In PHOTOS: The spirit of Ramzan

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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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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Muslim faithfuls enter a building in the historic centre of Stone Town in the Indian Ocean Island of Zanzibar.

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People prepare food to sell for iftar (breaking fast) at Chakbazaar in Dhaka

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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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Children look as volunteers prepare food for an Iftar (fast-breaking) meal for the needy in Cairo, Egypt

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A man prepares cookies to be eaten when breaking fast in Kabul, Afghanistan

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A man tries on a prayer cap to buy from a shop in Peshawar, Pakistan

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A man prepares special sweets to be eaten when breaking fast in Kabul, Afghanistan

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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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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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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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Girls read verses from the Koran at a local Koranic school in Nigeria's northern city of Kano

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Workers break fast at Riyadh's Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque

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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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Afghan men prepare food for the breaking of fast during Ramzan at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan

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A Libyan man prays at a mosque in Tripoli.

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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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Muslims leave a mosque after attending a mass prayer session in Makassar of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province

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A Muslim man sells food for iftar (breaking fast) at Chakbazaar in Bangladesh capital Dhaka

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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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