Ramadan is one of the five requirements (or pillars) of Islam. During each of its 30 days, Muslims are obligated to fast from dawn until sunset. During this time they are supposed to abstain from food, drinking liquids, smoking, and sexual relations. This year, Ramadan is from March 1, 2025 - March 29, 2025.
Drum beats roll through the streets to wake people up well before dawn so that breakfast (sahur) can be eaten before the sun begins to change the sky's color. They need some nourishment and energy to last the day of fasting. Women typically spend the afternoons preparing a big meal (iftar) to break the fast after sunset. Traditionally families break the fast with a drink of water, then three dried date fruits, and a multi-course meal. They will often invite others in the community to join them for iftar and talk about spiritual things.
Though many have stopped fasting in recent years and are turned off by the hypocrisy, increased crime rates, and rudeness that is pervasive through the month "due to hunger", others have become more serious about religion during this time. Many attend the evening prayer services and do the other ritual prayers. Some even read the entire Quran (about a tenth the length of the Bible).
Many seekers have intense dreams of a "man in white" particularly during this month and find out after talking with a Christian that this man in white is Jesus and what they dreamed about is in the Bible. This sincere seeking makes it a strategic time for us to pray for them and also for any believers who encounter them.
On the 27th night of Ramadan (March 27 this year) Muslims celebrate Kadir Gecesi - or the Night of Power. Ramadan is the holiest month for all Muslims around the world and Kadir Gecesi is the holiest night of Ramadan. It's the night in which the first verses of the Koran are believed to have been revealed to Prophet Muhammed while he was in a cave on the mount of Hira, near Mecca, in the year 610 AD. The Night of Power is so valuable that it is considered better than a thousand months and worshiping on this night is better than eighty-three years of worship. It is considered the most spiritually charged night of Ramadan because the veil between paradise and earth is at it's thinnest. This is the night that Muslims seek forgiveness for all their wrongs and ask Allah for all the blessings of this world and the next.
After the month of fasting for Ramadan, there is a 3-day celebration called "Ramazan Bayramı" (in Turkish) where family and friends go visit one another to celebrate with sweets and good food. If you are at odds with anyone or anyone has been cursed, visiting the offender/offendee during Ramazan Bayramı will "wipe the slate clean" and reset your friendship without ever having to talk about the offense. This 3-day celebration is a prime time for spiritual conversations as well.
