Photographs: Jamal Saidi/Reuters
Ramzan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, is underway. In the Muslim lunar calendar, Ramzan is the ninth month after Shabban.
During this time, Muslims are encouraged to read the Quran, to give freely to those in need, and strengthen their ties to God through prayer.
The goal of the fast is to teach humility, patience and sacrifice, and to ask forgiveness, practice self-restraint, and pray for guidance in the future.
The sighting of the new moon marks the end of this month of penance, and is celebrated as the Eid-ul-fitr festival.
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Yusuf Ahmad/Reuters
Muslims attend a mass prayer session 'Tarawih' marking the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramzan in a mosque in Makassar of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters
Muslim faithfuls enter a building in the historic centre of Stone Town in the Indian Ocean Island of Zanzibar.
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Andrew Biraj/Reuters
People prepare food to sell for iftar (breaking fast) at Chakbazaar in Dhaka
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Esam Al-Fetori/Reuters
A man collects food as he prepares to break his fast at the end of the third day of Islam's holy month of Ramzan near the court house in Benghazi, Libya.
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Asmaa Waguih/Reuters
Children look as volunteers prepare food for an Iftar (fast-breaking) meal for the needy in Cairo, Egypt
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters
A man prepares cookies to be eaten when breaking fast in Kabul, Afghanistan
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Fayaz Aziz/Reuters
A man tries on a prayer cap to buy from a shop in Peshawar, Pakistan
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters
A man prepares special sweets to be eaten when breaking fast in Kabul, Afghanistan
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Women break their fast at the end of the third day of Islam's holy month of Ramzan in the central Bosnian town of Zenic
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Ahmad Masood/Reuters
Muslims offer prayers after having their Iftar (fast-breaking) meal at the Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters
People browse at a stall selling festival lights and Ramzan lanterns, or 'fanoos Ramzan', at the Khan el-Khalili market in old Cairo
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters
Girls read verses from the Koran at a local Koranic school in Nigeria's northern city of Kano
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Fahad Shadeed/Reuters
Workers break fast at Riyadh's Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Ali Jarekji/Reuters
An injured Syrian man, who said his injuries were inflicted by Syrian security forces during the violence in his country, reads the Koran with his children at a shelter in Amman, Jordan
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Omar Sobhani/Reuters
Afghan men prepare food for the breaking of fast during Ramzan at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Ismail Zitouny/Reuters
A Libyan man prays at a mosque in Tripoli.
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters
A girl hawks local snacks in the Dal neighbourhood before the break of fast in Nigeria's northern city of Kano
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Yusuf Ahmad/Reuters
Muslims leave a mosque after attending a mass prayer session in Makassar of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Andrew Biraj/Reuters
A Muslim man sells food for iftar (breaking fast) at Chakbazaar in Bangladesh capital Dhaka
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The spirit of Ramzan
Photographs: Ahmad Masood/Reuters
A Muslim woman waits to have her Iftar (fast-breaking) meal at the Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi
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