Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Apr 23: Ramadan will begin in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts from Friday, April 24. The crescent moon was sighted on Thursday, April 23 in Kerala after which Dakshina Kannada Qazi Twaka Ahmed Musliyar declared the start of the Ramadan month.

Ramadan is the ninth and most sacred month in the Islamic calendar. Muslims skip food and water from dawn (Fajr) to dusk (Maghrib) during this month. Muslims eat Sehri, which is an Islamic term referring to the meal consumed early in the morning before fasting, and break their fast at Iftar, the evening meal consumed to break the fast at sunset. Special night prayers called Taraveeh are offered in mosques during Ramadan.

Fasting or Roza in the holiest month of Islamic lunar calendar is one of the five pillars of Islam. Fasting during Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food and drink, the real purpose is to attain purity and piousness in order to be closer to Allah.

Ramadan begins around 11 days earlier each year. Its start is calculated based on the sightings of the new moon, which marks the beginning of the Muslim lunar month that varies between 29 to 30 days. Ramadan culminates with the celebration of Id-ul-Fitr festival.