page_title: Islam in the Maldives
section_title: Islamic influence
hierarchical_section_title: Islam in the Maldives / Islamic influence
caption_attribution_description: English: The Islamic Center (Masjid-al-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al Auzam) in the capital Malé, Maldives.
context_page_description: Islam is the state religion of the Maldives and its constitution requires all citizens to be Muslims.
context_section_description: Islam is the state religion of Maldives, and adherence to it is legally required for citizens by a revision of the constitution in 2008: Article 9, Section D and 10 states, 
  A non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives.
  The religion of the State of the Maldives is Islam. Islam shall be the one of the basis of all the laws of the Maldives. No law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives.
  
  The traditional Islamic law code of shariah forms the Maldives' basic code of law, as interpreted to conform to local Maldivian conditions by the President, the attorney general, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Majlis. Article 142 of the constitution states, 
  When deciding matters on which the Constitution or the law is silent, Judges must consider Islamic Shari’ah.
  Proselytizing by non-Muslims in Maldives, including the distribution of non-Muslim religious materials (such as the Bible), is illegal. Public worship by adherents of religions other than Islam is forbidden.
  On the inhabited islands, the miski, or mosque, forms the central place where Islam is practiced. Because Friday is the most important day for Muslims to attend mosque, shops and offices in towns and villages close around 11 a.m., and the sermon begins by 12:30 p.m.
  Adhan (prayer) sessions are held five times daily. Mudimu, the mosque caretakers, make the call. Most shops and offices close for fifteen minutes after each call. During the ninth Muslim month of Ramadan, cafés and restaurants are closed during the day, and working hours are limited.
caption: The Islamic Centre, housing the mosque Masjid-al-Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaanu-al-A'z'am.