School’s out for prayers: Dozens of students mark Ramadan

A number of students take part in an afternoon prayer session during the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Ar- Raudlatul Hasanah Islamic Boarding School in Medan, Indonesia. Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, where they refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and having sex from dawn to dusk, while also refraining from oth- er “sinful behaviour” such as false speech.

Fa sting is said to bring an increased chances piri tual rewards to those taking par t, known in the Koran as “Thawāb”.