Hawzah News Agency - Muslims around the world are currently observing the ninth month of Islamic calendar, Ramadan, where they fast from dawn till dusk. No food or water is to be eaten during fasting time, to honor the first revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad, according to Islamic beliefs. Religious rituals unite people no matter where they are, who they are - no matter their gender or color. This unity is blatantly visible in these photographs of Muslims observing Ramadan from around the world:

A woman prays at a shrine before breaking her fast in Mumbai, India.

A man reads the Quran at the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, in Srinagar.

Muslims pray after offering the first Friday prayers inside Sarkhej Roza mosque in Ahmedabad, India.

A Palestinian woman lifting a girl on the first Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

A Palestinian woman prays in Occupied Palestinian Territories

Fishermen sit on a fishing boat as they prepare to break their fast during a Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Ibrahim Hyderi, on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan.

Muslim American woman takes part in an afternoon prayer at the Islamic Cultural Center in Manhattan, New York.