More than 30,000 Muslims across Bristol will be making preparations today to mark the start of Ramadan.

The Muslim holy month, which begins today, means those who practice the faith will abstain from food, drink, sexual conduct and anything that is considered in excess, from dawn to sunset.

Mohamed Ashraf Khan, 67, who lives in Easton, will be fasting along with his family and 95-year-old mother.

The retired teacher, whose son runs the Quran Academy, which has a prayer hall in Fishponds, said going without food was just one element of the holy month.

He said: "We're not supposed to eat or drink anything during daytime.

"If we have a meal we must get up while it is dark to eat.

"But it is not just about fasting, we must take part in prayer five times a day and follow the teachings of the Koran – the holy book.

"We also must try to abstain from any back-biting, lying and using abusive language and try and be nice to others.

"It is a period of training, clean living, and trying to take it into daily life.

"There is no point fasting if you are going to do it with a bad attitude."

Mr Khan said the temptations of the modern world made Ramadan particularly difficult for Muslims.

He said: "When you are hungry it becomes harder to carry out all the other parts of the teaching, but the more you fast the easier it becomes.

"There are talks at the mosques in the evenings to help. It is about sacrificing not only your time but also sacrificing indulgences."

Ramadan celebrates the time when the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed, known as the night of decree.

The night falls in the last 10 days of Ramadan and is an evening of worship, prayers and seeking forgiveness, considered the holiest date in the Muslim calendar.

Special prayers will be held in mosques across the city on this night.

A spokesman for the Council of Bristol Mosques said: "The fast is performed to learn discipline, self restraint, and to feel the pain of hunger.

"One would perhaps not voluntarily undertake this exercise, but Allah has made this compulsory upon Muslims during the month of Ramadan.

"To perform the simplest of virtuous deeds in this holy month gains a reward many times greater than in other months, so Muslims strive to perform virtuous and noble acts of charity and kindness towards fellow citizens."

The end of Ramadan is marked by each person in the household, from newborns to senior citizens, giving compulsory alms of about three to four pounds, to the poor.

The end of the 30-day period is met with great celebrations, parties and the giving of gifts.