What is Ramadan?

During Ramadan Muslims, between sunrise and sunset, will abstain from food and drink – as well as ill actions and impure thoughts. This is a time for reflection and contemplation, as well as a time for giving which is why Muslims are obliged to pay Zakat ul-Fitr (Fitrana) during Ramadan before the Eid prayers begin. 

As the Islamic calendar goes by the sighting of the moon, Ramadan will fall roughly 10 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar and, thus, there is no exact time and date. When Ramadan falls during the summer months, this often means that Muslims will be fasting for between 18 and 20 hours a day (depending on their location), while the years that Ramadan falls in the winter months means a considerably shorter fasting period. 

What is Zakat ?

Zakat is an Islamic finance term referring to the obligation that an individual has to donate a certain proportion of wealth each year to charitable causes. Zakat is a mandatory process for Muslims and is regarded as a form of worship. Giving away money to the poor is said to purify yearly earnings that are over and above what is required to provide the essential needs of a person or family.