Ramadan, the major fast of the Islamic year, falls in the ninth lunar month. Traditionally, Ramadan commences and ends with the sighting of the new moon, though now a standard calendar is more commonly used.

The month-long fast involves abstinence from food, liquids, smoking, and sexual intercourse between the hours of sunrise and sunset, but at night the holiday has turned into a feast in many Arab countries, each of which has its favorite special Ramadan foods and recipes. Moreover, fasting must be undertaken with spiritual intent (niyyah), and this intent must be renewed each day before dawn. 

 

Works cited:

Fieldhouse, P. (2003). Ramadan. In S. H. Katz (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (Vol. 3, pp. 164-165). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3403400504/GVRL?u=berea&sid=GVRL&xid=7cc45e0a

Check out the titles below for more info on Ramadan holiday:

Cover Art Islam by James A. Beverley
Call Number: 297 B571i 2001 - Hutchins Library - Circulating (3rd Floor)
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An essential introduction to the culture, history, and practices of the world's second largest religion. Professor James A. Beverley provides answers to questions many Christians have about Islam. Issues include what Muslims think about God, the world, and their place in it; how Muhammad established a religion that now stretches around the world, how different groups within Islam define Jihad, why Palestine is important to Muslims, what roles women play in different Islamic communities, and how Christians should relate to Muslims. Features include: Glossary of terms related to Islam A list of Frequently Asked Questions for easy reference Topical bibliography for further study
 
Cover Art By Noon Prayer by Fadwa El Guindi
Call Number: E-Book (Berea College only)
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Cover Art Prayer by David Marshall (Editor); Lucinda A. Mosher (Editor)
Call Number: E-Book (Berea College only)
Publication Date: 2013-12-12
Prayer: Christian and Muslim Perspectives is a rich collection of essays, scriptural texts, and personal reflections featuring leading scholars analyzing the meaning and function of prayer within their traditions. Drawn from the 2011 Building Bridges seminar in Doha, Qatar, the essays in this volume explore the devotional practices of each tradition and how these practices are taught and learned. Relevant texts are included, with commentary, as are personal reflections on prayer by each of the seminar participants. The volume also contains a Christian reflection on Islamic prayer and a Muslim reflection on Christian prayer. An extensive account of the informal conversations at the seminar conveys a vivid sense of the lively, penetrating, but respectful dialogue that took place.
 
Cover Art The Transformational Power of Fasting by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Call Number: 613.25 B931t 2012 - Hutchins Library - Circulating (3rd Floor)
Publication Date: 2012-02-02
For millennia humans have fasted for spiritual, emotional, and physical reasons--as a way to heal their bodies, reconnect to the sacred, regain a sense of life's purpose, and allow their souls to detoxify. We are evolutionarily designed to fast, and the body knows how to do it very well. Fasting allows the body and all its systems to rest, purify, and heal. During a fast, the body enters the same cleansing and healing cycle it normally enters during sleep. As a fast progresses, the body consumes everything that is not essential to bodily functioning--including bacteria, viruses, fibroid tumors, waste products in the blood, buildup around the joints, and stored fat--and the mind and heart release their toxic buildup as well. As Stephen Harrod Buhner reveals, in order to be truly transformed, you must first empty yourself. Offering step-by-step guidelines to fully prepare yourself for a deep fast, Buhner explores what to expect during and after spiritual, emotional, and physical fasting and detoxification. He details the necessary dietary and mental preparations leading up to your fast, what you can and can't do during a fast, and how to end your fast. He also explains how to plan the length of your fast and how to choose between a water fast, a juice fast, or a mono-diet fast. Revealing how fasting can help or heal many chronic conditions, such as type II diabetes, childhood seizures, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, psoriasis, insomnia, and fibromyalgia, Buhner shows fasting as a way to truly inhabit the body, to experience its sacredness, and to activate its deep capabilities for self-healing.
 
Cover Art Re-Scripting Islam by Hilary E. Kahn (Editor); Rosemary Pennington (Editor)
Call Number: E-Book (Berea College only)
Publication Date: 2018-02-01
In the constant deluge of media coverage on Islam, Muslims are often portrayed as terrorists, refugees, radicals, or victims, depictions that erode human responses of concern, connection, or even a willingness to learn about Muslims. On Islam helps break this cycle with information and strategies to understand and report the modern Muslim experience. Journalists, activists, bloggers, and scholars offer insights into how Muslims are represented in the media today and offer tips for those covering Islam in the future. Interviews provide personal and often moving firsthand accounts of people confronting the challenges of modern life while maintaining their Muslim faith, and brief overviews provide a crash course on Muslim beliefs and practices. A concise and frank discussion of the Muslim experience, On Islam provides facts and perspective at a time when truth in journalism is more vital than ever.