Muslim holy month of Ramadan to begin Sunday night

LOS ANGELES – The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, commemorating the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, will begin tonight.

Muslims walk next to the Dome of Rock Mosque at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

The date is determined by the sighting of a new moon. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslim adults fast from dawn until dusk each day, unless they are ill,
pregnant, diabetic, breastfeeding or traveling.

Fasting is one of the “five pillars” of Islam, along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca.

During Ramadan, which will last until sunset on or around April 10, Muslims engage in increased prayer and charity, both financially and feeding and supporting the local unhoused population. Individuals and organizations typically host iftars, the meal eaten when breaking the fast, to benefit those in need.

Many Islamic centers and mosques host Qiyam al Layl prayers, voluntary prayer and worship typically performed between the night prayer (isha) and morning prayer (fajr).

The prayer session, hosted on March 15 by the Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), California, the state’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, and Islamic Society of Orange County, is titled, “A Night For Justice,” and will focus on spirituality, advocacy and draw “strength in faith from the people of Palestine,” according to organizers.

The end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, will be marked by communal prayers called Salat al-Eid.