Ramadan is a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. 
Here are some questions and answers about Islam’s holiest month:


WHY DO PEOPLE FAST DURING RAMADAN?


The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate. Ramadan is a time to detach from worldly pleasures and focus on one’s inner self.
 It’s seen as a way to physically and spiritually purify, refraining from habits such as smoking and caffeine. 

HOW DO PEOPLE FAST?

Muslims who observe Ramadan abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for the entire month of Ramadan. A single sip of water is enough to invalidate the fast.
Just before the fast, Muslims have a pre-dawn meal of power foods to get them through the day, the “suhoor.” Egyptians eat mashed fava beans called “ful,” spiced with cumin and olive oil, while in Lebanon and Syria, popular suhoor food is flatbread with thyme, cheese, or yogurt. In Afghanistan, people eat dates and dumplings stuffed with potato and leeks, first steamed, then fried.

CAN A PERSON BE EXEMPTED FROM FASTING?

Yes. There are exceptions for children, the elderly, those who are ill, women who are pregnant, and people traveling, which can include athletes during tournaments.
 


HOW DO PEOPLE MARK THE END OF RAMADAN?

The end of Ramadan is marked by intense worship as observing Muslims seek to have their prayers answered during “Laylat al-Qadr” or “the Night of Destiny.” It is on this night, which falls during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, that Muslims believe that God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad and revealed the first verses of the Quran. 
The end of Ramadan is celebrated by a three-day holiday called Eid Al-Fitr. Children often receive new clothes, gifts, and cash. Muslims attend early morning Eid prayers the day after Ramadan. Families usually spend the day at parks and eating — now during the day.

Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/935516/islam-perspective

Useful Phrases

canned tomatoes 

cook uncovered 

blanch tomatoes

skin tomatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described below, or 2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• Salt to taste

• Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.
• Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.
• Taste and correct for salt. Before tossing with pasta, you may remove the onion (as Hazan recommended) and save for another use, but many opt to leave it in. Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table.

• Making Fresh Tomatoes Ready for Sauce
• The blanching method: Put the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or less. Drain them and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin them, and cut them into coarse pieces.
• The freezing method (from David Tanis, via The Kitchn): Freeze tomatoes on a baking sheet until hard. Thaw again, either on the counter or under running water. Skin them and cut them into coarse pieces.
• The food mill method: Wash the tomatoes in cold water, cut them lengthwise in half, and put them in a covered saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Set a food mill fitted with the disk with the largest holes over a bowl. Transfer the tomatoes with any of their juices to the mill and puree.

Source – https://food52.com/recipes/13722-marcella-hazan-s-tomato-sauce-with-onion-butter