Significance of Ramadan

When he was forty years old, a man named Ubu'l Kassim went into the Cave of Hira (located in Saudi Arabia) during the Arabic month of Ramadan in the year 610 C.E. A world-changing event began when, alone in the cave, he heard someone say the Arabic word "Iqraa!" Ubu'l Kassim (later known as the Prophet Muhammad) thought he must be dreaming. Muslims believe the voice was that of Gabriel, an angel who began dictating - to Muhammad - the words one now sees in the Koran. Ramadan is significant for Muslims worldwide because it is the month when the Koran was first dictated. This year, Ramadan began at sunset on September 1st.