MAM spokesperson Sheikh Dinala Chabulika told Zodiak Online as Muslims start fasting today and pray for themselves, they should also put the country into prayer and reach out to those affected by the disaster.

Sheikh Chabulika said the recent cyclone disaster, Covid-19 and the cholera epidemic that has battered Malawi since last March are the calamities that Muslims need to pray that the country should overcome.

The death toll from Cyclone Freddy has risen to 507, while 537 people are still missing and 1332 injured, says the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.

Muslims in the country have joined their counterparts worldwide in observing the holy month, which officially starts today.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (sawm), prayer and reflection.

Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.