Ramadan starts today!

For millions of Muslims around the world and in Lebanon, it signals the beginning of a full month of fasting.

But did you know that the practice of fasting goes back to way before the birth of the Muslim religion?

Even before Prophet Muhammad’s birth, there were people called Hanif who rejected the idols of their time and who used to practice the fast as a way to get closer to God, by depriving themselves from basic needs and pulsions: eating, drinking and having sex.

For Islam, fasting in Ramadan is a way for believers to put themselves in the shoes of poor people and of Prophet Muhammad, hence allowing them to better understand the 4 other pillars of Islam.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad.

Today in the world, around a quarter of the population is Muslim.

Ramadan Kareem to all! 🙂

Sources : “Les soufis” Idries Shah, Traité de l’Amour, Ibn Arabi.
Pic: Eva Besse