See How Almost 1/4 of Humanity Ushered in Ramadan

Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, began this weekend for the 1.8 billion Muslims around the world. From sun-up to sundown, the physically able among them will fast -- abstaining not just from food but also so much as a sip of water. "[The pandemic] has touched home in many, many ways," Makram Nu'man El-Amin, an imam in Minneapolis, told NPR on Saturday. "So just the idea of being able to come back together during this special month -- the month of fasting, the month of reflection, the month of, you know, self-development and all of it, the month of being charitable, etc -- all the things that we love to do, desire to do, we'll be able to do, at least in a greater measure than we have been over the past couple of years. So I'm just excited. And I'm so grateful for this moment."