A Koran manuscript is displayed at the University of Birmingham on July 24, 2015 in Birmingham, England. The two leaves of parchment have recently been carbon dated at a laboratory at the University of Oxford and are thought to date back to the early seventh century, close to the time of the Prophet Muhammed. The finding makes the manuscript, with text from the Koran, Islam’s holy book, one of the oldest anywhere in the world. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Ramadan begins tonight at sundown. It is the holiest month in Islam and is when the Quran is believed to have been revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. Be inspired for your fasting with these selected from surahs.
This year, Ramadan begins at sundown on Friday, May 26 and ends at sundown on Saturday, June 24, with Eid al-Fitr, or the breaking of the Ramadan fast. These dates vary culturally. Last year, Ramadan started on Sunday, June 5 and ended on Tuesday, July 5.
This year Ramadan falls between May 26 and June 24. During this time, observant Muslims will fast during daylight hours. Fasting (sawm in Arabic) is another one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The times of fasting with sunrise and sunset vary depending on a Muslim’s location. According to the Fiqh Council of North America, the first full day of Ramadan is on Saturday, May 27 with the Tarawih prayers on Friday night. The Tarawih prayers are extra prayers performed by Sunni Muslims at night in the Islamic month of Ramadan.
1. “So verily with the hardship there is relief.” – Quran 94:5-6
2. “So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth.” – Quran 30:60
3. “Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.” – Surah Baqarah – V 286
4. “He is with you, where you may be; and Allah is seeing your deeds.” – Al-Hadid: 4
5. “And he is with you wherever you are.” – Quran 57:4
6. “Unquestionably, to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth.” – Quran 10:55
7. “My success is only by Allah.” – Quran 11:88
8. “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” — Quran 2:183
9. “And, [O Muhammad], say, ‘My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful.'” — Quran 23:118
10. “Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong).” Quran 2:183
