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What Is Ramadan?

Sundown in Ramadan--time for breakfast

Ramadan is the Islamic calendar's ninth month, and the time of the year when Muslims worldwide fast each day from sunrise to sunset. Why? Because their holy book, the Qur'an, tells them to--and because they believe the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad during Ramadan and said "Iqraa!"

That word--usually translated as "Read!" or "Proclaim!" or "Recite!"--marks an epochal event in Islamic history. With it, Muslims believe, Muhammad began to receive (and recite) the verses that make up the Qur'an, the literal words of Allah.

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Almanac