Pakistani workers attend Zuhr prayers, or noon prayers during the month of Ramadan.
Indian Muslims offering prayers
Kashmiri Muslim women offering prayers
Indian Muslims break their Ramadan fast
Indonesian Muslims perform evening prayer called ‘tarawih’
Afghans break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Kabul
Pakistani Muslims prepare food for ‘Iftar’, a time to break the fast, at a mosque during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan
Palestinians buy qatayef, a pancake-like shell which is filled with nuts or sweet cheese, fried in oil or baked then dipped in sugar syrup, a popular sweet during Ramadan
Muslim workers break their fast on tRamadan at a free table at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh
A Syrian dancer from Seif al-Islam group or (Sword of Islam) performs during Ramadan festival at the historical castle of Sidon, south of Lebanon
An Afghan Muslim man takes part in evening prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Muslims all over the world are supposed to go without food, drink, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan in order to purify themselves and concentrate their mind on Islamic teachings.
Indian Muslim bakers prepare a version of naan bread
Women pray at the Islamic Community Center in south St. Louis during Ramadan.
The beginning and end of Ramadan are announced when one trustworthy witness testifies before the authorities that the new moon has been sighted; a cloudy sky may, therefore, delay or prolong the fast.
The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities.
Ramadan also teaches Muslims how to better practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity (zakat).
It becomes compulsory for Muslims to start fasting when they reach puberty, so long as they are healthy, sane and have no disabilities or illnesses. Exemptions to fasting are travel, menstruation, illness, older age, pregnancy, and breast-feeding but still must make up the days missed. .
Each day before dawn, Muslims observe a pre-fast meal called suhoor. After stopping a short time before dawn, Muslims begin the first prayer of the day, the Fajr prayer. At sunset, families hasten for the fast-breaking meal known as iftar.
Social gatherings, many times buffet style, at iftar are frequent, and traditional dishes are often highlighted
Over time, iftar has grown into banquet festivals. This is a time of fellowship with families, friends and surrounding communities, but may also occupy larger spaces at masjid or banquet halls for 100 or more diners.
Charity is very important in Islam, and even more so during Ramadan.
In many Muslim countries, it is a common sight to see people giving more food to the poor and the homeless, and even to see large public areas for the poor to come and break their fast. It is said that if a person helps a fasting person to break their fast, then they receive a reward for that fast, without diminishing the reward that the fasting person got for their fast.
A Yemeni man fires a cannon to mark the end of the first fasting day of Ramadan in the southern city of Taiz
In addition to fasting, Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Quran. Some Muslims perform the recitation of the entire Quran by means of special prayers, called Tarawih. These voluntary prayers are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Quran is recited. Therefore, the entire Quran would be completed at the end of the month.
A Palestinian boy in Gaza City plays with fireworks to celebrate the beginning of Ramadan
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