This fast is a debt owed to Allah. It is partaken to partly atone for one s sins, to help control sinful passions, to identify with the poor, and to earn a place in paradise. Undoubteldy, there is a spiritual intensity about the month of Ramadan. A Muslim is expected to read the Qur'an and pray more often, to give alms to the poor and be better behaved. Muslims believe that if they read the entire Qur'an during Ramadan they will receive a special blessing from Allah.
Girls often start to fast for a few days when they are nine years old and boys at the age of twelve.
A pregnant woman is permitted to break the fast if she feels her child is in danger. Women do not fast during menstruation, although they should make up the time by fasting at some other time during the year. For those living in Muslim nations the normal activities of the day are turned upside down. Normally crowded streets become strangely quiet. Shops will all be closed and the few pedestrians seem to be in a hurry to get home.