Nearly 70% of Muslim Americans always donate to charity during Ramadan

Visa data shows Muslim spending spikes at night during Ramadan

Fasting during the day reschedules economic activity to the night. Visa's spending data shows a surge in Muslim-majority markets during Ramadan at night as restaurants and retailers orient themselves around iftar. The pattern has become a significant target for advertisers and brands.

The Five Pillars of Islam, explained through Islamic art at the Met

Fasting during Ramadan—known as sawm—is one of five foundational practices that define Muslim life. The Met uses art objects to illuminate the pillars to make the theology more tangible. Ramadan's fast is interwoven with this broader framework of prayer, charity, pilgrimage, and expressions of faith.

A 101 on why Ramadan is the holiest time of the Muslim year

As a spiritual guide for members of the Brandeis University community, this overview surfaces the highlights to orient readers on Ramadan logistics, practices, and obligations. It's a useful start for those interested in learning the basics around fasting rules, exemptions, the significance of iftar and suhoor, and common greetings.

Ramadan tends to reduce Gulf productivity, but increases reported happiness

Economists have documented a measurable dip in productivity and output in Muslim-majority countries during Ramadan. But surveys consistently show the opposite on subjective well-being, with people reporting they feel better and more connected.

Iftar foods from around the world

The global population of Muslims eats and fasts in distinct way around the world. This photo survey spans Morocco's harira soup to Indonesia's kolak (a sweet dessert soup) and Turkey's pide (like pizza but without the tomato sauce). The one universal aspect for most iftar meals is dates and water, following Muhammad's practice. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Tarawih: the special night prayers during Ramadan

Beyond fasting, Ramadan nights have their own distinct ritual: Tarawih, an extended voluntary prayer performed after Isha, the standard final of five daily prayer times. Communities read through the entire Quran over the course of the month alongside these Tarawih prayers.

Eid ul-Fitr vs. Eid ul-Adha: differentiating the two lesser and greater Eids

Most non-Muslims associated Eid with the end of Ramadan—but that's actually the lesser Eid. The greater one, Eid ul-Adha, comes 70 days later and commemorates Ibrahim's (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son. It involves Qurbani, the ritual slaughter of an animal, with meat distributed to those in need.

Muslims fasting in Iceland face more than 20 hours of daylight during summer Ramadan

In countries near the Arctic Circle, Ramadan's rule of fasting from sunrise to sunset can cause some unique challenges for the extended periods of daylight in the region. Icelandic Muslims have developed pragmatic workarounds—some follow the hours of Mecca, others adjust locally. It's an edge case that illuminates how a 7th-century practice gets negotiated across radically different geographies.

The Hajj

Laylat al-Qadr: the single Islamic night 'holier than a thousand months'

Toward the end of Ramadan, Laylat al-Qadr is observed, recalling Muhammad's "night of power" when the Quran was first revealed, according to Islamic tradition. The Quran describes it as better than a thousand months of worship. Its exact date differs between Sunni and Shia adherents, falling on the 27th night of the month for Sunnis and the 23rd for Shias.

Ramadan is a major television event in the Middle East

Each year, major networks air special 30-episode dramas timed to the month—one episode per night after iftar. Syrian productions long dominated the format, though that has shifted. The season is the advertising event of the year across the Middle East, rivaling the Super Bowl in commercial intensity.

Ramadan will be celebrated twice in 2030 due to the 33-year lunar cycle

Because the Islamic year is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan migrates through every season over a 33-year cycle. In 2030, it will fall twice in the same Gregorian year.

Look up the date of any Islamic holiday going back to 622 CE

The US Naval Observatory's calculator converts Hijri calendar dates to Gregorian and vice versa, covering Islamic holidays from the first year of the Islamic calendar through the present. The resource helps show how much Ramadan's dates shift year over year and allows readers to find out when Ramadan would have fallen in a certain year.

In 1995, Hakeem Olajuwon won NBA Player of the Month while fasting

When Ramadan began on February 1, 1994, Olajuwon fasted every day of the month while playing for the Houston Rockets. He still won Player of the Month. His story is a fascinating look on how world-class athletes stay competitive while observing their religious obligations.

A diary of fasting through all 30 days of Ramadan

Aramco World's first-person account follows one Muslim through a full month of fasting—the pre-dawn suhoor meal, the hunger wall, the social texture of iftar. Get a sense of the day-to-day of Ramadan with this experiential guide.

80% of Americans are bothered that some wealthy people don't pay their fair share of taxes

That's according to data from Pew Research Center. While most people are primarily taxed on their wages, many people in America's 1% derive much of their income from investments instead, which are often taxed at preferential capital gains rates. This structure was shaped by a series of legislative cuts that began in earnest with the 1978 Revenue Act and the 1981 Economic Recovery Tax Act.

Ramadan moon-sighting can spark intra-family disputes

Because different communities—and even different members of the same family—follow different methods for confirming the crescent, Ramadan doesn't always start on the same day for everyone. The result: "moon wars" that pit parents against children, and mosques against each other, on when exactly the fast begins.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan on why iftar at someone else's table is the whole point

The podcast "Not Even Water" interviews Khan about how Ramadan is actually lived, examining the hospitality culture that surrounds iftar, the logistics of suhoor, and what the month feels like from the inside. The episode is a grounded, personal view of the season.

A readable narrative account of how Muhammad first received the Quran

The story behind Ramadan's origins involves a lesser-known layer of personal drama for Muhammad, who fled the Cave of Hira in fear thinking he had been possessed by the angel communicating with him. Only his wife, Khadijah, was able to reassure him. The first revelation came during Ramadan in 610 CE, but the full Quran took 23 years for the angel Jibril (or Gabriel) to deliver.

Buffett is known for being extremely generous with his fortune

So generous that in 2010 he pledged to donate 99% of his money. He said this money “can have a huge effect on the health and welfare of others.” This letter is Buffett’s philanthropic pledge, which details his commitment to giving and how luck and privilege helped him accumulate so much money.

What to eat for suhoor, the pre-dawn mean that has to last all day

Suhoor—eaten before the Fajr prayer at dawn—is the only fuel a fasting Muslim has until sunset. This practical guide covers the logistics around what foods sustain energy longest, what to avoid, and why hydration strategy matters as much as what you eat.

UK's Royal Astronomers join the hunt for Ramadan's crescent moon

In Britain, Muslim communities and professional astronomers now collaborate to officially spot the moon that begins Ramadan, blending ancient practice with modern science. The partnership culminates in a live, unscripted annual broadcast even.

A virtual tour of the Hajj pilgrimage

Over 2 million pilgrims travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, every year during the Hajj pilgrimage, a central tenet of the Islamic faith. The route traces one the Prophet Mohammed is said to have once walked, and involves challenging rituals including...

Americans showed an unprecedented surge of patriotism after 9/11

In the weeks following 9/11, 79% of US adults reported displaying the American flag, and a year later, 62% said they "often felt patriotic" due to the attacks.

Communal iftars are now a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

The tradition of breaking fast together where strangers and families share a table at sundown has been recognized by the United Nations' cultural body as significant. The designation sheds light on iftar's social side, beyond just the food.

The .1% of Americans once controlled 7% of all US wealth. Today, they control closer to 18%.

The wealthiest Americans own the vast majority of the stock market

Recent data from the Federal Reserve shows that the richest people in America own 93% of all the country's stock—the highest level ever recorded. Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of Americans held just 1% of all stocks.

Hear today's call to prayer and special 'duas' sung by the muezzin

The call to prayer is a distinctive sound marking the start and end of the fast each day, playing a key cultural role in the rhythms of the period. This archive collects "duas" (or supplications, or a prayerful petition) for each day in the year, with timely prayers and recitations sung by the muezzin, or cantor, in gorgeously intricate melodic intervals.

Many religions have core majorities in certain countries

Though most religions have members across the world, they also have major concentrated populations in specific nations. For example, 95% of Hindus live in India, while 85% of the world's Jews live in Israel and the US.

Historically, cholera has repeatedly disrupted the Hajj for Muslims

Outbreaks of the disease throughout the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, killed thousands of religious pilgrims as they sought to complete this obligatory pilgrimage.

See the religious breakdown of the US from 2007 to 2024.

The Giving Pledge was a movement started by Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda Gates

The Giving Pledge was started to encourage the world’s richest individuals to donate most of their wealth either during their lives or in their wills. Buffett has committed to donating 99% of his money.

HSA spending spikes early in the year, while FSA spending peaks in December

Because health savings accounts are designed to alleviate high upfront costs for people with high deductible health plans, the majority of HSA spending happens early in the year. However, around 10% of flexible spending account funds are used in December—right before the use it or lose it deadline.

Reasons the wealthy like to give to universities

Every year, higher education receives the lion’s share of philanthropy for key reasons. Universities have huge budgets and can handle big sums. They also oversee a broad range of initiatives tailored to an individual’s goals, and are particularly credible institutions with long track records and strong brands.

How to sight the new crescent moon that starts Ramadan

Ramadan doesn't begin on a fixed date. Instead, it begins when a crescent moon is visually confirmed. The Royal Museums Greenwich explains the astronomy behind the sighting, including the conditions that must be met: the sun must be below the horizon, the moon must be above it, and the two must not be within the Danjon Limit (roughly 5 to 7 degrees of separation in the sky, as shown below).

Former Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett is among the world's most generous philanthropists, having given away more than $68B.

Roughly 75% of Americans report feeling okay financially

Since 2022, fewer Americans report feeling worse off financially, moving from 35% in 2022 to 28% in 2025. Likewise, the number of Americans who reported feeling better about the economy is up 4% from 2022. More than 90% of Americans cite price increases as their biggest financial concern.

Bizarre college donations and the strings attached

When donors give to a college, they regularly prescribe specific stipulations, typically to fund a professorship in their name in a certain subject. But some of those stipulations are unique, including requiring annual graveside flowers, pet adoption for 150 dogs, or the consistent teaching of Ayn Rand’s "Atlas Shrugged."

The average US adult spends roughly $195 on Easter

That's up from $189 in 2025 and the previous record of $192 in 2023. The vast majority of consumers intend to use it on candy (92%), followed by food (89%) and other gifts.

Americans between the ages of 45 and 55 pay nearly 30% of all income taxes, paying an average tax rate of around 17%.

In 2024, the US committed about $82.3B to foreign aid.

That year, 67.2% of foreign aid was for economic purposes, and the remaining 32.8% was for military purposes. Israel received more US foreign aid than any other country in 2024.

Why donors love to give to the wealthy schools

In this podcast episode of Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell explores why Hank Rowan’s $100 million gift to a small New Jersey college didn’t inspire others to support underfunded schools. Instead, donors continue to flock to elite institutions like Harvard and Stanford. “My Little Hundred Million” examines ways ideology and prestige have reshaped educational giving.

Every Thanksgiving, Americans eat over 40 million turkeys

That's 50% of all whole turkeys sold in the US in a given year. (Most of the remaining 50% are purchased for Christmas.)

Most Americans support the separation of church and state

A 2021 Pew survey found that 55% of Americans strongly or moderately support the separation of church and state, while 14% favor integrating religion more into government.

35% of Americans have moved on from their childhood religion

A new Pew Research analysis finds that most Americans still identify with their childhood religion, but 35% have switched or left entirely—often due to lost belief or drifting away.

US holiday retail sales reached $973B in 2024

In 2024, US holiday retail sales reached $973B—nearly one-fifth of annual sales. Many companies depend on this season to bolster revenues.

Approximately 10% of American K-12 students are enrolled in private schools.

Girl Scout cookies are so successful because buying them feels like giving to charity.

The program generates $800M a year not because the cookies are exceptional, but because the salesforce makes refusal feel like a moral failure.

A 12-minute crash course on Islam, its beliefs, and history

John Green's Crash Course World History episode overs Islam's core tenets, the Five Pillars, and the religions spread across continents in a jam-packed video under 15 minutes. The video is an efficient on-ramp for newcomers and is an ideal starting point to Islam.

Fifty-two acts of kindness for each week of 2023

Whether fostering kittens, donating blood, or delivering boxes of biscuits to striking workers, there has never been a better time to help out. Here's a kindness suggestion for each week of 2023.