In keeping with their faith, Mormons all over the world fast once a month for two meals. Lest any Latter-day Saint think that's a sacrifice, consider your local Mosque during Ramadan.Islam, a religion of 1.4 billion adherents and somewhere between 2 million and 7 million followers in the United States, bases its holidays on a lunar calendar. So while Ramadan is always the ninth month of the year, the time of the holy month varies through the Julian calendar.This year, Ramadan begins Aug. 11.During the Ramadan season, Muslims 12 and older fast from "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight" for an entire month, according to the Quran. In Mormon lingo, "fasting" means no food or water for a period of time. The Arabic word, however, means to refrain, and Muslims restrain their entire body.__IMAGE1__"That is the easy part of the fasting," said Dr. Iqbal Hossain, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake. "The difficult part is fasting from all kinds of vices."For example, Muslims restrain their mouths from idle talk and gossip, and their ears from listening to obscenities. They also refrain from smoking and sexual intercourse.The entire restraint is meant to purify souls through prayer and self-sacrifice.Muslims rise before sunrise to partake in a pre-fast meal, which is called "suhoor." After sundown, they break their fast with an "iftar" meal. They usually invite friends and family to share in the meal in celebration of the holy month.Besides fasting, Ramadan is also a time for introspection and re-evaluation, to fix relationships, give alms, forgive others and refocus worship on Allah."Fasting is a way to prove to God, just as Abraham did, that we are willing to pay any price to please him," Hossain said. "Fasting is also a way to feel the pain of poverty, people who don't get to eat a decent meal. It's a way to remind ourselves how they feel."Ramadan is considered the holiest month of the year because it is when Allah revealed the Quran — Islam's holy book — to the prophet Muhammad. To honor the groundbreaking revelation, the Quran is broken up into 30 parts, and each part is read in the evening during prayer. Some time during the end of the month, Muslims celebrate the Laylat al-Qadr: the "Night of Power." It is then that Muslims believe Muhammad received the first part of the Quran.The end of Ramadan is also a time of celebration and is marked with a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr, which means "Festival of Breaking the Fast." Families celebrate the holiday with elaborate feasts and dress in their finest clothes.
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