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Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and commemorates the time when Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) received his first revelation of the Qur'an. This event is remembered by Muslims as they fast for the month and is called in Arabic: "saum."

This fast involves not eating, drinking or smoking during the hours of daylight, and many Muslims spend extra time reading and studying the Qur'an during this month.

There are two main reasons for fasting: the first is that saum is one of the Five Pillars and therefore an obligatory duty and act of worship: "Oh Ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may ward off evil." (Qur'an 2:183). The second reason is that Muhammad himself (p.b.u.h.) set his followers the example of fasting: "Ibn 'Umar reported that the people saw the new moon (of Ramadan). So I informed the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) that I had seen the new moon. Upon this the Holy Prophet observed fasting and ordered the people to observe the fasts of Ramadan" (Sunan Abu Dawd: selection of Hadith no 55).

So the main reasons for fasting are ones of piety and devotion. By fasting, the believer hopes to become closer to Allah. This works in two ways: the first is that by depriving oneself of physical pleasures and temptations that distract the soul and the mind, the soul wins over the potentially sinful body and so rises to meet its Creator. We are also told that fasting is a religious duty, and so brings with it a reward from Allah, if it is carried out prayerfully. The reward is to have your previous sins forgiven; this in turn also brings you closer to Allah as it removes the barrier that is sin. This is a religious activity by no means unique to Islam; adherents of all the world's major religions have found fasting a way to purification.

The religious community is an important concept in Islam, and one other benefit of the fast in Ramadan is that it unites the whole Ummah in one action. No matter where in the world you live, whether male, female, rich, poor, younger or older, Muslims are united in keeping the fast and so are all equally submissive to Allah's will. Exhortations against behaving badly towards one another, at all times of course but more especially during Ramadan, serve to unite the community further. It can be hard to keep the fast at times, and the support and encouragement of those around you can help. Breaking the fast together too, is another way in which the community gets together,

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