Muslims begin observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan tonight with a late-night community reading of the Quran.
A month of daytime fasting begins on Saturday, April 2.
Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan. Muslims abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures from the break of dawn until sunset each day of Ramadan. At sunset each night, they break the fast with a communal meal.
Islam follows a lunar calendar and the month of Ramadan begins based on the sighting of the new crescent moon.
There are an estimated 10,000 Muslims living in Alabama, with about 3,000 to 5,000 living in the greater Birmingham area.
The breaking of the fast at the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center typically draws about 700 participants nightly during Ramadan.
During Ramadan, the entire Quran is recited in nightly sections in late-night community prayer gatherings called the Taraweeh.
The fast is performed to emphasize discipline, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God’s commandments. Fasting, along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the “five pillars” of Islam.
Ramadan will end on May 1.