Muslim traditions

Muslim traditions are found in nearly every country, from Morocco to Indonesia, and range from the five daily prayers and the Friday congregation to Ramadan, Eid, the hajj, Mawlid, Ashura and the customs of marriage, naming and burial. They share a core of belief and practice and take many local forms in food, dress, music and festivals. The calendar is lunar, so the dates move through the year. These pages describe Muslim traditions as those who keep them do, including local ones that differ between communities.

Prayer, Friday and the mosque

Muslims pray five times a day, facing Mecca, and gather for the Friday congregational prayer and sermon. Mosques are places of prayer, learning and community, and many hold meals in Ramadan. Cleanliness, modest dress and the removal of shoes are customary, and Quran recitation is a valued art. In many homes, the call to prayer sets the rhythm of the day, and children learn prayers from their parents and from a teacher.

Ramadan, Eid and the hajj

Ramadan, the month of fasting, is followed by Eid al-Fitr, and the hajj by Eid al-Adha. Both feasts are marked by prayer, new clothes, gifts and meals shared with family and the poor. The hajj draws about two million pilgrims to Mecca, and returning pilgrims are welcomed at home. Local customs, such as lanterns in Egypt, night markets in Indonesia and henna in South Asia, add colour to the occasions.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Muslim (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreProstration Bowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectSpiritual

🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEvil eye A belief in harm cast by envious glares, met with protective charms and spoken blessingsFolklore

🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival

🇵🇰 Lahore, PakistanMela Chiraghanمیلہ چراغاں A three-day Lahore festival honouring the sixteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Hussain.Spiritual

🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreChaand Raatचाँद रात, چاند رات The South Asian night of moon-sighting and celebration before EidFestival

🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon and 7 moreEid il-Burbaraعيد البربارة A winter feast of costumes, sweet boiled wheat, and sprouting seeds across the LevantFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇭 GhanaOutdooringkpojiemɔ (Ga), abadinto (Akan), vihehedego (Ewe) A Ghanaian ceremony eight days after birth, when a baby is brought outdoors and namedRite of passage · Feasts and festival meals

🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreBaul traditionবাউল A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dancePerformance 🇸🇳 Touba, Senegal and 1 moreGrand Magal of Touba An annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Touba in Senegal, kept by followers of the Mouride Sufi order.Spiritual

🇮🇳 Pune, India and 5 moreTurbanدولبند (dolband) Cloth wound around the head, worn for faith, rank, shade and identityDress

🇩🇿 Tiaret, Algeria and 1 moreMawsimموسم An annual regional festival and pilgrimage across Northwest AfricaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreNiqabنِقاب A face veil worn by some Muslim women, hiding all but the eyesDress

🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 moreManoPagmamano A Filipino greeting where a younger person bows and asks an elder for a blessingEtiquette

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreHijabحجاب A Muslim practice of modesty and dress, worn by women as a headscarf or more coveringDress

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreBindi A dot worn between the eyebrows, red for marriage and devotion, worn daily by many womenDress

🇧🇩 BangladeshNight of Powerليلة القدر The night Muslims believe the Quran first came down, sought in Ramadan's last ten nightsSpiritual

🇲🇱 MaliWuduوضوء The Islamic ritual washing with water before prayer and sacred actsSpiritual

🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi Arabia and 1 moreDay of Arafahيوم عرفة A holy day of prayer, repentance, and vigil on the second day of the Hajj pilgrimageSpiritual

🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking The custom of using a trusted intermediary to introduce partners for marriageRite of passage

🇲🇱 MaliTayammumتيمم A dry ritual purification using clean earth or stone when water is unavailable or harmful.Spiritual

🇲🇱 Mali and 1 moreKhumsخُمْس The Islamic practice of giving a one-fifth share of certain wealth to designated causesSpiritual

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان An Islamic night of prayer, forgiveness, ancestral remembrance and sweet offeringsSpiritual · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 5 moreMourning of Muharramعَزَاءُ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ Annual rites of grief and remembrance for Imam Husayn and his companionsSpiritual

🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 3 moreTasu'aتاسوعاء A Shia day of remembrance before Ashura, honouring Abbas and the fallen at KarbalaSpiritual

🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaSa'eeالسعي The ritual walk between the twin hills of Safa and Marwa during Islamic pilgrimageSpiritual

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreFatimiyyaفاطمیة A Shia period of mourning honoring the life and martyrdom of Lady FatimahSpiritual

🇮🇩 Pariaman, IndonesiaTabuik A Muharram mourning rite in Pariaman, Sumatra, ending with a bier carried into the seaSpiritual

🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreHadraحضرة A collective Sufi ritual of chanted divine remembrance, sacred poetry and rhythmic movementSpiritual 🇹🇷 TurkeyKandilقنديل Five holy nights marked by illuminated minarets and prayers in Turkey and the BalkansSpiritual · Tea-time and snacking customs 🇹🇷 Bursa, TurkeyLaylat al-Raghaibلَيْلَةُ الرّغائِب An Islamic night of prayer and fasting at the beginning of the three sacred monthsSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇹🇳 Tunisia and 1 moreBsisaبسيسة A North African grain and oil ritual to unlock blessings for the yearTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇮🇳 Muhamma, India and 5 moreAkhiri Chahar Shambah A day of bathing, prayer and charity on the last Wednesday of SafarSpiritual

🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaManasikمناسك The complete set of Islamic pilgrimage rites performed in and around Mecca.Spiritual

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRemoval of footwear indoors The widespread custom of leaving outdoor shoes at the door for cleanliness and respectEtiquette 🇦🇱 Gjirokastër, Albania and 5 moreDodola and Perperuna A rainmaking ritual kept across Southeast Europe, where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summerSpiritual

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFirst haircut A rite of passage marking a child's first shave or trim across many cultures and faiths.Rite of passage

🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreRowzeh-khani A Shia Muslim ritual of reciting mourning narratives about the Battle of Karbala.Spiritual 🇩🇿 AlgeriaWezeeaوزيعة A communal meat-sharing custom fostering rural solidarity across AlgeriaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇲🇦 Morocco and 2 moreTweezaتويزة A North African tradition of communal voluntary work, mutual aid and shared harvestsCeremony · Dinner

🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 3 moreDupattaदुपट्टा A traditional South Asian scarf worn across the shoulders, chest, and headDress

🇩🇿 Tlemcen, AlgeriaAshura in Algeriaيوم عاشوراء A day of fasting, almsgiving, evening feasting and regional folk masquerades.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaWeddings in India Marriage rites and festive gatherings celebrated across the diverse communities of India.Rite of passage 🇵🇸 Jerusalem, Palestine and 1 moreThursday of the Deadخميس الأموات A spring day of cemetery visits, prayer, and shared yellow breads across the LevantSpiritual · Sweets given and shared

🇬🇧 Worldham, United Kingdom and 5 moreJalsa Salanaجلسہ سالانہ A three-day annual assembly for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, featuring lectures, prayers and communal meals.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 5 moreGargee'anقرقيعان A mid-Ramadan night when children sing at doors for sweets and nutsFestival

🇵🇸 al-Khader, PalestineFeast of Saint George An annual gathering of Palestinian Christians and Muslims honouring Saint GeorgeSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaRamadan in Canada A month of fasting, prayer and shared evening meals, kept by Muslims across CanadaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaPadusan A Javanese purification bath kept by the Abangan community before Ramadan begins.Spiritual

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Prostration: Meghan Breeze, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Padusan: Muhammad Khafidz Riza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mawsim: Beghdadi Walid, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Turban: pxhere, CC0, source
Baul tradition: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
Bindi: Vinay Sahay, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Removal of footwear indoors: Sarang, Public domain, source
Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Night of Power: M sh شراونة محمد, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hijab: Sophie Barat, CC BY 2.0, source
Tabuik: en:User:Brakatop upload to commons by Ladsgroup, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Akhiri Chahar Shambah: Hans Kyoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Wudu: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY 4.0, source
Ashura in Algeria: Jan Janssonius, Public domain, source
Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source
Tayammum: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
Tasu'a: Alirajabzadeh49, CC BY 4.0, source
Mourning of Muharram: Naser Jafari, CC BY 4.0, source
Sa'ee: Aiman titi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fatimiyya: Mohsen Ataei, CC BY 4.0, source
Manasik: Dan ik, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
First haircut: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Rowzeh-khani: Amir Hesaminejad, CC BY 4.0, source
Bsisa: Kamelgazzah, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Weddings in India: Jaisingh Rathore, CC BY 2.5, source
Dupatta: Kinshuk Sunil, CC BY 2.0, source
Tweeza: Demeester, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Hadra: Zeinebtakouti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Khums: 'Uthman ibn Husayn al-warraq (the copyist), Public domain, source
Day of Arafah: Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Eid il-Burbara: Durziil89, CC0, source
Chaand Raat: Phadke09, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mela Chiraghan: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pandal: SHUBHAM KR SONI, CC0, source
Feast of Saint George: Onceinawhile, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mano: TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO, Public domain, source
Niqab: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Jalsa Salana: Ceddyfresse, Public domain, source