New York City’s iconic Times Square hosted over 1,000 Muslims who broke their fast and attended the “first-ever” Tarawih prayers on Saturday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Organizers of the event distributed 1,500 meals to those who attended the event, from across the U.S. and even as far as Montreal, Canada. They also recited verses from the Holy Quran and spoke about the significance of the month.
"We're here to explain our religion to all those that don't know what Islam is all about," the organizer, identified as SQ, told CBS news. "Islam is a religion of peace."
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan – when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk – began at sunrise Saturday in much of the Middle East.
Ramadan is also a time of prayers, during which Muslims converge in large numbers at mosques, especially at night.
According to tradition, Ramadan marks the time that Prophet Mohammed started receiving revelations from the Muslim holy book, the Quran.
The Eid al-Fitr holiday marks the end of the holy month.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five "pillars" of Islam.
The others are the profession of faith ("there is no God but God and Mohammed is his messenger"), the obligation to pray five times a day, charity, and the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a believer's lifetime.
