Fasting generally entails abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations from before the first light of dawn until the setting of the sun. Muslims are required to fast on each of the 29 to 30 days of Ramadan. If unable to fast, charity or fasting days outside Ramadan may suffice. A pre-dawn meal is common and considered to be a highly meritorious practice. Breaking fast at sundown is often done with dates and milk, followed by a fuller meal after the evening prayers. In addition to the five daily prayers, a very important optional practice is to gather for additional communal prayers after the night prayer each night of the month. This prayer is called Tarawih.

The holy month of Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic lunar calendar. It is a month of fasting, worship, service, communal gathering, and spiritual development. Fasting in Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Since there are 12 lunar months superimposed over 12 solar months, Ramadan “moves back” about 11 days per solar year. In 2024, the first day of fasting is expected to be March 11, though given differing interpretive schools among Muslim communities, some may declare the month to begin a day before or after the predicted date. Likewise, the holiday commemorating the end of fasting, most often called Eid al-Fitr in the US, may fall on different days according to varying family, cultural, or interpretive preferences.