan came in the latter half of that period. During the first 12 years in Mecca, the Muslim minority faced torture, tyranny and persecution from the Qurayshi ruling pagan tribe, with many losing their lives. The surviving Muslims migrated to the city of Medina in 622 AD, over 300km away. Two years later, the verses about fasting in Ramadan were revealed, with Nabi Muhammad (saw) establishing the holy month’s practices in the sanctuary of their new home.

Allah (SWT) says in the Quran:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous”…

[Al-Baqarah 2:183]

With the above verse, the Holy Quran makes it clear that fasting is compulsory for all able Muslims and that they have to observe the fasting month to achieve righteousness

Hadith About Ramadan

There are numerous quotes about Ramadan among narrations from Nabi Muhammad (saw) . The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.

[Bukhari (38) and Muslim (759)]

In another hadith, The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) is reported to have said:

“There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”

[Nasai, 2106; Ahmad, 8769]

Ramadan is a gift from Allah (SWT), an opportunity for Muslims to capitalise on and earn His blessings, as well as a way to seek salvation and forgiveness. The believers are strongly encouraged to make the most of this month and fulfil the purpose of Ramadan. Use the inspirational reminders from the Quran and hadith to make this Ramadan the best Ramadan yet.

How did the practices of Ramadan begin?

Nabi (saw) and Sahaba would awake for the pre-dawn meal, known as suhoor, and refrain from eating, drinking and marital relations until sunset, when they broke their fast (iftar), typically on dates. As well as spiritual discipline and increased worship, fasting placed a strong focus on improving behaviour, as Nabi Muhammad (saw) stated:

مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ وَالْجَهْلَ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ

“If a person does not avoid false talk and false conduct during the fast, then Allah does not care if he abstains from food and drink.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari 6057)

How has the observation of Ramadan changed through history?

While the core rituals and significance of Ramadan have remained unchanged since Nabi (saw) time, the spread of Islam over the globe gave texture and diversity to the global Ramadan experience.

In Ottoman times, drummers in Turkey woke people for the pre-dawn meal, and similarly in Morocco, a nafar (town crier) dressed in traditional Moroccan robe and leather slippers roamed the streets rousing people to the sound of an instrument, like a horn, trumpet, or daff. These special Ramadan callers were also to be found in Syria, and future Tunisia and Algeria.

In Egypt, a Ramadan lantern or fanoos, some say this originated during the Fatimid dynasty of the 10th-12th centuries, It became a symbol of the sacred month – perhaps to symbolise the spiritual light and blessings that Ramadan brings.

Today, intricate lanterns are seen lighting up homes, shops and lining the streets. Egypt was also said to have instigated the ‘iftar cannon’, or ‘midfa al-iftar’, where a cannon was fired to dramatically announce the time for breaking the fast. This tradition is said to have begun around 200 years ago, although some historians trace it further back to the Mamluk period of the 15th century, when the sultan in Cairo was test-firing a new cannon at the time of sunset prayers. Locals thought the sultan was signalling the time to break their fast, and seeing how much joy it brought his people, the sultan made it a daily Ramadan routine.

Ramadan also entered the sphere of poetry and captured the imagination of Sufi poets, acting as their muse while they penned love poems to the holy month. The famous 13th-century Persian Muslim mystic poet and scholar, Jalaluddin Rumi, wrote: “O moon-faced Beloved, the month of Ramadan has arrived. Cover the table and open the path of praise.”