The relgion of Islam is built on 5 pillars which all good Muslims are bound to respect. These are 1) Belief in the Shehada, the statement in Arabic which says: "There is no god but God and Muhammad is Prophet"; 2) Salah, prayer five times a day. If this seems arduous to non-Muslims there is a tradition in Islam that Muhammad actually beseeched God to reduce the number down to five from an original fifty times a day. Prayer in Islam is praise of God - not asking or requesting things; 3) Zakat, the paying of alms to the poor. This was traditionally calculated at 2.5 percent. Different Muslim countries have different policies towards the zakat now that income tax has been introduced in many of them. In Banglaesh I'm told this year the amount was set at 25 Taka (roughly 25p) and is supposed to be equivalent to the price of a meal; 4) Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca. This is an obligation for all Muslims who can afford it once in a lifetime. About two million Muslims go on hajj every year to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The trip carries enormous social prestige. Men who return from the Hajj are addressed by the title "Pilgrim" in many Muslim countries. Many also paint a ship or a plane (depending on how they got to Mecca) on the side of their houses to remind everyone of the fact; and 5) Ramadan, the holy fasting month. In Ramadan, Muslims must not eat, drink or make love from sunrise to sunset. In fact, they make up for it by feasting all night. Ramadan is the most social time of the Islamic calendar and consumption of foodstuffs rises so dramatically that there are often shortages

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, a calendar based on the moon which explains why Ramadan comes at a slightly later time each year. It is declared to have started once the moon has been sighted by certain learned fellows, which can mean you only have a day or so's notice as to the official start date

The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran "was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation". It is during this month that Muslims concentrate on their faith by spending less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation

During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning

According to the Holy Quran: "One may eat and drink at any time during the night until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night"

The good that is acquired through the fast can be destroyed by five things: 1) The telling of a lie; 2) Slander; 3) Denouncing someone behind his back; 4) A false oath; and 5) Greed or covetousness. These are considered offensive at all times, but are most offensive during the Fast of Ramadan

During Ramadan, it is common for Muslims to go to the Masjid (Mosque) and spend several hours praying and studying the Quran. In addition to the five daily prayers, during Ramadan Muslims recite a special prayer called the Taraweeh prayer (Night Prayer). The length of this prayer is usually 2-3 times as long as the daily prayers. Some Muslims spend the entire night in prayer

On the evening of the 27th day of the month, Muslims celebrate the Laylat-al-Qadr (the Night of Power). It is believed that on this night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran. And according to the Quran, this is when God determines the course of the world for the following year

When the fast ends (the first day of the month of Shawwal) it is celebrated for three days in a holiday called Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking) or just "Eid" as it's called here in Bangladesh. Gifts are exchanged, friends and family gather to pray in congregation and for large meals. In some cities fairs are held to celebrate the end of the Fast of Ramadan. Eid is equivalent in scale and celebration to Christmas for example i.e. everyone buggers off back to their family / home town, all the shops are shut and you eat vast quantities of food

Everything, even more so than usual, revolves around prayer time i.e. when you get up, when you sleep and when you eat. There are people who go around the houses near the mosques shouting to wake people up for breakfast before sunrise and the first prayer a bit later

Generally speaking, offices close earlier as the staff are tired from fasting all day. In Dhaka for example, it was common for people to finish at 3.30 - 4pm. Again I'd say it's much like the UK during the week before Christmas when people spend their afternoons at Christmas parties, in the pub or just generally not achieving a great deal

Restaurants and snack places place curtains in front of their establishments to hide customers eating during the day

People spit more so as not to swallow their own saliva (i.e. liquid / water) during day time

Several of us volunteers (including yours truly) went down with anything from slight to full-on food poisoning due to food being left lying around all day in the open air in preparation for the flood of people that break their fast all at the same time at Iftar

The need to give to the poor, and hence to find some extra cash, means that there is more crime through robberies and bag snatching during Ramadan. People knock on your door asking for donations, prices for pretty much everything increase noticeably, and the number of beggars seems to increase as they go looking for the donations that are on offer during the month