It begins when the new crescent moon of the lunar month is spotted in the night sky and word spreads by telephone, fax and the Internet. Exceptions are made for pre-pubescent children, pregnant women, the ill, the insane and Muslims who are traveling. You want to eat stuff that is not salty. I myself like to have a cup of buttermilk. After morning prayers, fasting begins, with no food, drink or sex allowed until sunset.
Tradition calls for eating dates to break the fast.
At his mosque, on Jones Street in the Tenderloin, between 200 and 300 people who may not have homes or families of their own will gather nightly to break the fast, he said. But fasting is only the most visible part of a very interior observance that is all about reconnecting with the teachings of the Koran and with Islam as a way of life. It's a time to look at everything one is doing and bring habits in line with the teachings of Islam. More time is spent in reflection, prayer, community and charity. It is the month people stop and take a look at themselves and their surroundings and think about the whole purpose of being and where are we going.