logo
Ramadan 2025: Malaysia to Start Fasting on March 2

Ramadan 2025: Malaysia to Start Fasting on March 2

Morocco World28-02-2025
The first day of the holy month of Ramadan 2025 is set to begin on Sunday, March 2 , according to the Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM).
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and since it follows the moon's cycle, the dates shift every year on the Gregorian calendar.
In Malaysia, where about 60% of the population are Muslims — around 20 million people out of 35 million — the holy month is a big deal. It's not just about fasting but about community and tradition.
The streets come alive with lights and decorations, especially in neighborhoods with large Muslim populations. You'll find pop-up Ramadan bazaars everywhere, packed with food stalls selling everything from grilled 'satay' to sweet 'kuih' (traditional desserts). These markets are a daily highlight, with people grabbing dishes to enjoy with their families when they break their fast at sunset.
​​Mosques across Malaysia offer free Iftar to travelers, the homeless, and the poor. Picture rows of people sitting shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing while they wait for the call to prayer. Plates are piled with rice, curries, dates, and 'bubur lambuk' (a hearty porridge), handed out for free. Strangers become friends, and the atmosphere is filled with kindness and gratitude.
Family and togetherness are at the heart of Ramadan here. 'Buka puasa' (breaking the fast) isn't just a meal — it's an event. People gather at home, in restaurants, or even in large public events where food is shared. Mosques fill up for nightly Taraweeh prayers, and many people stay late into the night for worship and reflection.
TV channels go all out with special Ramadan programming. Cooking shows dish out recipes for classic favorites, while family dramas dive into themes of love, faith, and forgiveness. There are even live broadcasts of Taraweeh prayers from the country's biggest mosques. It feels like the whole nation is in sync — praying, feasting, and reflecting together, whether in a crowded mosque or from the comfort of the living room couch.
Giving back is also a big part of the month. People donate food, clothes, and money to those in need. It's common to see 'bubur lambuk' (a special porridge) being cooked in big pots at mosques and handed out to the community for free.
What makes Ramadan in Malaysia special is how it blends faith with culture. The mix of religious devotion, strong family ties, and local traditions creates a month that feels both spiritual and deeply connected to everyday life. Tags: Islam in Malaysiaramadan 2025Ramadan in Malaysia
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Oldest Mosque, Golden Treasures: Sijilmassa Reveals 10 Centuries of History
Oldest Mosque, Golden Treasures: Sijilmassa Reveals 10 Centuries of History

Morocco World

time5 days ago

  • Morocco World

Oldest Mosque, Golden Treasures: Sijilmassa Reveals 10 Centuries of History

Marrakech – Archaeological excavations conducted between 2024 and 2025 at Sijilmassa have uncovered exceptional discoveries that reshape our understanding of Morocco's medieval heritage. This major campaign, supported by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, represents the most important research effort on this site since investigations began in the 1970s. Professor Lahcen Taouchikht initially led the project, followed by Professor Asmae El Kacimi, who directed an all-Moroccan team from the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage (INSAP). The team excavated nearly 9,000 square meters in the urban core of Sijilmassa, a carrefour city founded in the late 8th century that once stood at the heart of trans-Saharan exchanges between the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Mediterranean world. Archaeologists unearthed foundations of a substantial religious complex, including a medieval mosque measuring 2,620 square meters with a capacity for approximately 2,600 worshippers. This mosque reveals multiple construction phases, ranging from the original mosque founded during Abu al-Montasir al-Yasa's reign (late 8th to early 9th century) through Almoravid and Almohad periods (11th-13th centuries), to the Alaouite mosque with elements still visible today. This stratification confirms the Sijilmassa mosque as one of Morocco's oldest, establishing it as a fundamental landmark in the religious and urban history of the Maghreb. The excavation levels linked to the mosque's earliest phases yielded a remarkable collection of carved plaster fragments dating to the Midrarid period (8th-10th century). Archaeological excavations conducted between 2024 and 2025 at Sijilmassa have uncovered exceptional discoveries that reshape our understanding of Morocco's medieval heritage. Treasures of Islamic art and gold coin production come to light These decorations, featuring finely crafted geometric, vegetal and epigraphic motifs, represent the oldest known Islamic art specimens in Morocco. The discovery showcases the artistic sophistication of early Islamic Morocco. The team found hundreds of painted wood fragments from the 18th century in the Alaouite madrasa ruins. These cedar pieces display vibrant polychrome and include evidence of gold leaf gilding (tadhhīb), providing the first material evidence of Alaouite architectural decoration at Sijilmassa. Long sought by archaeologists, evidence of monetary activity in Sijilmassa has finally emerged near the mosque. A 'honeycomb' ceramic mold for manufacturing gold coin blanks still contains gold residue in its cavities, confirming its use in producing the famous Sijilmassian dinars. This unique discovery in Morocco, only the second in Africa after Tadmekka in Mali, validates Sijilmassa's importance as a major monetary production center in the Islamic West. The artifact constitutes the first tangible material evidence of gold coin minting in the region. Archaeological excavations conducted between 2024 and 2025 at Sijilmassa have uncovered exceptional discoveries that reshape our understanding of Morocco's medieval heritage. Sijilmassa reveals first complete Alaouite quarter A major breakthrough came with the discovery of a complete residential quarter from the Alaouite period (17th-18th centuries). This find marks a decisive advance in understanding Sijilmassa's urban history, which has long focused on its medieval peak. The quarter consists of 12 houses built according to a uniform plan, demonstrating well-structured domestic urban planning. Each house organizes around a central patio, with living quarters, storage spaces, and rich domestic furnishings, including dishware. These elements help reconstruct the daily life practices of the inhabitants. Archaeobotanical analysis of samples from these spaces identified remains of dates and other agricultural products, providing valuable insight into the residents' diet in a pre-Saharan context. The analysis lays bare important information about agricultural practices and food consumption patterns in this semi-arid region. The scale, state of preservation, and richness of data from this discovery provide the first material evidence of the ancient presence of Alaouite Chorafa in Sijilmassa. It opens a new chapter in the site's history, shedding light on a previously undocumented occupation phase essential to understanding the city's urban, social, and political evolution over time. Archaeological excavations conducted between 2024 and 2025 at Sijilmassa have uncovered exceptional discoveries that reshape our understanding of Morocco's medieval heritage. City of gold confirms its historical legacy The discovery allows researchers to better understand the territorial roots, population dynamics, and forms of daily life associated with the beginnings of the Alaouite dynasty. This contributes to a renewed reading of the history of Morocco's reigning dynasty. The results of these archaeological digs extend beyond the local context. They provide essential elements for understanding the history of settlement, art and trans-Saharan exchanges. The INSAP team's work brings historical texts to life through material evidence. The remains unshrouded in these recent campaigns evoke the city described in historical texts. Its mosque, madrasa, streets, houses, and workshops emerge once again from the sands, opening a new chapter in reading Sijilmassa's rich history. The discoveries from the 2024 and 2025 campaigns paint a comprehensive picture of this once-thriving desert metropolis, firmly positioning Sijilmassa as a key archaeological site within Morocco's shared African heritage. Tags: Alaouite DynastysijilmassaSijilmassa archeological site

Morocco To Celebrate Islamic New Year on Friday
Morocco To Celebrate Islamic New Year on Friday

Morocco World

time26-06-2025

  • Morocco World

Morocco To Celebrate Islamic New Year on Friday

Rabat – The Ministry of Islamic Affairs confirmed today that the inaugural month of the new Islamic lunar calendar will be on Friday, June 27. The announcement came following the sighting of the moon for Muharram this evening, making tomorrow the start of Hijri year 1447. In the announcement, the ministry also extended heartfelt good wishes and congratulations to the Moroccan people and the royal family on the occasion. The Hijri year commemorates Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina. The word 'Hijri' is derived from the word 'migration' in Arabic. Unlike Morocco, many other Arab and Muslim-majority countries announced today, Thursday, as the first day of Muharram. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the list of countries celebrating the Islamic New Year today. The day is a religious holiday in Morocco, but many don't celebrate the day as a special occasion, unlike the case in Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and in other GCC nations. For the families that do celebrate in Morocco, they commonly serve dishes like couscous, or other traditional meals, inviting families to share in the food and celebration.

Welcoming the Hijri New Year 1447 AH
Welcoming the Hijri New Year 1447 AH

Morocco World

time26-06-2025

  • Morocco World

Welcoming the Hijri New Year 1447 AH

The gentle rising of the crescent moon marks the arrival of the sacred month of Muharram, launching the Islamic New Year, 1447 AH – a moment of quiet reflection and sacred renewal. A sacred beginning with deep significance across the Muslim majority world– often overshadowed in places where the Gregorian calendar dictates the rhythm of life, including Morocco. While Christmas glows with lights and sound around the globe, the Hijri New Year arrives softly, untouched by bright lights or commercial celebration. It remains a private, heartfelt occasion, rooted in reflection rather than festivity. An eight day journey The Islamic New Year does not mark a birth or a worldly triumph—it marks a journey. A moment of hope in the face of despair. A moment when the Prophet Muhammad, under threat and persecution in Mecca, was guided to leave behind his homeland and seek refuge in the welcoming arms of Yathrib, later known as Medina. This migration—Hijra—took place in 622 CE, when the Prophet and his followers, threatened by the powerful elite of Quraysh who feared the new monolithic faith, left behind all they knew for the sake of their beliefs. After evading an assassination plot and enduring eight long days of travel, the Prophet arrived in Medina, where he was invited by the city's population to bring peace between warring tribes. There – in a city that became a sanctuary for Muslims to this day — pagans and Jews alike welcomed him as a wise and just leader, as he laid the foundations of the first Islamic community, built on unity and justice. In Morocco, as in many Muslim countries, this moment in history lives on in a song taught to children from their earliest school days. It is the same song sung by the people of Medina to welcome the Prophet: The bright full moon rose over us. From the valley of Wada'. And we owe it to show gratefulness. Where the call is to Allah. O you who were raised amongst us. Coming with a word to be obeyed. You have brought to this city nobleness. Welcome! Best caller to God's way. Words that still echo from the wells of childhood and from a veiled history that lives on in faith and tradition. How to ring in the new year The first day of Muharram is not a day of gift wraps and parties—it is a day for pause, to feel the weight of history, calls of the soul and aches of the bones, as Moroccans say. Before Islam, this month was known as the 'First Safar,' but it was renamed 'Muharram'—meaning 'forbidden'—as one of the four sacred months – Muharram, Rajab, Dhu al-Qa'adah and Dhu al-Hijjah– in which warring and violence are especially prohibited. Even in lands where peace reigns, the spirit of that sacredness endures. Muslims are encouraged to avoid conflict, to show mercy, to forgive, and to treat each other with gentleness, especially in the first ten days of Muharram. In some Moroccan communities, that spirit of care extends inward. People refrain from heavy chores or physical strain, honoring the day by allowing the body and soul to rest. Long before weekends or national holidays existed, this day was already set aside for stillness, kindness, and inner peace. It is also a time to reconnect with loved ones—to offer blessings, seek forgiveness, and clear the heart of old grudges. Many Muslims also renew their commitment to fulfilling zakat—the obligatory act of giving a fixed portion of one's wealth to those in need. Alongside this, voluntary sadaqah is often given. Beginning the year with these acts of giving is believed to invite blessings, purify wealth, and nurture compassion within the community. Just as many Moroccans have taken to buying cake for the Gregorian New Year, some also mark the start of the Hijri year with something sweet—baking or buying cakes as a gentle way to welcome the new year, in the hope that its sweetness will carry into the days ahead. A time of abundance Others honor the day through a humble family meal—often couscous with free-range chicken or other local dishes. But the grand meal comes later, on the tenth day of Muharram, known as Ashura. This day marks a day of mourning for Shia Muslims as it commemorates the death of Imam Hussain, the grandson of prophet Mohammed, and his companions in the battle of Karbala, in modern day Iraq. For many of their sunni counterparts however, the day is observed with acts of joy and generosity, especially aimed at bringing children joy. As Ashura approaches, a sense of joy fills the streets. Markets full to the brim with toys and brightly coloured sweets, reflecting a tradition of bringing happiness to the young. Though Islamic teachings encourage simplicity and restraint in celebration, parents—especially fathers—are encouraged to show warmth and generosity toward their families on this day, both materially and emotionally. For adults, the season carries its own rituals. In many Moroccan homes, families preserve meat from the Eid al-Adha sacrifice by salting and drying it in preparation for Ashura. In some regions, couscous is still lovingly rolled by hand—grain by grain—by grandmothers who treat the task as an act of remembrance a way of passing faith from one generation to the next through warm meals.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store