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.

🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreEid al-Fitrعيد الفطر The feast that ends Ramadan, opened with morning prayers, sweets and visits homeFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇷 Iran and 21 moreNowruzنوروز The Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsSeasonal

🇹🇷 Konya, Turkey and 4 moreMevlevi OrderMevlevilik A Sufi tradition from Konya known for its whirling ceremony and devotion to Rumi's teachings.Spiritual 🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi Arabia and 2 moreBay'ahبَيْعَة An Islamic oath of allegiance pledged to a ruler or spiritual guideCeremony

🇸🇦 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and 4 moreMajlis A traditional sitting room and community assembly for hospitality and civic counselEtiquette

🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 3 morePersian gardenباغ ایرانی An ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing waterCraft

🇹🇷 TurkeyRamadan in Turkey A holy month of fasting, prayer, and community meals, observed across Turkey with unique local customs.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaIhramإِحْرَام A sacred state and simple dress that Muslims enter for Hajj and UmrahSpiritual

🇹🇷 Turkey and 1 moreSamaSema (Turkish); سَماع (Persian) A Sufi rite of listening, music and turning, kept by Mevlevi and other Sufi ordersSpiritual

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان An Islamic night of prayer, remembrance, and seeking divine forgiveness.Spiritual

🇮🇷 Tehran, IranTa'ziyehتعزیه A ritual drama from Iran that retells the Karbala mourning each MuharramSpiritual

🇮🇷 Iran and 3 morePahlevani and zurkhaneh ritualsآیین پهلوانی و زورخانه‌ای A traditional Iranian martial art blending calisthenics, wrestling, music and ethicsGame

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

🇱🇧 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

🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 5 moreMuharramٱلْمُحَرَّم The sacred opening month of the Islamic year, observed through remembrance and fastingSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇷 Tabriz, Iran and 3 morePersian miniatureنگارگری ایرانی A tradition of small, brightly coloured paintings created for books and albums.Craft

🇹🇷 Edirne, TurkeyKırkpınar A three-day Turkish oil wrestling contest near Edirne, held each June since 1360Game

🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaUmrahعُمْرَة A pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims may make at most times of year, unlike the HajjSpiritual

🇮🇷 Tehran, IranIranian weddingمراسم عروسی در ایران A wedding with courtship visits, a henna night and a spread of symbols, kept across IranRite of passage

🇮🇷 Mashhad, Iran and 7 moreIftarإفطار The sunset meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, eaten with family and communityTable custom · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreHenna ceremonyليلة الحناء A night of henna patterns on a bride's hands and feet, kept before the weddingRite of passage

🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreSufi whirling A Sufi meditation in which dervishes spin in circles to turn toward GodSpiritual

🇹🇷 Edirne, Turkey and 3 moreOil wrestlingYağlı güreş Oiled wrestlers in leather trousers: Turkey's national sport, centred on KırkpınarGame

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreEid al-Ghadirعید الغدیر A Shia Muslim festival of prayer, gifts and shared meals, kept on 18 Dhu al-HijjahSpiritual

🇹🇷 Bursa, Turkey and 5 moreKaragöz and Hacivat A Turkish shadow play of two quarrelling friends, acted on a lit screen behind a curtainPerformance

🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreCoffee culture The habits and etiquette of drinking coffee, and the cafés built around itTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

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

🇸🇦 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

🇮🇶 Kufa, Iraq and 5 moreArabic calligraphykhatt (خَطّ) Artistic handwriting of the Arabic script, practiced as a sacred craft and a living visual tradition.Craft

🇮🇷 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

🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreHadraحضرة A collective Sufi ritual of chanted divine remembrance, sacred poetry and rhythmic movementSpiritual 🇹🇷 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 🇹🇷 TurkeyKandilقنديل Five holy nights marked by illuminated minarets and prayers in Turkey and the BalkansSpiritual · Tea-time and snacking customs

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

🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreRowzeh-khani A Shia Muslim ritual of reciting mourning narratives about the Battle of Karbala.Spiritual

🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran and 5 moreChadorchādar A full-length open cloak that is pulled over the head and held shut by handDress

🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreEidiyahعيدية The holiday custom of presenting cash and gifts to children and relativesFestival 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 5 moreGargee'anقرقيعان A mid-Ramadan night when children sing at doors for sweets and nutsFestival

🇮🇱 IsraelProfession of Faith A public declaration of religious belief across Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditionsSpiritual 🇵🇸 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

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 3 moreGhadir Khummغَدِير خُمّ A historic sermon and annual festival marking Ali's role in early Islam.Festival

🇵🇸 al-Khader, PalestineFeast of Saint George An annual gathering of Palestinian Christians and Muslims honouring Saint GeorgeSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

Photo credits on this page

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

Sama: myself, Public domain, source
Eid al-Fitr: Mohammed Tawsif Salam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mevlevi Order: Georges Jansoone ( JoJan ), CC BY 3.0, source
Pahlevani and zurkhaneh rituals: Hossein Khosravi, CC BY 4.0, source
Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
Muharram: Victor Armand Poirson, Public domain, source
Persian miniature: 13th century CE painter, Public domain, source
Ihram: United Press International, Public domain, source
Ta'ziyeh: Payam Moein, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Majlis: Abū Zayd ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Zayd, CC0, source
Persian garden: dynamosquito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Ramadan in Turkey: Wiki leylek, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kırkpınar: anonymous Greek artist, ca. 1809, Public domain, source
Umrah: The original uploader was Medineli at English Wikipedia ., CC0, source
Iftar: Shariful Islam (Masum), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Henna ceremony: No author provided, CC0, source
Oil wrestling: No machine-readable author provided. Math34 assumed (based on copyrigh, Public domain, source
Eid al-Ghadir: khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
Hijab: Sophie Barat, CC BY 2.0, source
Arabic calligraphy: Aieman Khimji, CC BY 2.0, 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
Rowzeh-khani: Amir Hesaminejad, CC BY 4.0, source
Profession of Faith: Westminster Assembly, Public domain, source
Hadra: Zeinebtakouti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Day of Arafah: Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Eid il-Burbara: Durziil89, CC0, source
Nabi Musa: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Feast of Saint George: Onceinawhile, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chador: Marius Arnesen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Niqab: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Karagöz and Hacivat: Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Eidiyah: Rahbar Emamdadi, CC BY 4.0, source
Coffee culture: The original uploader was Hajor at English Wikipedia ., CC BY 3.0 br, source