Ramadan Kareem in Pakistan 2024: When and How to Celebrate Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan Kareem 2024

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. “Ramadan Kareem” is a common greeting used during this month, wishing the recipient a generous and blessed Ramadan. As the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan begins approximately 11 days earlier each year depending on when the new moon is sighted. In 2024, Ramadan is expected to start on March 22nd.

Spiritual Significance

For Muslims, Ramadan is a deeply spiritual and symbolic month. Fasting during Ramadan Kareem is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, making it an obligatory act of worship. By abstaining from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from dawn to dusk, Muslims aim to practice self-discipline, self-restraint, sacrifice, empathy for the less fortunate and stimulate closeness to God. Fasting allows Muslims to practice patience, humility, and spirituality and cleanses them physically and spiritually.

The act of fasting allows Muslims to practice control over their natural urges and desires to remind themselves that spiritual nourishment is as important as physical nourishment. Ramadan Kareem is also strongly tied to an increase in charitable acts and paying Zakat, which is giving a fixed proportion of one’s wealth to the poor and needy.

Nightly prayers called Taraweeh are also offered in mosques or privately at home. Recitation of the Quran is encouraged during this month, allowing deeper reflection on its teachings. The last ten nights of Ramadan are especially significant, commemorating Laylat al-Qadr when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in 610 CE through the angel Jibreel. This is known as the “Night of Power” or the “Night of Destiny”, marked by intense worship and spiritual renewal.

Read More: Quran Classes Online

Ramadan culminates in Eid-al-Fitr, a 3-day celebrationmarked by meals with family and friends, the exchange of gifts and charity for the poor. As many aspects of Ramadan Kareem focus on community and family, Muslims often feel a heightened sense of closeness and unity with their loved ones and neighborhoods during this month.

Ramadan 2024 Timetable

In 2024, the expected first day of Ramadan will be on Friday, March 22nd. Fasting will begin at the Fajr (dawn) prayer, which happens around 4:50am in most locations. The Maghreb (sunset) prayer will be around 6:30pm each day, marking the break of fast and the Iftar meal. The Suhoor meal should be completed before dawn each morning before commencing the fast.

Depending on the sighting of the new moon, Eid-al-Fitr is predicted to fall on Saturday, April 20th. Muslims follow a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months spanning 354 or 355 days. As Ramadan Kareem moves ahead by about 11 days every year, it can fall in any season over time.

Here is an overview of the approximate Ramadan 2024 timetable:

1st Ramadan – Friday 22nd March 2024 Fasting Begins – Dawn at 4:48am Fasting Ends – Sunset at 6:28pm

Last Ramadan – Thursday 18th April 2024 Fasting Begins – Dawn at 4:27am Fasting Ends – Sunset at 6:41pm

Eid-al-Fitr – Predicted Saturday 20th April 2024

Difficulties in Fasting

Fasting for many hours during Ramadan Kareem can pose some health, occupational and lifestyle challenges. Pregnant or menstruating women, young children, travelers, those who are sick and the elderly are exempt from fasting. However, those who miss days are expected to make up for them at a later date. People who suffer from medical conditions like diabetes may require medication and dietary adjustments to fast safely. Work productivity can also be affected with loss of concentration and short-term memory due to prolonged food and water absence.

Making meals before dawn and after sunset every day for a month can be physically taxing. Balancing work, childcare duties and sleep with spiritual activities may lead to exhaustion. Maintaining focus and control over emotions can be testing due to hunger, low blood sugar and fatigue. Hydration through fluids and water-rich foods during non-fasting hours and limiting caffeine is essential.

Social occasions often involve food and drink which has to be avoided in public during daylight hours that Ramadan Kareem falls in. Sports, strenuous physical activity and intimate relations between married couples are also prohibited while fasting. Muslims believe these minor inconveniences and discomforts bring major spiritual benefits by learning mastery over mind and body. But the elderly, chronically ill and pregnant may be at serious medical risk if they fast without taking precautions or against medical advice. They require support of the community to fulfill their spiritual needs while not jeopardizing their health.

Regional Customs and Traditions

There are some interesting regional customs and traditions associated with Ramadan Kareem celebrations observed across the Muslim world:

Indonesia The world’s largest Muslim population observes Ramadan with great fervor. Evening bazaars called Pasars sell traditional snacks and decoration while children participate in lantern making competitions and fun fairs. The noisy Bamboo Cannon War ritual involves youth groups competing to fire homemade cannons from bamboo sticks until the first dawn prayers.

DUAA FOR FASTING

There is a special duaa for fasting which should be made before the fast begins each day: 

وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَّوَيْتُ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ

Transliteration: Wa bisawmi ghadinn nawaiytu min shahri ramadan.

Translation: I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan.

Egypt Historically in Egypt, a cannon was fired at dawn to announce the beginning of fasting and a second cannon soon after sunset allowed people to break their fast. The fast-breaking meal called Iftar usually consists of dates, fruits, sweet drinks and deep-fried goodies. Nighttime celebrations feature bright Ramadan decorations called Fawanees lit up across cities and towns.

DUAA FOR BREAKING FAST IN RAMADAN(IFTAR)

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ صُمتُ وَعَلَى رِزقِكَ أَفطَرتُ

Transliteration: Allahumma inni laka sumtu, wa bika aamantu, wa ‘alayka tawakkaltu, wa Ala rizqika aftartu

English translation: Oh Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You, and I put my trust in You, and I break my fast with Your sustenance.

Saudi Arabia As home to Islam’s two holy mosques,Ramadan Kareem is deeply significant in Saudi Arabia. All restaurants are closed during daylight hours by law and only Muslim foreign workers can eat, drink and smoke secretly in restricted areas. But lavish Iftar buffets sponsored by local royal families allow meals for hundreds of people to break their fast together each evening.

South Asia Homes and mosques are lit up with oil lamps, candles and fairy lights across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Snack stalls open all night selling deep fried snacks and sweet drinks to energize fasting crowds. In some communities, volunteers called Mussalahs beat drums at dawn to wake people for the morning Suhoor meal before fast.

Turkey Turkish people celebrate Ramadan Kareem with traditional desserts like baklava, Lokma tossed doughballs steeped in syrup and Kadayıf walnut-stuffed rolls dripping with sweetness. Streets spring alive at night with lively Ramadan Kareem drums called Davul that announce the opening of fast.

First Ashra – First 10 days of Ramadan

Ramadan 1443

Second Ashra – Second 10 days of Ramadan

Ramadan 1443

Third Ashra – Last 10 days of Ramadan

Ramadan 1443

Nigeria The lively Hausa tribal people organize local Ramadan Kareem events featuring musicians, storytellers and muezzins reciting the call to prayer throughout the night. Wealthy patrons sponsor large canvas tents decorated with fairy lights for the poor and homeless so they too can enjoy breaking fast with the community.

Common Ramadan Food Traditions

Special meals and desserts are an integral part of Ramadan Kareem traditions across Muslim communities. Typical Ramadan favorites include:

Suhoor: The pre-dawn meal before starting the day’s fast allows slow digesting foods like grains, seeds, beans and yogurt to provide sustenance through the day. Popular items are lentil porridges, fried breads drizzled with milk and ghee, and hydrating fruits like watermelon.

Dates: Considered the Prophet Muhammad’s preferred fruit, sweet ripe dates are usually the first food to break a fast as they replenish blood sugar rapidly. They also symbolize blessings for the months ahead.

Drinks: Hydrating beverages made from almonds, coconuts, grains like barley seed and tamarind pulp are common ways to quench thirst after a hot day of fasting. Salted yogurt-based drinks like lassi, ayran and laban are also great rehydrating coolants.

Fried treats: From hot crunchy samosas stuffed with spiced potatoes to golden spring rolls and chickpea dumplings in sweet syrup, deep fried appetizers are irresistible ways to revive hunger after hours of fasting. Other popular fried snacks are pani puri puffed hollow puris, bhajiya fritters and jalebi sweet swirls.

Dessert: Enticing Arab sweets like luqeymat fried sweet dumplings drizzled with date syrup and qatayef pancakes stuffed with cream or nuts are Ramadan Kareem delights. Across Africa and Asia, tropical fruit puddings, chilled rice porridges, sticky milk cakes and boiled sweet vermicelli sprinkled with nuts grace Iftar spreads. Baklava, helva, kunafa and variations like konafa cake soaked in rose syrup are beloved finales for the feast.

RAMADAN CALENDAR 2024

As Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar and the sighting of the moon, the exact dates for the Ramadan calendar for 2024 will not be confirmed until the evening before the beginning of the new month, depending on the sighting of the moon.

Due to the phases of the moon in the lunar calendar, each lunar year is roughly ten days shorter than the usual calendar we look at. This means Ramadan moves approximately ten days earlier each year, and the month does not have fixed dates. This is why over time, Ramadan falls across different seasons, and the length of the daily fasts change depending on the number of daylight hours.

Ramadan is hence both a personal spiritual journey and a shared community experience centered around celebration of Islamic faith through worship, charity and special meals that unite friends and family. The traditions, customs and excitement around Ramadan Kareem preparations build a strong sense of community and cultural identity for Muslims globally. Though challenging, fasting helps devotees come closer to God and build self-discipline.

Read More: Ramadan Kareem

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