D&I on Portsmouth Point: Ramadhan: The Time to Give More

April 3rd 2025

Ramadhan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar (which we are currently in). It’s the month where Muslims fast, if physically capable. This means abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations from before dawn to after sunset for 29 or 30 days (depending on when the new crescent moon is sighted).

Fasting is one of the five obligatory pillars of Islam. The reason Muslims fast is to gain Taqwa (God consciousness), to be forgiven for their sins and to become more disciplined. Allah (God) also multiplies rewards for good deeds in Ramadhan, so as Muslims we will do more forms of worship including fasting, praying, reading

the Qur'an and helping our families and the community.
We may help others in many ways including giving our time to the community (e.g. volunteering) or relieving someone who is facing hardship (e.g. physically helping or donating money).

There are two main forms of charity in Islam:

Zakat: This is another important & obligatory pillar of Islam which Muslims must fulfil if they’re financially capable. Muslims give 2.5% of their wealth (money, gold, silver, business assets etc) to Muslims in need if they’ve maintained this wealth for one Islamic lunar year. The aim is to: purify our wealth & ourselves (thereby freeing our hearts from greed) and help reduce the wealth gap so we can try to achieve equality in our community.
Sadaqah: This is voluntary charity. This includes giving money to anyone in need and helping people. General acts of kindness are also great forms of Sadaqah, such as removing something harmful from a pathway where people walk, giving directions to someone who is lost and even just smiling at someone! [1]

It was mentioned in a 2024 report by Blue State that Muslims in the UK donated an average of £708 in the year compared to UK adults who donated £165 in the year, so that's over 4 times more! Donations were given to organisations to help those in need in the UK and internationally, such as the people affected in Palestine. [2] Many Muslims tend to give more in charity due to the increase in rewards in Ramadhan, but also to show gratitude to Allah for what we have. At the end of the day, nothing is truly ours - it all belongs to Allah. The Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while his neighbour goes hungry', so we should always be grateful and take it on as our duty to help others. [3]

Eid-ul-Fitr (celebration of the breaking of the fast) is celebrated on the 1st of Shawwal (the 10th month of the Islamic calendar). This will hopefully be this Sunday or on Monday. Again, we should help the community where we can. Those who are financially capable have to give something called Zakat-ul-Fitr (the purifying charity of the breaking of the fast) ahead of the Eid prayer. This is provided to Muslims who may not have enough, so they are still able to celebrate with a lovely meal on Eid. We can also donate money, so kids from underprivileged backgrounds receive Eid presents too!

Ramadhan is a great way to build these good habits, so we hope to continue this after too. One good way to do this is to set up direct debits so charity can be given on a regular basis throughout the year (such as sponsoring children, providing food/water and medical supplies), whether it’s Ramadhan or not.

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