European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

A REVIEW ON HOLY RAMADAN: A BLESSED MONTH FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

Mohammad Sadat A. Khan*

ABSTRACT

During the fast period, which generally lasts about 12 h, the existent must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, sexual intercourse, and bandaging from daylight (Suhoor) to evening (Iftar). According to Muslims, Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar when the Quran was transferred down by Allah to the humanity. For this reason, every time on average, one and a half billion Muslims around the world observe the fast during this holy month of Ramadan from daylight to evening for around 29 or 30 days. The Islamic calendar, being a lunar timetable, is 10 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar and thus Ramadan moves forward by 10 days each time. Thus Muslims experience Ramadan in different seasons throughout the course of the lives. In this holy month all Muslims are needed to restrain from food and drink from dawn to dusk for 30 days. Muslims believe that fasting during Ramadan improves tone- discipline, and increases spirituality, inner peace, and mindfulness of the difficulty suffered by those who don't have enough food and constantly go empty without choice.

Keywords: Holy Ramadan, Fasting, Physical health, Mental health.