As Muslims around the world are currently observing Ramadan, which began on March 10, we thought we’d look back on the holy month and what it has involved over the years.
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, it is undertaken as a period of fasting (sawm), prayer (salah), reflection, and community.
A commemoration of Muhammad’s first revelation, the annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts 29 to 30 days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.
Fasting from dawn to sunset is obligatory for all adult Muslims, with some exceptions.
The spiritual rewards of this are believed to be multiplied during Ramadan and Muslims refrain not only from food and drink, but also tobacco products, sexual relations and sinful behaviour, devoting themselves instead to prayer and study of the Quran.
The holiday of Eid al-Fitr, commonly known as Eid, marks the end.
Our first remarkable picture shows Muslims offering prayers in front of the Taj Mahal at Agra, India, in 2006, as millions around the world celebrated the end of the holy fasting month with prayers and feasts.
An image from another country – Cyprus – shows a lone Muslim at the Omeriye mosque doing the same thing, while an Indonesian girl bravely raises her head during prayers at a mosque in Jakarta.
In 2005, a flat beside Indigo restaurant in Denton Holme, Carlisle, became the setting for Eid celebrations after a falling out among Muslims from the Carlisle Mosque.
Pictured are the celebrants in prayer, with Azad Miah on the right.
In 2000, reception class children at St Cuthbert’s Primary School were learning about Muslims in a project on world religions. They are pictured celebrating Ramadan with their teacher Carol Brotherton.
The same year, members of West Cumbria’s Muslim community enjoyed a get-together to mark the end of Ramadan.
Our final two pictures show an Eid feast at Carlisle’s Dhaka Tandoori, where chef Mahmud Ali prepared a selection of delicious foods.
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