Jakarta, Indonesia (Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images)

Ramadan, the month of fasting, is a time of great joy throughout the Muslim world. At the end I have put some pictures of scenes from around the globe. The pictures are from a collection on the Boston Globe website.

Krista Tippett also did a very nice program this Sunday on her wonderful NPR radioshow called Speaking of Faith, where each week some faith group is highlighted. In this Sunday’s program, titled Revealing Ramadan, a number of Muslims from all over USA (and some from elsewhere) shared their stories. The stories were about Ramadan and also about their journey to Islam or, for some, back to Islam.

Alee Ramadhan Sr. 65 years ago speakingoffaith.publicradio.org

There are stories of also sharing their experience with non-Muslims. Steven Longden in Manchester UK talks about his journey to becoming a Muslim and then later discovering that his great, great, great grandfather converted…

Pakistani Muslims buy dates for the coming Islamic month of Ramadan, Friday, Aug. 21, 2009 in Karachi, Pakistan (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Zafar Nomani, professor emeritus of human nutrition and foods at West Virginia University, has written a fascinating piece on the Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog about the health aspects of fasting, just in time for the beginning of Ramadan.

Beginning today or tomorrow (depending on which authority one abides by) Muslims will fast from dawn to sunset each day. Fasting, or sawm, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Each evening during Ramadan Muslims, will break their 13- to 14-hour fast with a frequently festive communal meal called the iftar. The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a feast called Eid al-Fitr.

Nomani says fasting “can be healthy for people of all faiths from Christians to Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and others who fast as a part of their spiritual practice. But it’s…