Marhaba! The holy month of Ramadan is finally upon us. As Muslims around the world take the time to fast, pray, and celebrate this blessed time of the year, I wanted to share with you 10 facts about Ramadan. You might know some of these facts, while some information might be new to you. I have provided the ten facts with translations of the sentences in Arabic and transliteration for better pronunciations. You could impress your friends and family by learning these facts about this holy month and reciting them in the beautiful language of Islam! I hope you enjoy them and stay tuned for more timely posts during this month.

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1)Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.
الصوم خلال رمضان من أركان الإسلام الخمسة
Al-sawm khilal Ramadan min arkan al-Islam al-khamsa.

2)The first verses of the holy Qur’an were revealed during the month of Ramadan
الآيات الاولى من القرآن الكريم أوحيت خلال شهر رمضان
Al-ayat al-uwla min al-Qur’an al-Karim uwhiyat khilal shahr Ramadan.

3) The meal before the beginning of the fast at sunrise is called suhur, and the meal after sunset is called iftar.
تُسمّى الوجبة قبل بدء الصوم عند الفجر السحور، والوجبة بعد المغيب الإفطار
Tusamma al-wajba qabl badi’ al-sawm ‘inda al-fajr al-suhur, wa al-wajba ba‘da al-maghib al-iftar.

4) During Ramadan, Muslims are obligated to give to charity through Sadaqa or Zakat.
خلال شهر رمضان، المسلمون ملزمون على التبرع الخيري من خلال الصدقة أو الزكاة
Khilal shahr Ramadan, al-muslimun mulzamun ‘ala al-tabaru‘ al-khayri min khilal al-sadaqa aw al-zakat.

5) During Ramadan, Muslim-majority countries often shorten work days to allow for additional prayer time each day
خلال شهر رمضان، البلاد ذات الأكثرية المسلمة عادةً تقصّر يوم العمل للسماح بوقت إضافي للصلاة كل يوم
Khilal shahr Ramadan, al-bilad dhat al-akthariya al-muslima ‘adatan tuqassir yawm al-‘amal lil-samah bi-waqt idafi lil-salat kul yawm.

6) Children are not obligated to fast.
الاولاد غير ملزمون بالصوم
Al-awlad ghayr mulzamun bi-l-sawm.

7) Fasting can last longer each day for Muslims in polar regions where daylight can last for up to 22 hours.
قد يدوم الصوم أطول يومياً للمسلمين الساكنين في المناطق القطبية حيث يمكن للنهار ان يمتد لمدة ٢٢ ساعة
Qad yadum al-sawm atwal yawmiyan lil-muslimin al-sakinin fi al-manatiq al-qutbiya haythu yumkin lil-nahar an yamtad li-mudat ithnayn wa-‘ushrun sa‘a.

8) Breaking the fast unintentionally attracts no penalty
الإفطار غير المقصود لا يستدعي جزاء
Al-Iftar ghayr al-maqsud la yastad‘i jaza’.

9) Muslims often break the fast with three dates and then a prayer called the Maghrib prayer.
يفطر المسلمون عادةً بثلاث حبات تمر وصلاة تُدعى صلاة المغرب
Yaftur al-muslimun ‘adatan bi-thalath habbat tamr wa-salat tud‘a salat al-maghrib.

10) At the end of the month of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated to end the fast.
في آخر شهر رمضان، يُحتفل بعيد الفطر لإنهاء الصوم
Fi akhir shahr Ramadan, yuhtafal bi-‘eid al-fitr li-inha’ al-sawm.

For now take care and stay tuned for upcoming posts!
Happy Learning!
Have a nice day!!
نهاركم سعيد