Ramadan Calendar 2012

Ramadan Calendar 2012 

Ramadan (also known as Ramadhan or Ramzan) is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is a period of prayer, fasting, charity and self-accountability for Muslims. The first verses of the Koran (Qu’ran) was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during the last third of Ramadan, making this a holy period.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is a time of self-examination and increased religious devotion. It is common to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor) before sunrise and an evening meal (iftar) after sunset during Ramadan. Some groups of people, including the chronically ill, mentally challenged, and the elderly who cannot participate due to health reasons, are exempt from fasting. It is also not allowed to have sexual relations or smoke during the day.

Ramadan is also a time for many Muslims to donate to charity by participating in food drives for the poor, organizing a collection or charity event, and other voluntary activities. They are also encouraged to read the Qur’an often during Ramadan. Muslim men recite the entire Qur’an by the end of Ramadan through special prayers known as Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a section of the Qur’an is recited.

All businesses and organizations amend opening hours to suit prayer times during Ramadan in India. There may also be some congestion around mosques during prayer times, such as in the evenings.

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. Islamic Calendar consists of 12 months and lasts for about 354 days. The word “Ramadan” is derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of food and drink. It is considered to be the most holy and blessed month.

Ramadan Timetable

The month of Ramadan traditionally begins with a new moon sighting, marking the start of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. Many Muslims (except children, the sick and the elderly) abstain from food, drink, and certain other activities during daylight hours in Ramadan. This is considered as the holiest season in the Islamic year and commemorates the time when the Qu’ran is said to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This occurred on Laylat Al-Qadr, one of the last 10 nights of the month. Ramadan ends when the first crescent of the new moon is sighted again, marking the new lunar month’s start. Eid-ul-Fitr is the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

Ramadan Calendar 2012 India

Ramadan Calendar 2012 India will start from Friday, July 20, 2012 and ends on Saturday, August 18, 2012.

Eid ul Fitr 2012 India

Eid ul Fitr will be celebrated on Sunday, August 19, 2012 after the completion of Ramadan Calendar 2012 in India.

• Fajr: Fajr prayer time starts, End of Sehri/Suhoor time (it’s better to finish Suhoor/Sehri 5 minutes earlier of the Fajr prayer start time)
• Shuruq: Sunrise
• Zuhr: Zuhr prayer time starts
• Asr: Asr prayer time starts
• Maghrib/Iftari: Iftari time for Ramadan 2012 and Maghrib prayer time starts
• Isha: Isha prayer time starts

Ramadan – Order and encouragement to fast

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you in order that you might learn piety . . . . The month of Ramadan is that wherein was revealed the Qur’an, as a guidance to mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion. So, whoever among you witnesses the month should fast.” [Al-Qur'an 2:183, 185]

“Every deed of the Son of Adam is for himself, except fasting – it is for Me, and I shall reward it.” [Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]

“There is not any believer who remains hungry, and abstains from the forbidden things, and does not wrongfully consume the wealth of Muslims, except that Allah will feed him from the fruits of Heaven.”[Musnad Abu Hanifah]

“Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and expectation [of reward], his previous sins are forgiven him.”[Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i]

Ramadan – Rewards of fasting in general

“Fasting is a shield.” [Ahmad]

“There is not any servant who fasts a day in the path of Allah, except that Allah will distance him from the Fire by a distance of seventy years.” [Bukhari, Muslim]

“Fasting the month of patience and three days of each month remove rancor of the heart.” [Ahmad, Bazzar]

Ramadan – Warning against abandoning fasting in Ramadan

“Whoever breaks his fast in Ramadan without a [valid] concession or illness, he cannot repay it, even if he were to fast the rest of his life.” [Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah]

Ramadan – Rules Related to Fasting

THE OBLIGATION OF FASTING

a) The time for fasting is from the rising of the second dawn until the setting of the sun.

b) Fasting is: abstention from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse by day with the intention.

THE INTENTION

The fasting is valid with an intention from the night, but if one did not intend until the morning, the intention suffices him between [dawn] and {the middle of the day}.

1. Things which invalidates fasting and requires full recompense

1.1 If someone intentionally does one of the following without any valid excuse (see 6 below)

a) Does not fast at all

b) Breaks fast by eating, drinking and sexual activities

c) Assuming that cupping has broken ones fast thus quit fasting for the day.

1.2 Expiation for the above is to

a) Fast unceasingly for two months (60 days), if one breaks fast during this one has to start anew.

b) If unable to do so, it is to feed 60 needy persons two full meals.

c) If unable to do so, it is to free one slave.
1.3 Things that break fast and requires one to fast similar numbers of days in recompense

a) If something is entered into the body during the hours when one is supposed to fast, irrelevant of how it entered into the body. (See 5)

• To eat something such as stone particle or smoking anything.
• When water enters stomach while gargling
• When one is fed by force even when one is sleeping or unconscious
• Inject medicine; place them on wounds which eventually get in.
• Eating by mistake thinking it is still night or iftar time is due while it is not.
• Involuntary full mouth vomiting and subsequent swallowing of it or part of it.
• When one is force into sexual intercourse or when one is sleeping or unconscious

b) Fasting without intention
c) Breaking (iftar) fast without the intention of doing so.
d) Lustful kissing of one’s spouse
e) Emission of semen due to touching, kissing, masturbation.
f) Intentional vomiting.

2. Offensive acts during fasting

a) Backbiting, slander
b) To lie or deceive
c) To use abusive language
d) Not having iftar
e) Taste a food without swallowing it, using toothpaste.
f) Gargling water due to thirsts or hot weather.
g) Wrapping one with wet clothes.
h) Throwing up intentionally
i) Weakening the body (e.g. strenuous sport)
j) Gathering saliva and swallowing it;

3. Days when fasting is forbidden

a) Day of Eid al Fitr (Eid of Ramadan)
b) During Eid al Adha 10, 11, 12 and 13 of month of Dhul Hijjah

4. Events when it is allowed to break the fast and fast later the similar number of days

a) If fasting aggravates health-condition
b) Snake biting
c) Thirsts due to newly developed disease
d) genuine danger for a pregnant mother, or for her fetus.
e) Genuine fear for the life of a suckling infant
f) Reason to fear death
g) Menstruation
h) If one is a traveler

5. Things that do not break fast

a) Those things which would otherwise break fast do not do so when one is unaware of the fact that one is fasting (complete forgetfulness of fasting).

b) Entrance of insects (i.e mosquitoes), smoke and dust from natural environment does not break fast.

c) Wet dream, swallowing one’s own saliva when still in the mouth, brushing teeth, smearing oil, ointment on unwounded body do not break fast. Or used antimony [in his eyes],

d) If one is overcome by vomiting, his fast is not broken.

6. Etiquette and desirable practices

1.       Preparing for the month.

2.       Bringing to mind the bounty of Allah.

3.       Purifying one’s intention

4.       Pre-dawn meal (suhur) as late as safely possible.

5.       Not unnecessarily delaying the breaking of the fast.

6.       Performing salat al-Maghrib soon after breaking the fast, then returning to eat.

7.       Making du`a at the time of breaking the fast.

8.       Enabling others to break their fasts.

9.       Abstaining from all forbidden deeds.

10.   Maintaining a pleasant disposition.

11.   Abundant reciting of the Qur’an.

12.   Abundant charity.

13.   Performing tarawih prayers.

7. Miscellaneous

a) The intention of fasting can be made as late as just before noon, if one forgets to do so during the previous night. If one passes noon without making the intention ones fasting is invalid.(1.3b)

b) One should eat before the day breaks even when one is not hungry.

c) For a woman whenever during the day menstruation stops she should be observing fasting even though it is not a fast for her. She should fast if it happens just before morning and did not have enough time to take shower and eat.

d) If a woman menstruates, she stops fasting and makes up [fasting for the days of menstruation].

e) Someone who lost consciousness in Ramadan does not make up the day on which the loss of consciousness occurred, but he makes up that which came after it.

f) If a traveler arrives, or a [menstruating] woman attains purity with part of the day [remaining], they abstain [from those things which invalidate fasting] for the rest of that day.