The start of Ramadan can be known from astronomical data printed in newspapers, while those who insist on sighting the moon get the date wrong every year.1, 2, 3
God's precise system lets the rise and set of the moon and planets be known to fractions of minutes, so insisting on sighting the moon to fast Ramadan is foolish.1, 2, 3
Even though God gives permission to break the fast for various excuses, fasting is best for you, so if you can fast you should, since nobody dies from a day without food.1, 2, 3
The month of Ramadan existed before Muhammad was born.1
The specified days of fasting begin with the appearance of the new moon of the ninth month and end with the new moon of the tenth month.1, 2
The whole universe is designed for the test; Ramadan moving into longer days filters out all but the die hard believers, and the earth's tilt lengthens the days to test us.1, 2, 3
Those who are ill or traveling may fast an equal number of other days, and those who find fasting too difficult may feed a poor person for each day, because God wishes convenience for us.1, 2, 3
Volunteering to feed more poor people than required is better.1
When fasting was first decreed to Abraham, there was no intercourse throughout the whole month, and verse 187 later modified this to allow intercourse during the nights of Ramadan.1, 2, 3
God's prescribed practices such as Salat, Zakat, and fasting have reasons behind them, and we do them hoping they will cleanse us.1, 2, 3
The Quran prescribes fasting a specific number of days and does not call for extra fasting, while it does encourage extra prayer at night; extra fasting for other reasons is just dieting.1, 2, 3
A husband who estranged his wife this way and then reconciles must free a slave before resuming intercourse, or if he cannot, fast two consecutive months, or if unable to fast, feed persons.1, 2, 3
The seven days of fasting for a pilgrim who cannot afford the sacrifice are done after returning home, which does not apply to those who live there.1, 2, 3
The initial fasting decree forbade sexual intercourse throughout Ramadan, day and night, and it was later modified to allow intercourse during the nights of Ramadan.1, 2
Because the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, Ramadan moves through the seasons, a designed test showing who will obey God no matter how long or hot the day is.1, 2, 3
Fasting tames the body, trains a strong will, prepares us for the eternal life of the Hereafter, and helps the soul grow and develop.1, 2, 3, 4
The other four pillars, Salat, Zakat, Hajj, and fasting, are mentioned in the Quran 114 times, and the sura and verse numbers where they occur add up to multiples of 19.1, 2, 3, 4
Fasting Ramadan exercises the soul by denying the body food and drink, and zakat means taking money the body loves and giving it to the poor.1, 2, 3
The fasting of Ramadan was slightly modified in the Quran in verse 2:187.1
Fasting as commonly practiced is wrong, with people sleeping all day, using fasting as an excuse to be nasty, and timing the moon wrongly although computers give its exact times.1, 2, 3
God designed the changing sunrise times, and likewise the Ramadan fast, as a sifting process to find the real believers who carry out His commandments no matter what.1, 2, 3, 4
God makes fasting days range from short cool days to long hot days as part of the test, and fasting is good for health and harms no one.1, 2, 3, 4
Religious duties such as prayer and fasting are designed for our own benefit, to develop and grow our souls.1, 2, 3
The soul needs first to worship God alone, and then it needs nourishment through the five daily prayers and fasting.1, 2, 3
Anyone who does not sacrifice an animal during Hajj under certain conditions is to fast three days during Hajj and seven days after returning home.1, 2, 3
Fasting is designed to make you the boss over your body, which most people are enslaved to.1, 2, 3
Every Muslim must observe the contact prayer and fast Ramadan, rich or poor, while Zakat is only for the rich and not every Muslim performs Hajj, which the numbers reflect.1, 2, 3
Prayer, fasting, and zakat are limited, but commemorating God has no limit; believers are to remember God a lot and glorify Him day and night.1, 2, 3
Muslims fast wrongly: they never agree on when Ramadan begins or ends, quit productive work, become angry and obnoxious, and blame it on the fast.1, 2, 3, 4
The daily contact with God is the most efficient way to develop the soul, and fasting at a specific time of year is another method God gave.1, 2, 3