Ramadan in depth
Islamic Studies · Key Stage 2 · The School
Why fast at all
The Quran gives the reason directly: fasting was prescribed "so that you may attain taqwa" (2:183) — a protective awareness of Allah. Hunger is the method, not the goal. A person who fasts all day and lies all evening has, as the Prophet ﷺ said, gained nothing but hunger and thirst.
Who is excused
The ill, travellers, the elderly, pregnant and nursing mothers, and women during menstruation. Some make up the days later; those who cannot fast at all feed a poor person for each day (2:184–185). Being excused is part of the rule, not a failure of it — the Quran says Allah intends ease for you, not hardship.
The night better than a thousand months
Laylat al-Qadr, in the last ten nights, is described in Surah Al-Qadr as better than a thousand months. Muslims look for it especially on the odd nights, staying up in prayer and du'a. The exact night is not named — which keeps the whole final stretch alive rather than one calendar date.
A traveller and someone temporarily ill make up the days later. A woman who is menstruating does not fast and makes them up. Someone with a permanent condition that makes fasting harmful does not fast and gives fidyah — feeding a person in need for each day. Children are not required at all. Every one of those is part of the ruling, stated in the sources, and 2:185 says Allah intends ease for you.