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.
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.
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.
🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreĐurđevdanЂурђевдан
A spring festival and feast of Saint George kept across the Balkans and Eastern EuropeFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreIslamic marital practices
Islamic wedding customs, from matchmaking and mahr to the nikah contract and walima feast.Rite of passage
🇲🇻 MaldivesMaahefun
A Maldivian gathering for the last meal before the Ramadan fast beginsTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇩 IndonesiaRampokan
A Javanese rite of the closing days of Ramadan, with lancers ringed around big catsSpiritual
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreMalam Tujuh Likurمالم توجوه ليكور
The Malay custom of lighting oil lamps during the closing nights of Ramadan.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇬🇧 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
🇮🇱 IsraelProfession of Faith
A public declaration of religious belief across Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditionsSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreUrs-e-Razaviعرس اعلی حضرت
A three-day annual Sufi gathering honouring the legacy of Imam Ahmad Raza KhanSpiritual
🇳🇪 Niger and 1 moreSitta min Shawwalستة من شوال
A voluntary six-day Islamic fast observed during the month following RamadanSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 3 moreGhadir Khummغَدِير خُمّ
A historic sermon and annual festival marking Ali's role in early Islam.Festival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Eid al-Ghadir: khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
- Profession of Faith: Westminster Assembly, Public domain, source
- Đurđevdan: Anonymous Russian icon painter (before 1917) Public domain image (acco, Public domain, source
- Islamic marital practices: Saddam19, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Maahefun: Ibrahim Asad, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rampokan: Elite Atelier H.G. Rimestadt (Fotograaf/photographer)., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Malam Tujuh Likur: Qatrunan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jalsa Salana: Ceddyfresse, Public domain, source