Ramadan is an important event that takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar for Muslims all over the world. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset. This means that they cannot consume food or water during this period. Ramadan allows Muslims to connect with themselves, their community, and their spirituality, whilst rejecting anything considered impure for the mind or body. This blog post will provide you with some useful Ramadan phrases to share with friends and family during this time!
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1. رمضان مبارك (Ramadan Mubarak)
Let’s start things off with some of the most commonly used Ramadan phrases, as you’ll hear these all the time during Ramadan. Roughly translating as “Blessed Ramadan” from Arabic, this is what you would say to wish Muslims a “happy Ramadan”.
You’ll hear and see many people wishing each other a Ramadan Mubarak during Ramadan, as it is a lovely way to greet others. Even if you aren’t Muslim yourself, it’s a lovely thing to wish someone who is taking part in Ramadan, as it shows that you understand what this period means to them.
2. رمضان كريم (Ramadan Kareem)
Ramadan Kareem is sometimes considered one of the Ramadan phrases that is used slightly less than Ramadan Mubarak. Literally translated, it means “Generous Ramadan”, and to respond to this Ramadan phrase, you would say “Allahu Akram”, which means “God is much more generous”.
3. صوم (Sawm)
Sawm is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it describes the action of fasting. Fasting is an important part of Ramadan, as it enables Muslims to concentrate on their faith and devotion to Allah (God), and to cleanse themselves of anything considered impure for the mind and body.
4. سحور (Suhur)
سحور, also known as Sahūr, Suhūr, or Suhoor (and can also be called Sahari, Sahrī, or Sehri) is the meal eaten at dawn to prepare for fasting. This meal usually consists of foods that are high in protein and fibre, and hydrating foods. Some typical examples of these would be dates, cucumber, yoghurt, and of course, plenty of water. This meal is incredibly important in preparing to fast until dusk.
5. سَمَر (Samar)
Whilst Samar is not exclusively related to Ramadan, often Muslims are awake late at night or early in the morning to break or end their fast. This is why we’ve included it in our list of Ramadan phrases, as we think it’s important to remember other aspects of Ramadan. Community is a very important part of Ramadan, which is why having a specific verb to denote community via late night conversations is super cool.
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570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px"> <div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0"></div> <div style="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px"></div> <div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto"> <div 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The opposite of سحور (Suhur), إفطار (Iftar) is a Ramadan phrase that describes the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset to end their fast each day. During Iftar, Muslims will typically eat food from all the different food groups, including fruits/vegetables, beans and pulses, dairy, meat, and hydrating foods.
7. صلاة العشاء (Isha)
Known as the night prayer, Muslims complete the Isha prayer during the night. It is one of the five mandatory Islamic salah (Islamic prayer) that Muslims complete regularly.
8. تراويح (Taraweeh)
Taraweeh is a special type of prayer that occurs just after Isha during Ramadan. Muslims complete the Taraweeh prayer every night during Ramadan to take after the prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
9. عيد مبارك (Eid Mubarak)
The end of our Ramadan phrases covers the end of Ramadan itself, Eid al-Fitr! Eid al-Fitr is the break-fast Eid. Muslims would celebrate breaking their fast by going to Salah Al-Eid (a salah on the first day after Ramadan ends) having eaten something to break their fast (at least a date) and would give Zakat Aa-Fitr ( break-fast charity) which is food/money given to the poor by all able Muslims in Eid to help the more vulnerable people of the community. It basically is a celebration of having fasted Ramadan and a chance to enjoy food -all day- with family and friends .
To wish someone a happy Eid al-Fitr, you would say “Eid Mubarak” and it’s a lovely way to commemorate and celebrate Eid within the Muslim community. Eid Mubarak translates to “Blessed Eid”.
We hope you’ve found this blog post of Ramadan phrases useful and interesting. Here at the Foreign Language Collective and Untranslatable, we’re wishing everyone who is taking part in Ramadan a Ramadan Mubarak!