The fourth pillar of Islam, which is fasting, is practiced during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is derived from an Arabic word for intense heat and sun-scorched ground. (in Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍān) – or Ramzan in several countries – and it is the ninth month of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar, established in the year 638 CE. It is considered the most venerated, blessed and spiritually-beneficial month of the Islamic year. Prayers, fasting, charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadan are kept throughout the month. God prescribes daily fasting for all able, adult Muslims during the whole month of Ramadan, beginning with the sighting of the new moon.
According to the fuqaha — Islamic jurists and legislators — in 2006 the month of Ramadan (1427 AH) began on September 23 (Middle East, East Africa, North Africa and West Africa) and September 24 elsewhere (including Turkey, North America, Southeast Asia, and the rest of the Middle East). In Pakistan, excluding some parts of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), it was September 25. It lasted until October 22 or October 23.