Holy month of Ramzan begins with Taraweeh

Hyderabad: The holy month of fasting, ‘Ramzan’, has begun with the nightly prayers called ‘Taraweeh’ in almost all the mosques of the twin cities. The first Tarawih prayer marks the beginning of the holy month.

Muslims fast each day for the entire month of Ramzan, abstaining from food and water from dawn to dusk. It means more than 14 hours without food, water, cigarettes or any other consumable item.

They must also abstain from sex, gossip and cursing during the fasting period and are encouraged to focus on meditative acts like additional prayers, reading the Quran and charity.

In Ramzan, a special prayer is offered after the fifth-time prayer called ‘Taraweeh’. In the Taraweeh, the Imam leads the prayer reciting verses and chapters of the holy Quran in sequence. It usually consists of 20 rakats while a school of thought performs only 8 rakats.

In the historic Macca Masjid, Khateeb Moulana Hafiz Rizwan Qureshi led the Taraweeh prayer.