RAMADAN. The date of the first day of Ramadan 2022 has been set for this Saturday, April 2 in France. The Mosque of Paris confirmed it yesterday, following the CFCM which had already communicated this date before. Here are the answers to key questions about the month of fasting in France…
The essential
- Ramadan 2022 began this Saturday April 2 for some 4 to 5 million Muslims in France. The start date of the month of fasting was confirmed this Friday evening by the Great Paris Mosque. The month of Ramadan 1443, according to the Islamic lunar calendar, should last until May 2, with a night of doubt scheduled for May 1 to set the end date.
- Here are the answers to some key questions about Ramadan, which begins in France this weekend.
Questions answers
What is zakat al fitr?
As the CFCM (French Council of Muslim Worship) recalled in mid-March, zakat al-fitr, “religiously payable by any Muslim family”, is “intended for the poor regardless of their religious affiliation”. Third pillar of Islam, it went from 5 to 7 euros per person in 2018 (an increase mainly due to inflation).
Why do fasting start and end times change during Ramadan?
Once the month of Ramadan has officially started, observant Muslims will carefully scrutinize the times of sunrise and sunset. Because these evolve throughout the holy month. How is it possible ? As everyone knows, the days grow between the winter solstice and the summer solstice, roughly located around December 21 and June 21. From this second date, the phenomenon is reversed. The beginning and the end of the daily fast, but also the prayer times, are directly affected by this phenomenon.
What is the significance of Ramadan fasting?
Fasting (saum) is precisely described in the Quran. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are advised not to eat, drink, smoke, or have sex between dawn and sunset. More generally, asceticism concerns all behavior considered contrary to Islam. This restriction is to celebrate the month when the holy book was revealed to Mohammed. At night, celebrations (including meals) are permitted, if not encouraged. The evening meal, iftar, is a key moment: many Muslims gather at home, in cultural centers or mosques to share food.
Why do fasting start and end times change during Ramadan?
Once the month of Ramadan is officially launched, observant Muslims carefully scrutinize the times of sunrise and sunset. Because these evolve throughout the holy month. How is it possible ? As everyone knows, the days grow between the winter solstice and the summer solstice, roughly located around December 21 and June 21. From this second date, the phenomenon is reversed. The beginning and the end of the daily fast, but also the times of prayers, are directly affected by this phenomenon.
What does Ramadan commemorate?
Every year, practicing Muslims fast for a whole month to commemorate an episode in the Islamic narrative in particular: the revelation of the Koran to the Prophet Muhammad. This event would have taken place in the year 610, during the “Night of Destiny“.
How to wish a good Ramadan 2022? Here is the correct formula
To wish a “Happy Ramadan” to loved ones, family members or friends, you must say or write “Ramadan Mubarak“. The meaning of the expression is quite simple, it amounts to saying that we want this period of fasting to go as well as possible for the one who undertakes it.
Can you bite your nails during Ramadan?
If the question is whether or not nail biting affects fasting, the answer is no, unless the person intentionally swallows those nail pieces. Also, the hands must be clean so as not to swallow anything.
What are the prayers that punctuate the days during Ramadan?
Praying during the day is part of the moral injunctions of Ramadan. They are five in number and punctuate the day of Muslims: fejr, the dawn prayer, it is the first obligatory prayer of the day, dhuhr, the early afternoon prayer, asser, the prayer of late afternoon, maghreb, the prayer at the time of sunset and isha, the last prayer which must be performed before midnight.
Can we take a shower during Ramadan?
Bathing or showering is allowed during Ramadan. However, if water is swallowed involuntarily, it does not invalidate the fast. Swimming is also permitted during fasting, but diving should be avoided, as there is a risk of water entering the stomach through the mouth or nose.
Learn more
The start of Ramadan 2022 (1443) has therefore been set for Saturday, April 2, 2022 in France. The Grand Mosque of Paris announced it on April 1 in a press release. According to a March 13 press release relayed by the group franceinfo, the CFCM (French Council of Muslim Worship), representative body of Islam in France, had previously announced the astronomical date of the beginning of the month of Ramadan in these terms: “In accordance with scientific data, the conjunction of the new moon of Ramadan 1443H will take place on April 1, 2022 at 06:24 hours (UTC). The visibility of the moon will be possible on the same day on the American continent and part of the African continent,” said the office of the instance. As a result, “Saturday April 2, 2022 is the first day of Ramadan in the year 1443H”.
The Mosque of Paris has approved the astronomical date of Ramadan 2022 (1443) in France, after the lunar observation during the Night of Doubt. You should know that two methods coexist in effect in France to determine the start of the month of Ramadan: traditional lunar observation and astronomical calculations. In its press release of March 15 entitled “Announcement of the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan”, the Coordination of National Muslim Federations (FFAICA, GMP, MF and RMF) meeting at the Great Mosque of Paris, that these two methods are “complementary”. It specified on this point that during the “Night of Doubt”, the “Theological Commission of the Coordination (…) will take into consideration the results of the work on the adoption of scientific calculation and universal astronomical data for the determination of the beginning and end of the blessed month of Ramadan”.
During the month of fasting, Muslims honor five prayers a day: Fejr, Dhuhr, Asser, Maghreb and Icha. The Ramadan calendar allows you to know the times of the prayers in question.
Regarding the representation of Muslims in France, an important change took place in March 2021, with the split between the French Council for Muslim Worship, the institution representing the Muslim faith in France and four of its former Muslim federations (the famous FFAIACA, GMP, MF and RMF). Since that thunderclap in the sky of Islam in France, the CFCM is once again relying on scientific data to formalize the dates of Ramadan, several weeks in advance. It is also the modus operandi followed by the Muslim Theological Council of France (CTMF, a body of imams particularly close to the Muslim Brotherhood, but who do not replace the representative bodies).
Another recent twist, the four dissident federations of the CFCM established their “National Council of Imams” at the end of November 2021. The Elysée had made this request to the CFCM in the fall of 2020, as part of the fight against Islam radical and “separatism”. The four federations which have taken their independence therefore wish to “label” the imams practicing in France by themselves, a role which the CFCM is already contesting as related 20 minutes.