The Islamic holy month of Ramadan started from Wednesday with the beginning of special Tarabi prayers in all the mosques of the State capital and other parts of the State and country, the first Roza (fast) would be on Thursday July 11.
Notably, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee of Bhopal has declared on Tuesday that the moon was not sighted and now the Ramadan would begin from Thursday. The announcement was made after the meeting of the committed held after Magrib prayers. Muslims all over the world refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk as a sign of piety during this month. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for their past sins, pray for guidance, and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
The Sehri (an Islamic term referring to the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting) would start, the Sehri for the first fast would come to end and the fast would begin at 4.07 hours and the fast would end at 19.16 hours, during this period of 15.09 hours the devotees would stay away from eating and drinking anything including water and sins.
The Roza is considered as the exam of whole body including that of eyes, intents and mentality. The month-long fast during daylight hours starts on the first day of the ninth lunar month. In the Muslim calendar, months are either 29 or 30 days long. In sunlight hours during Ramadan, Muslims refrain from food, water, sex, smoking and oral medicine in order to bring desire under self-control and to focus on prayer and Allah. People exempt from fasting include pregnant women, children who haven’t reached puberty, menstruating women, breast-feeding women, the elderly, travellers and the chronically ill.
Ramadan culminates in the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr when the period of restraint ends in an extravagant explosion of joie de vivre, festivities and feasting.