The rainy first day of Ramadan

Muslims attend Friday prayers on a rainy first day of Ramadan in the courtyard of a housing estate next to the small BBC community center and mosque (right) in east London on July 20. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)

Street prayers

In the city of Srinagar, India, Muslims offer prayers on a road outside a mosque at the start of the holy month of Ramadan. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Street prayers

Salaate Jama'ah in one of streets of Cairo, Egypt. Salaate Jama'ah means praying in congregation (gathering). It 's followed by a congregational prayer, led by the imam. When praying in congregation, the people stand in straight parallel rows behind the chosen imam.
In Islam the praying is recomended in congregation and it's considered to have more social and spiritual benefit than praying by oneself.
Picture by Giulio Ferracuti

Laylat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr is a holy night in the month of Ramadan. It is believed to be a time of intense spirituality, when the believers are surrounded by angels, the gates of heaven are open, and God's blessings and mercy are abundant.
Muslims believe the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in this night.
Muslims worldwide spend the last ten nights of Ramadan in solid devotion, retreating to the mosque to read Quran, reciting special supplications (du'a).
In shie belief similarly Laylat al-Qadr is to be found in the last ten odd nights of Ramadan but mostly on the 19th or 21st or 23rd night of Ramadhan. The 19th, according to the Shia belief coincides with the night Imam Ali was attacked in the Mihrab while worshipping in the Great Mosque of Kufa, and died on the 21s of Ramadan. Shia muslims worship and equally regard one of these three nights to be the night the Quran was revealed to angel Gabriel. One of the worships in this night is putting holy Quran on head for penitencing, because they believe God will accept their pardon by venerability of Quran.
More pics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Tehran Friday prayers

Friday prayers led by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was held at the Tehran University campus yesterday. (Feb. 5)
He has said that the main cause of the protests of the Tunisian and Egyptian nations was the humiliation they suffered due to their governments’ servitude to the United States. more ...
more pic: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Power of Islamic world

Hajj is symbol of Islamic world power, where Muslims assist from all Islamic countries. It's one of the pillars of Islamic faith, the Hajj must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by any Muslim who has the ability to do so. Pilgrims perform a series of rituals including walking around the Kaaba, standing vigil on Mount Arafat and a ritual Stoning of the Devil.
About 2 million pilgrims performed Hajj this year.
In picture, an ambulance is parked among thousands of Muslim pilgrims praying near the Namira Mosque at Mount Arafat, southeast of the Saudi holy city of Mecca, on November 15, 2010. Pilgrims flooded into the Arafat plain from Mecca and Mina. Pilgrims spend the day at Arafat in reflection and reading the Koran. (MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty Images)

Pray in shadows and sunlight

In shadows and sunlight, thousands of Muslim pilgrims pray inside the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Hajj is one of the pillars of Islamic faith, the Hajj must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by any Muslim who has the ability to do so. Pilgrims perform a series of rituals including walking around the Kaaba, standing vigil on Mount Arafat and a ritual Stoning of the Devil.
more pictures of Hajj 2010

Chinese Muslim pilgrim

Chinese Muslim pilgrim is farewell to his relatives for Hajj. The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world.
About 13,000 Chinese Muslim pilgrims started leaving China recently on chartered flights for the Muslim holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia. Many of them are from remote rural areas and lack travel experience.

Worshipers of the friday prayer at "Eyup Sultan mosque"

Worshipers are waiting for the beginning of the Friday prayer during the holy month of Ramadan at Eyüp Sultan mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. (© Pierre Marsaut)