CONTENTS • WHAT IS RAMDAN KAREEM?

• WHAT RAMDAN LOOKS LIKE AROUND THE WORLD?– ISTANBUL, TURKEY– INDONESIA– HYDERABAD, INDIA– LONDON, ENGLAND– JERUSALEM– GAZA CITY, PALESTINE– SINGAPORE

• MAKKAH'S LARGEST IFTAR

• HOLIEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR

• HEALTH BENEFITS OF DATES DURING RAMADAN IFTAR

• ZAMZAM WATER

WHAT IS RAMDAN KAREEM?

• In the month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain.

• Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar.• Everyday during this month, Muslims around the world

spend daylights hours fasting.• During the day eating, drinking, smoking, as well as

participating in anything that is ill-natured is prohibited.• Fasting is intended to educate Muslims in spirituality,

humility & patience.• It is a time to cleanse the soul, focus attention on God, & put

selflessness into practice.

WHAT RAMADAN KAREEM LOOKS LIKE AROUND THE WORLD?

ISTANBUL, TURKEY• Thousands of Turkish people are

seen breaking their fasting at the Blue Mosque square in Istanbul, during the 1st day of the holy month of Ramadan.

• Ramadan is sacred to Muslims as it is during that month that tradition says, the Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Mohammed.

• Fasting is one of the five main religious obligations under Islam.

INDONESIA

Indonesian Muslims praying the first Tarawih as they begin fasting for Ramadan at Al-Akbar Mosque in Surabaya, Indonesia.

HYDERABAD, INDIA

Indian Muslim boys offer prayers prior to breaking their fast on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.

LONDON, ENGLANDMen carry out Wudu, a washing procedure in preparation for prayer, at the East London Mosque before the first Friday prayers of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in London, England.

JERUSALEM

Palestinian Muslim worshipers pray outside the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem during the first Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan.

GAZA CITY, PALESTINE

Blind & visually impaired Palestinian girls read the Braille version of the Qur’an during a Qur’an memorization class at the main center of Dar al-Quran Society, on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Gaza City.

SINGAPORE

Bangladeshi workers prepare to break fast during the holy month of Ramadan at a makeshift mosque near their dormitory in Singapore.

MAKKAH'S LARGE IFTAR STRETCHES FOR 12KM

• The squares within & outside the Holy Mosque of Makkah witness during Ramadan the biggest Iftar in the world.

• More than 12,000 metres of tablecloth are stretched daily for Iftar along the Mosque area for worshippers to end their fast.

• Officials in charge of the iftar in the Holy Mosque say the daily cost amounts to about 1 million Saudi riyals (Dh982,200).

• Iftar does not take more than 15 minutes - from the time people stretch the tablecloths out to the time the left over food is cleared.

RAMADAN HAS THE HOLIEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR

• In Islam, the Night of Power, or Laylat al-Qadr, is when the 1st verses of the Quran were revealed to Muhammad by God.

• It is considered the holiest night of the year.

• On this night, Muslims believe angels come down to Earth & God forgives all sins.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING DATES DURING RAMADAN IFTAR

• Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended us to break fast during Ramadan (Iftar) with dates. 

• Dates are easy to digest so they don’t exhaust the fasting person stomach.

• Dates decrease hunger of the fasting person & so he doesn’t rush into excessive food eating which causes digestion disorders.

• Dates prepare the stomach to receive food after being inactive through out the day by activating release of digestive secretions & juices.

• Dates are very rich with sugar energy & hence the body is supplied with the most important nutrient which is sugar that is irreplaceable as a nutrient for the brain cells & nerves.

ZAM ZAM WATER

• In the Muslim faith, the Well of Zam zam reflects the heavens’ care of female believers as it was a gift from God sent to Hagar, wife of Abraham & mother of Ismail.

• When crossing the desert with her son Ismail, Hagar opened her arms to the sky & said: “God will watch over us.” Indeed, the well was revealed to Hagar & its waters continue to flow till our days.

• 200 thousand bottles of the water are packed per day are & charged 5 Saudi Riyals for a 10-liter bottle. The factory’s daily production doubles in Ramadan due to the high demand of the water of Zam zam in Mecca, Saudi Arabia