From the morning dawn: Muslim Spiritual Board of Tatarstan clarifies the rules of Ramadan in 2025

Mass iftars and Quran readings

“In the holy month of Ramadan, all the gates of heaven open, all the gates of hell close, and the shaitans are chained up," said Ilfar hazrat Khasanov, the first deputy mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan, speaking to reporters at the Muslim Spiritual Board of the Republic of Tatarstan.

This month is the time of purification, he reminded.

According to Khasanov, this year's iftars in the capital will be organised in 47 mosques, and in most of them they will be held daily (for example, in all mosques of the Kirovsky and Moskovsky districts). In the republic's colonies, a special food regime has been introduced for those who wish, and iftars and festive prayers have been organised.

The first Tarawih prayer will begin in mosques on February 28 after the night prayer, traditionally at 20 Rak'as. Within a month, the Quran will be read in full in 35 mosques in Kazan during Tarawihs.

The holiday ends on March 30 with Eid al-Fitr. According to Rustam hazrat Nurgaleev, a member of the Council of Ulama of the Muslim Spiritual Board of the Republic of Tatarstan, Doctor of Sharia Sciences, it begins about 30 minutes after sunrise, since now the morning prayer ends at around 6.30 am, so anyone can make it. He also described in detail the order of the fast:

“Anyone who wants to keep a fast should do it from dawn to sunset. The biggest misconception of people who are not immersed in Islamic topics is that they fast from sunrise to sunset. And this is a completely different time frame," Nurgaleev noted and advised paying attention to the local prayer schedules, which indicate the time of completion of suhoor, the morning meal.

This year, fasting will last for about 13 hours every day, during which time it is necessary to refrain from drinking, eating, intimacy, smoking, swearing and bad thoughts.

Nisab amount and the procedure for paying zakat and fitr sadaqah

Nurgaleev spoke in detail about payments during Ramadan. He reminded that those who cannot keep a fast for health reasons and cannot make up for it at other times have a bonus of 400 rubles for each missed day.

“If there are expectations that diseases or difficulties will disappear, a person should fill in these fasts. But old age or chronic diseases do not have such opportunities," he pointed out the category of people who pay fidia.

As for zakat (annual tax), nisab (minimum income or property) is required for its payment, which this year is set at 720,000 rubles (in gold). If there is such an inviolable amount for the last year, one has to pay 2.5% of the entire property.

Nisab for fitr sadaqah — 57,000 (in silver). The amount of fitr sadaqah this year is set at 200 rubles, and for those who can pay zakat — 1,100. It is necessary to pay it from all family members, even if they do not fast. Nurgaleev pointed out that historically, fitr sadaqah was paid in food, so theologians study the prices of bulk products and dates before Ramadan and determine this amount.

“For example, you have five family members, you live very modestly, you have to pay 1,000 rubles. If you live very well, you can pay 1,100 rubles for each one," Nurgaleev explained.

Fitr sadaqah can be distributed from the first day of Ramadan until the festive prayer of Eid al-Fitr. If a person has these 57,000, as well as doubts about their own well-being, theologians suggest that sacrifice can be shown on the days of Eid al-Adha by buying a ram for slaughter.

Nurgaleev also noted that zakat is traditionally paid in Tatarstan during Ramadan.

“This allows you to make a report. At the same time, Islamic law states that a person pays zakat from the moment of their wealth exactly one year later," he noted the national peculiarities of our Islam. “Considering that we pay a lot of attention to the Gregorian calendar and don't keep Muslim dates in our heads very well, we have a tradition — as if we all got rich during Ramadan!”

Charity events and exterior design competition

The charity marathon Ramadan — The Month of Good Deeds is also starting. Bulat Mardanov, the director general of the Zakat Charitable Foundation of the Republic of Tatarstan, recalled that last year 34 children were helped in the amount of 1.9 million rubles and 36 adults in need in the amount of 2.3 million rubles. The list of this year's heroes and the bills for help can be found here. For example, this is 15-year-old Madina Zainullina with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy — Zakat Foundation is collecting 60,000 rubles for her. QR codes will become effective on March 1.

Zakat will also continue distributing food packages to poor families (last year it was about 4 tonnes of food and 600 families). To pay for the packages (flour, cereals, sunflower and butter, canned food, sugar, pasta, chocolate products, biscuits, coffee, tea and dates), you can go to the foundation's website.

It is planned to re-launch a free journey on bus route No. 30 in Ramadan, as well as to organise charity iftars.

For the third time, the MSB of the Republic of Tatarstan organises the Nurly Ramadan contest for the best decoration of public places. The prize is a ticket to the Hajj from the MSB RT Hajj. The competition started on February 20, and seven applications have already been received. Conditions — the registration must be kept until March 30. One can apply by following the link. Last year, the head of the Department of Social Development of the MSB of the Republic of Tatarstan, Aigul Biktimirova, recalled that Mukmina Khabibullina's private house from the village of Tuembash in the Kukmor district won the competition, and it was decorated by the victims of the fire, whom she invited to live with her.

“I'm not hiding it — we really wanted people to talk about Ramadan, so that they decorate buildings, let them know about Ramadan in Tatarstan along with Christmas," Biktimirova said, adding that in the first year, the Mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kamil hazrat Samigullin, gave advice on decoration, sending photos from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. “Those people who have received prizes from us have surpassed this decoration in many ways.”

Also, an open television contest of Tatar vagaz has now begun, in which anyone over the age of 9 can take part. A separate category is a group of religious figures. For the contest, you need to prepare a sermon in the format of a monologue in Tatar for no more than 5 minutes and send the recording (even to a mobile phone) to tvvagaz@yandex.ru with full name, locality, position, age, topic. Applications are accepted until October 1, the winners will be determined by a jury, the best sermons will be broadcast weekly on Friday mornings and news broadcasts, and the summing up ceremony will take place at the end of December.

Realnoe Vremya clarified how experts feel about that the shortness of the sunny day this year is clearly causing an increase in the number of fasting people.

“No one has counted them yet, this is most likely an assumption," Nurgaleev replied, pointing out that, of course, it is easier to fast in winter. “The Quran says: God does not burden the soul beyond what it can bear. Imagine the joy of abystai, who for many years paid fidia to close Ramadan with money because she could not fast. And here she has a unique opportunity, suhoor as an early breakfast, iftar as a late lunch," Nurgaleev continued. “It is a great joy to be separated from fasting for so many years and then realise your dreams.”

Moreover, Nurgaleev suggested that tourism may develop in Tatarstan when Muslims from warm countries, where the day lasts the same length, will come to Ramadan to study culture and spend fasting with benefit.