Ramadan 2015 in Sri Lanka – In Pictures

Almost two weeks into the holy month of Ramadan, Instagram is teeming with great pictures of the festivities and religious observances around the island. The pictures are also a wonderful way of seeing how Muslims experience the month long fast – such as young boys playing cricket in their white t-shirt, sarong and cap to pass time. We have rounded up a group of the 10 best pictures posted within the first two weeks. Do read the descriptions too, they provide more insight into the Islamic festival.

Intricate interior of the Red Mosque in Pettah

Let's perform Salah! The Prophet Muhammed صلى الله عليه و سلم) peace be upon him said; "There is a room in Jannah where the exterior is seen from the interior, and the interior is seen from the exterior. " Someone asked: "Who is it for, Messenger of Allah?" He said: "It is for the one whose speech is pleasant, he feeds others, and he spends the night standing while the people are asleep" Narrated by Al-Tabarani, Al-Hakim, and graded sahih by Al-Albani #lka #srilanka #colombo #pettah #masjidulalfar #redmosque #sammankottupalli #masjid #islam #muslim #spiritual #placeofworship #moorish #monumental #architecture #history #urban #instagood #igers #tflers #travelgram #ramadanlk #myramadan #sharingramadan #theramadanproject #thepettahproject #spreadtheloveforsrilanka

A post shared by N A J E E B • N A W F E R (@iamnjb) on Jun 24, 2015 at 9:03am PDT

Social Media Day was held on the 28^th of June. A special iftar was organized for all the Muslim attendees.

Today's Iftar at #SMDayCMB . Thanks for organising it @basithharoon ☺ #MyRamadan #theramadanproject #ramadanlk #iftar #VSCOGoodShotRamadan

A post shared by Mufa (@mufarris) on Jun 28, 2015 at 7:56am PDT

Breathtaking photograph of the Red Mosque in Pettah

Jamiul Alfar known as Red Mosque Main Street view. #colombo #cmb #lka #lk #mosque #srilanka

A post shared by Sajath Ahamed (@monkeywithaniphone) on Jun 24, 2015 at 2:05am PDT

Game of cricket before Iftar?

#RamadanLK Day 09 Cricket, the sport that unites us all. My memories go back in time to the good old days, looking at these guys play. Even during Ramadan, we played ignoring our parents advice, at least for couple of hours a day. #ramadan #srilanka #theramadanproject #peace #islam #muslim #sharingRamadan #MyRamadan

A post shared by Nazly Ahmed (@nazlyahmed) on Jun 27, 2015 at 5:17am PDT

A little boy sips tea after the special night time Tharaweeh prayers that are held during the month of Ramadan.

Drinking Tea after Tharaweeh Prayers at mosque. #RamadanLK #MyRamadan #RamadaninSL

A post shared by Sajath Ahamed (@monkeywithaniphone) on Jun 26, 2015 at 11:49am PDT

An old man (with an impressive white beard) reads the Quran on his tablet.

#RamadanLK Day 10 In an age where technology is used for various needs, an old man is seen here reciting The Quran using a Tab at the mosque, which you don't see everyday. #ramadan #srilanka #theramadanproject #peace #islam #muslim #sharingRamadan #MyRamadan

A post shared by Nazly Ahmed (@nazlyahmed) on Jun 28, 2015 at 1:33am PDT

At the first sighting of what is a sliver of a crescent moon the fasting commences.

#RamadanLK Day 3: The Crescent. Managed to capture the crescent on the 3rd day of Ramadan coz it was overcast the first couple of days. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting. The month begins & lasts 29-30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon. #ramadan #srilanka #theramadanproject #peace #islam #muslim #sharingRamadan #MyRamadan

A post shared by Nazly Ahmed (@nazlyahmed) on Jun 21, 2015 at 10:30am PDT

During the month of Ramadan the mosque distribute kanji – rice porridge that is had during iftar.

To see people of different age groups carrying buckets /jugs around in the evenings during the holy month of Ramadhan is a common sight. The local mosque distributes what we call 'kanji' in Tamil which can be loosely termed as porridge for free every afternoon throughout the month of Ramadhan. This 'kanji' is a traditional food of sort with which the Muslims of #srilanka breaks the fast. The initial idea was to help the poor and homeless I guess. But now a days there is no such restrictions and anyone in the vicinity can go and get them for free. But you have to pre apply and get the coupons in certain mosques so they know how much to make so they wont run out of kanji or they won't prepare excess. The cost is usually shared by few generous individuals or most of the time by a single individual. #RamadanLK #MyRamadan

A post shared by Muhammed Sabith (@msabith) on Jun 23, 2015 at 4:34am PDT

Close to Asar (the fourth daily prayer) most of the mosques will have short-eat vendors around. Short-eats and kanji are iftar staples.

#RamadanLK Day 02: Rise of the Samosas Samosas and short-eats have become a must have food items for #iftar (break-fast). With the dawn of Ramadan, these little stalls in the streets, specially closer to mosques will sell these goodies for a very fair price. #ramadan #srilanka #theramadanproject #peace #islam #muslim #sharingRamadan #MyRamadan

A post shared by Nazly Ahmed (@nazlyahmed) on Jun 20, 2015 at 4:41am PDT

Food aside, Ramadan is a holy month in which Muslim spend more time focusing on Islam. Suhoor is the first of the five daily prayers and those fasting refrain from consuming food and water from this time (the break of dawn) until sunset.

Day 01 #RamadanLK Waking up for Suhoor (pre-dawn) during Ramadan gives us a great opportunity to pray Tahajjud, which is also known as the "night prayer" is a voluntary prayer. It is not one of the five obligatory prayers required of all Muslims, yet still, prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has performed Tahajjud prayer regularly and encouraged his companions to pray for its many rewards and benefits. #ramadan #srilanka #MyRamadan #theramadanproject #peace #islam #muslim #sharingRamadan

A post shared by Nazly Ahmed (@nazlyahmed) on Jun 18, 2015 at 5:01pm PDT