Srinagar, Feb 18 (IANS) After the Ramadan crescent was sighted at many places in the country, including in J&K, on Wednesday, the 30-day-long Muslim fasting month will begin on Thursday.

Muslims throughout the world observe dawn-to-dusk fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

The month is observed as the month of prayer and penance. Devout Muslims offer the routine five-time daily prayers and, in addition, also offer the ‘Tarawih’ prayers in the evening.

Tarawih (or Taraweeh/Taravi) refers to special, voluntary Sunnah prayers performed by Muslims at night during the holy month of Ramadan, typically after Isha (the fifth and final mandatory daily Islamic prayer, performed after twilight disappears).

Tarawih prayers are usually done in congregation, often consisting of 8 or 20 rak’ah (cycles) to complete the recitation of the Quran throughout the month, promising immense rewards.

Charity, piety, compassion and brotherhood among the faithful are the guiding spirits of Ramadan, and from the most affluent to the most ordinary, Muslims stand in a single file to beg for pardon and seek promise of a better eternal life after death.

The evening before Ramadan was marked by hectic buying by Muslims in Srinagar city and other towns and villages of Kashmir.

Dates are the most sought-after fruit during the holy month, as most Muslims prefer to break their daylong fast with them, followed by food and water.

Long queues of locals were seen in the evening before grocery shops and other places selling edibles as people went out to buy stocks for the holy month.

Children, unless they attain majority, are not supposed to keep the Ramadan fast, but many curious children, inspired by the enthusiasm of parents, insist on keeping the fast at least on the first day of the month.

Local administration had made adequate arrangements of edibles, including foodstuffs, dairy products, chicken and mutton.

The successful completion of Ramadan is celebrated by Muslims as the Eid al-Fitr festival. It is after a month’s fasting that Muslims take their lunch on the Eid festival.

–IANS

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