Why Muslims observe Ramzan

Fasting is meant to bring worshippers closer to God through remembrance, reflection and sacrifice. Daily fasting, combined with five daily prayers and extended evening prayers, challenges worshippers to focus on their actions, deeds and thoughts, rather than on material desires and instant gratification

Fasting is a requirement in Islam. Muslims are expected to show self-control and deeper spirituality during Ramzan

It's also a month of gratitude. By abstaining from food and water during the day, one is reminded of those less fortunate. Each night during Ramzan, mosques and aid organisations set up tents to serve free evening meals to the poor

Ramzan is an exercise in self-restraint. Muslims must abstain from all eating, drinking or smoking from dawn to dusk each day for the entire lunar month of around 30 days. A sip of water or coffee, or a puff of a cigarette, is enough to invalidate the fast

Sexual intercourse is also forbidden during the day-long fast, and one is encouraged to avoid gossip, arguments and idle time

To prepare for the fast, Muslims wake for a pre-dawn meal called "suhoor", which includes vegetables and fruits, tea, yogurt, dates, beans and lentils. In many cities, volunteers wake the faithful for suhoor by marching through the streets chanting and beating drums

Muslims traditionally break their fast like the Prophet Muhammad did some 1,400 years ago, with a sip of water and some dates at sunset. After sunset prayers, a large feast known as "iftar" is shared with family and friends. Iftar is a social event as much as it is a gastronomical adventure. Across the Arab world, apricot juice is an iftar staple

Children, the elderly and the ill are exempt, as well as women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating. Travelers, including athletes taking part in tournaments away from home, also need not fast

Muslims living in countries with excessively long daylight hours are advised by religious scholars to adhere to the fasting times of the nearest Muslim-majority country

Many Muslim-majority countries curb the sale of alcohol during the month of Ramzan, limiting when it can be sold and to whom. In some countries, people who eat in public during the day can be fined or even jailed, although adherence to Ramzan etiquette by non-Muslims is often a personal choice and not enforced by police

In countries like UAE that have large western expatriate populations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, restaurants use curtains to conceal customers who eat during the day. In Saudi Arabia, restaurants simply close during the day. (Pic: drone shot of the first day of fasting in Indonesia)

Once the start of the holy month is declared, greetings such as "Ramzan Mubarak", or "blessed Ramzan," are shared with with family and friends

Another hallmark of Ramzan is nightly prayer at the mosque among Sunni Muslims called "taraweeh"

Egyptians follow the tradition of the "fanoos", a Ramzan lantern that is often the centerpiece at an iftar table or seen hanging in shop windows and from balconies. In Arabian Gulf countries, wealthy families hold "majlises" where they open their doors to people who pass by at night for food, tea, coffee and conversation

The end of Ramzan is marked by intense worship as Muslims ask to have their prayers answered during "Laylat al-Qadr" or "the Night of Destiny". Muslims believe that on this occasion, which is usually observed on the 27th day of Ramzan, God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad and revealed the first verses of the Quran

After these intense nights of prayer, the end of Ramzan is met with a holiday called Eid al-Fitr. Children often receive new clothes, gifts and cash

Muslims attend early morning Eid prayers the day after Ramzan. Families typically spend the day at parks, eating in the sunshine for the first time in a month

Text: AP, Pics: Agencies