Ramadan 1444/ 2023 is here!

British Muslims, are you ready for this Ramadan? Well brace yourselves, as it has just been confirmed that the moon was not sighted this evening. Therefore, the first fast will be observed on Thursday, 23 March, and the first tarāwīh prayers will be held on Wednesday, 22 March, if Allah wills. We could not be happier and thank Allah immensely, for allowing each and every one of us to reach this pivotal point in the Islamic calendar once more.

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Reviving Ramadan: Unique video & written content The Islam21c Challenge Reviving Ramadan Conference Also read

Furthermore, local moon-sighting groups in the UK will be carrying out sightings on Wednesday, making it very likely that we will all begin Ramadan at the same time this year, if Allah wills. At this extremely close stage, we pray that we all make it to the month, by Allah’s will. [1] [2] [3]

Allah (subḥānahu wa ta’āla) states in the Qur’ān,

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ فَعِدَّةٌۭ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

“It was in the month of Ramadan that the Qur’ān was revealed as guidance for mankind, clear messages giving guidance and distinguishing between right and wrong. So any one of you who is present that month should fast, and anyone who is ill or on a journey should make up for the lost days by fasting on other days later. God wants ease for you, not hardship. He wants you to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him for having guided you, so that you may be thankful.” [4]

As readers might have guessed, at Islam21c we have been particularly busy in preparation, and have plenty of inspiring and transformational themed content to share with you. Throughout this month, we have a number of key elements that we will be making live on our site, as well as on the usual social media platforms.

In this short video, our Head of Islamic Thought, Dr. Salman Butt, introduces Reviving Ramadan, and the various thematic and content-specific aspects of the campaign

Reviving Ramadan: Unique video & written content

In addition to our regular news and spiritual/ opinion pieces, there will also be two exclusive video and article series that will go live under the combined theme of Reviving Ramadan for the entirety of the month.

These consist of:

A powerful 30-part video series on the treasures of Ramadan by our Tarbiyah Editor, Shaykh Ali Hammuda;
Regular inspiring articles on how to reap the full benefits of this month by Ustadh Faizaan Mahmood.

The Islam21c Challenge

Departing from last year’s immensely successful Lifeline appeal, for 1444/ 2023, we have decided to liven things up even more by launching the Islam21c Challenge for the month of Ramadan.

What does this entail? It is quite simple: we are asking anyone and everyone to select a challenge from an assorted list of physical, spiritual, or other goals, and encouraging brothers and sisters to set an ambitious target, and seek out sponsors to make donations to Islam21c.

To get a feeling for some of the challenges on offer, some of the choices include…

Running 30 miles;
Going without added sugar;
Walking 200,000 steps (roughly 7,000 each day);
Doing 1,000 push-ups (around 50 a day).

It’s worth noting that you are free to come up with your own challenge, so the options are truly limitless. As this month’s theme is Reviving Ramadan, we hope that the fundraising initiative rekindles our desire to build good habits in the blessed month.

If this challenge sounds like something that you’d like to take part in, be sure to check out the link below to register, and to view the answers to any questions you may have.

Reviving Ramadan Conference

For those who couldn’t make it to our blockbuster online event on Sunday evening, you will be delighted to know that you can still access the full recorded version.

In order to check it out, all you need to do is take a few seconds to register your details at the link below.

Benefitting from the collective scholarly expertise from the likes of Shaykh Omar Suleiman, Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi, Imam Shakeel Begg, Ustadh Yusha Evans, and many more speakers, the event was (and is) an excellent way for you to brush up on your Ramadan preparation, just as the month is nearly here!