Foutour Eid al-Fitr, Malaysia</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Also called</th> <td>Ramaḍān al-Karīm (Ramadan, the Generous), 11 Ayın Sultanı (Sultan of The Months)</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Observed by</th> <td>Muslims</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Type</th> <td><a title="Islam" href="/wiki/Islam"><font color="#0645ad">Muslim</font></a>, cultural</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Begins</th> <td>1 <a title="Ramadan (calendar month)" href="/wiki/Ramadan_(calendar_month)"><font color="#0645ad">Ramadan</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Ends</th> <td>29, or 30 <a title="Ramadan (calendar month)" href="/wiki/Ramadan_(calendar_month)"><font color="#0645ad">Ramadan</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Date</th> <td>Variable (follows the <a title="Islamic calendar" href="/wiki/Islamic_calendar"><font color="#0645ad">Islamic</font></a> <a title="Lunar calendar" href="/wiki/Lunar_calendar"><font color="#0645ad">lunar calendar</font></a>)</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">2010 date</th> <td>11/12 August – 09/10 September</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">2011 date</th> <td>1–29 August</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Celebrations</th> <td>Communal <a title="Iftar" href="/wiki/Iftar"><font color="#0645ad">Iftars</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Observances</th> <td><a title="Sawm" href="/wiki/Sawm"><font color="#0645ad">Sawm</font></a> (<a title="Fasting" href="/wiki/Fasting"><font color="#0645ad">fasting</font></a>), <a title="Zakat" href="/wiki/Zakat"><font color="#0645ad">zakat</font></a> (<a title="Alms" href="/wiki/Alms"><font color="#0645ad">almsgiving</font></a>), <a title="Tarawih" href="/wiki/Tarawih"><font color="#0645ad">Tarawih</font></a> prayer, reading the <a title="Qur'an" href="/wiki/Qur%27an"><font color="#0645ad">Qur'an</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="text-align: left">Related to</th> <td><a title="Eid ul-Fitr" href="/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr"><font color="#0645ad">Eid ul-Fitr</font></a>, <a title="Laylat al-Qadr" href="/wiki/Laylat_al-Qadr"><font color="#0645ad">Laylat al-Qadr</font></a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
Ramadan (<a title="Arabic language" href="/wiki/Arabic_language"><font color="#0645ad">Arabic</font></a>: رمضان Ramaḍān, <small>Arabic pronunciation: </small><a title="Wikipedia:IPA for Arabic" href="/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_Arabic"><font color="#0645ad">[rɑmɑdˤɑːn]</font></a>) (also Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan, Ramdan, Ramadaan) is the ninth month of the <a title="Islamic calendar" href="/wiki/Islamic_calendar"><font color="#0645ad">Islamic calendar</font></a>. It is the <a title="Islam" href="/wiki/Islam"><font color="#0645ad">Islamic</font></a> month of <a title="Sawm" href="/wiki/Sawm"><font color="#0645ad">fasting</font></a>, in which participating <a title="Muslim" href="/wiki/Muslim"><font color="#0645ad">Muslims</font></a> refrain from <a title="Eating" href="/wiki/Eating"><font color="#0645ad">eating</font></a>, <a title="Drinking" href="/wiki/Drinking"><font color="#0645ad">drinking</font></a> and <a title="Human sexual activity" href="/wiki/Human_sexual_activity"><font color="#0645ad">sexual activities</font></a> from <a title="Dawn" href="/wiki/Dawn"><font color="#0645ad">dawn</font></a> until <a title="Sunset" href="/wiki/Sunset"><font color="#0645ad">sunset</font></a>.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-0"><font size="2"><font color="#0645ad">[1]</font></font></a></sup> Fasting is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility, and spirituality. It is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of <a title="God in Islam" href="/wiki/God_in_Islam"><font color="#0645ad">God</font></a> (<a title="Arabic language" href="/wiki/Arabic_language"><font color="#0645ad">Arabic</font></a>: الله, trans: <a title="Allah" href="/wiki/Allah"><font color="#0645ad">Allah</font></a>) and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. As compared to the <a title="Solar calendar" href="/wiki/Solar_calendar"><font color="#0645ad">solar calendar</font></a>, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards about ten days each year <a title="Lunar calendar" href="/wiki/Lunar_calendar"><font color="#0645ad">depending on the moon</font></a>. Muslims believe Ramadan to be the month in which the first verses of the <a title="Qur'an" href="/wiki/Qur%27an"><font color="#0645ad">Qur'an</font></a> were revealed to the Prophet <a title="Muhammad" href="/wiki/Muhammad"><font color="#0645ad">Muhammad</font></a>.<sup id="cite_ref-sura2_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-sura2-1"><font size="2"><font color="#0645ad">[2]</font></font></a></sup>
