Maldives is mainly a Muslim country
and, hence, Islam is the official
religion of the country. The religious
country has its own history, which
is to be noted.
During the 4th century AD, Theravada
Buddhism is the largest and dominant
religion of Maldives. Islam became
the religion of the country from
1153 AD. The majority of people
in this country are Sunni Muslims.
All festivals and events in the
country are held by the Muslim calendar.
Religious education is an important
element of the curriculum and is
taught at the same time as other
issues too.
The people of Maldives are very
religious and have a spiritual mind.
There are many mosques in the country
where prayers are offered daily.
The prayer is offered five times
a day, every day. The Grand Friday
Mosque is one of the largest mosques
in the country. The interiors are
large and spacious and can accommodate
many of the faithful at any time.
The Maldivians believe in the theory
that there is no other god but Allah.
People here also believe that 'Muhammad
'is the messenger of Allah. Maldives
religion gives great importance
to life after death and the final
judgment.
They believe in the concepts of
heaven and hell, too. As in the
Islamic religious laws, we can go
to heaven by good conduct. As a
religion of the Maldives, this objective
can be achieved by conducting five
major activities under Islam. These
activities include giving alms to
the poor, making a pilgrimage to
Mecca at least once in a life then,
in the holy fasting month of Ramadan,
praying five times a day and, finally,
the credo of repeat that there is
no other God but Allah and that
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
