Ramadan: a wish for peace to all Muslim friends.

On the occasion of the beginning of Ramadan, the Cultural Institute of Iran in Rome offers all readers, your families and the entire Islamic community in Italy and in the world its sincere and warm fraternal greetings. Hoping that God accepts our fasting, our prayers, our vigils

the holy fasting month of Ramadan, with all its import of prayers and traditions, renunciations and celebrations. The anniversary recalls when in 610 BC the angel Gabriel, according to the Muslim religion, appeared to the noble Prophet of Islam Mohammad (Saw) revealing the Koran to him. The start and end dates change constantly because Islam uses a calendar based on lunar cycles, which sets the recurrence 10 or 11 days back each year from the Gregorian one. The exact start is determined by the sighting of the moon expected this year on the evening of Wednesday 22 March with the fast to be respected starting from the following dawn. The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ar-ramad which means "strong heat", "torrid". In general, according to Islamic precepts, fasting is only necessary if one is in good health even if – together with prayer, charity, pilgrimage to Mecca and profession of faith – it is one of the five pillars of Islam. The end of Ramadan is marked by the holiday of Eid al-Fitr. However, fasting is accompanied not only by numerous prayers but also by a myriad of local traditions that vary from country to country.

What is fasting in Islam

The prayer time