The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began at sundown on Wednesday. In preparation for a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting meant to draw Muslims closer to God and remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate.
For the next 30 days, Muslims observing Ramadan will refrain from eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset.
Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and is required for all Muslims, though exceptions are made for young children and the sick, as well as women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating. Travelers are also exempt, including athletes attending tournaments away from home.
After the last day of fasting, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a festive three-day holiday during which children dress in new outfits and receive gifts.
The Sheikh Zayed Solo Grand Mosque in Solo City, Indonesia. The country has the world’s largest Muslim population.
Photograph: Ulet Ifansasti/Getty ImagesA Palestinian girl cleans the stone floor of the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary in front of the Dome of the Rock, as part of preparations for the holy month of Ramadan in Jerusalem’s Old City. [Sinan Abu Mayzer/Reuters]People read the Koran at the Grand Mosque ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan in Sanaa, YemenPeople attend a Ramadan crescent lighting ceremony at a square in Ramallah, West Bank.
Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesChildren hold ‘Ramadan lanterns’ in their hands and move around the streets of Mosul, Iraq. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesIndonesian Muslims pray at the Istiqlal Mosque during the first night of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Jakarta, Indonesia, 22 March 2023. Muslims are obliged to abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures from the break of dawn until sunset throughout the Ramadan month. EPA-EFE/BAGUS INDAHONOMuslims prepare food before breaking the fast during the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, at a mosque in Dili, East Timor, 23 March 2023. Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating, drinking, and sexual acts during the period between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the revelation of the first verse in the Quran was during its last 10 nights. EPA-EFE/ANTONIO DASIPARUPeople read the Quran on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at a mosque in Sana’a, Yemen, 23 March 2023. EPA-EFE/YAHYA ARHABMembers of the Malaysian Islamic authority perform ‘Rukyah Hilal Ramadan’, the sighting of the new moon to determine the start of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [Vincent Thian/AP Photo]An Egyptian dates vendor talks to a client in Sayyeda Zeinab market ahead of the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Cairo, EgyptMembers of Muslim Scout Association hold decorations during a rally to welcome the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Sidon, LebanonWorkers carry vermicelli, a special delicacy prepared for the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Karachi, PakistanA Saudi woman shops for Ramadan decorations to mark the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan in a local market in Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaA Filipino Muslims read the Quran inside a mosque on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Marikina, Philippines
A Palestinian vendor arranges food items at a Palestinian shop ahead of Ramadan in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank
Muslim worshippers perform a night prayer called ‘tarawih’ during the eve of the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Turkey at Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, TurkeySudanese women prepare Al-Raqqa, a Ramadan drink made with dried corn and spices which is in the milk, in Khartoum, SudanLebanese women shop for decorations in preparation for the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the southern port city of Sidon, LebanonWorshippers attend prayers on the first Friday of holy month at the Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara. AFPMuslims after Friday prayers at the Ali Jim’ale Mosque in Mogadishu. ReutersPrayers at the main mosque during Ramadan in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. EPAWorshippers after the prayers on first day of Ramadan at the Kowloon Mosque in Hong Kong. APMuslims gather before the Kaaba in Makkah as they perform the maghrib prayer to mark the end of the first day of fasting at the Grand Mosque. AFP
Plates set up to host Iftar for worshippers in Karachi in Pakistan. Reuters
A volunteer prepares Iftar food at the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore. AFP
![Indonesian Muslims perform the tarawih evening prayer on the eve of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta. [Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo]](https://mmnews.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ramadan-1.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/GBN7LSMQVPS22AIYBCYFZVNC7E.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/F346KAJAEAOIYVSA3WOHZPWEPE.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/UFC3X6NNPAHULDIDTWMBKMIGDI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/2SEI2KXGTKS4DECP6M6V7HCYTQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/KFSFRWUVA5VKDV3SJKTVAVGALU.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/FIWZ3PTHH7EXVLOCGBFIBEKVTY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/AMRDJEG6YS54OQR6GBM3I7YIPU.jpg)
