April 1, 2025
Ramadan is one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar. For Kafirs (non-Muslims), it’s often a time of curiosity—what does this month mean, why do Muslims fast, and how does it connect to the broader framework of Islamic doctrine?
This article explores Ramadan’s origins, its practices, what it reveals about Islamic ideology, and the implications on it being practiced in non-Islamic societies.
What Is Ramadan? A Quick Overview
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a time when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food, drink, and other physical needs. It’s one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The month of Ramadan commemorates the first revelation of the Koran to Mohammed, which Islamic tradition places in 610 AD in a cave near Mecca.
Koran 2:185 states: The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind...
Why Do Muslims Fast During Ramadan?
Fasting (sawm) during Ramadan is mandated in the Koran.
Koran 2:183 states: O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you…
Muslims are supposed to fast during this month because the Koran says so.
Ramadan Rules and Exemptions
Muslims wake before dawn for suhoor (a pre-fast meal), refrain from eating or drinking until sunset, and break their fast each evening with a meal called iftar.
- Who fasts during Ramadan? Adult Muslims who are physically and mentally able must fast. Exemptions apply to the sick, elderly, pregnant or nursing women, travelers, and children before puberty.
- What is forbidden during Ramadan? Beyond food and drink, fasting includes avoiding sexual activity and smoking.
- When does Ramadan fasting end? After sunset, Muslims gather for iftar, often communally, followed by extra prayers called Taraweeh. Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr, a celebration of breaking the fast.
How does fasting affect Muslims?
Because of the large evening meals, night becomes day in many families. In Islamic societies, food consumption during this period is significantly higher than in the rest of the year.
Children are overtired, and normal school and work routines are disrupted. Islamic societies adjust their pace of life to fit Ramadan. Many Muslims also spend the day in bed.
More widely, fasting reinforces Islamic identity and submission to Sharia, the legal code derived from the Koran and Hadith. Historically, Mohammed used Ramadan to strengthen his followers’ resolve during key military campaigns, like the Battle of Badr in 624 AD, a pivotal victory for early Islam.
Muslims are encouraged to study the Koran intensively.
What does this mean for Kafirs (non-Muslims)?
Islamic doctrine divides people into Muslims and Kafirs. Fasting, along with all the obligations and restrictions around it, reinforces this division of the world.
Historically, Mohammed’s Ramadan victories—like Badr—set a precedent: submission to Islam brings triumph over Kafirs. In Mohammed's biography, the Sira, the battle of Badr is described as an attack on a caravan of Meccan pagans carrying goods from Syria towards their city of Mecca. It was the first major jihadi attack against Kafirs that Mohammed led in his military career. The attack was during Ramadan.
The first Eid festival/meal was celebrated by Mohammed at the end of Ramadan after the battle of Badr to mark his victory against the Meccans. It is a celebration of triumph over Kafirs.
From this perspective, Ramadan isn’t neutral. It’s a doctrinal act with historical ties to the expansion of Islamic political power.
Today, Ramadan can be used as a tool. Islamic organizations can use Ramadan to expand their influence, advocating for Sharia accommodations in non-Islamic societies. For example, demands for prayer rooms or halal food in schools often spike around Ramadan. This is politics.
Non-Muslims aren’t expected to fast, but in some countries, public eating during daylight hours can be restricted under Sharia-based laws. Even in non-Islamic countries, Kafirs may be pressured to accommodate fasting rules. This reflects the outward reach of Islamic doctrine—rules don’t just govern Muslims, they also shapes the lives of non-Muslims.
Statistically, more acts of violent jihad occur during the month of Ramadan than in the rest of the year.
Why is that so?
Let's take a look at some Koran verses that are relevant for Kafirs (non-Muslims).
The Koran clearly shows Allah’s attitude towards Kafirs:
Koran 1:7
The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.
Koran 8:55
Lo! the worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the ungrateful who will not believe.
Koran 33:61
Accursed, they will be seized wherever found and slain with a (fierce) slaughter.
Kafirs (non-Muslims) can be:
mocked (Koran 83:34)
disgraced (Koran 37:18)
punished (Koran 25:77)
plotted against (Koran 86:15-17) terrorized (Koran 8:12-14)
made war on (Koran 9:29)
beheaded (Koran 47:4)
annihilated (Koran 6:45)
killed/murdered (Koran 2:191, Koran 33:61)
mutilated, crucified (Koran 5:33)
raped (Sira, Ishaq 759)
Politicians and clergy are often invited to Iftar meals. For breaking the fast after sunset. Can't these events improve relations between cultures?
The Koran says 12 times that you should not befriend non-Muslims. Here is one such verse:
Koran 4:144
O ye who believe! Choose not disbelievers for (your) friends in place of believers. Would ye give Allah a clear warrant against you
On the one hand, these events serve the Dawa – the invitation to Islam; on the other hand, they are a deception to suggest a “peaceful coexistence” that only exists as long as Islam is weak. This allows Islamic political power to spread undisturbed.
Why are there more acts of violent jihad during Ramadan?
Mohammed, who is considered a perfect role model, waged more wars during Ramadan.
Some examples: In the year 624, the first and most important battle at Badr took place during Ramadan. The conquest of Mecca in 630 also took place during Ramadan. In fact, a whole list of Islamic wars have taken place during Ramadan.
Isn't that a misinterpretation of the Koran?
On the contrary, the Koran commands Muslims to fight against Kafirs:
Koran 2:216
Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.
Koran 9:29
Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low.
This means that Kafirs can either accept Islam, submit to it, or be killed.
If Ramadan is an obligation for Muslims, is there any alternative?
The Darura principle exempts Muslims from performing the actions that are obligatory for them without committing a sin if the external situation forces them to do so.
Koran 4:28
Allah would make the burden light for you, for man was created weak.
Koran 5:6
O ye who believe! When ye rise up for prayer, wash you faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it. Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks.
Koran 2:173
He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Therefore, it is not necessary to make any accommodations regarding Ramadan, halal products, or any other Islamic demands or requests.
Want to dig deeper? Explore our resources on Islamic doctrine or watch our video “Why We Are Afraid” for a crash course on Islam’s political history.