Outside the Islamic Cultural Center - the biggest mosque in Manhattan. People come and go, for prayer, even as they fast.

NEW YORK, NY August 24, 2009 —The hot weather might mean cold drinks for some people, but for Muslims observing Ramadan, drinks -- and food -- aren't an option. The holy month began Saturday and that means fasting between dawn and sunset and frequent prayers in between.

Ibrahim Balde is a 16-year-old from Queens who was at the Islamic Cultural Center on the Upper East Side last night. He says he tends to stuff himself on chicken at 4 am, but hits a wall in the afternoon.

BALDE: I got a fast metabolism, so that's kind of hard with the fasting. Because a few hours later I get hungry, after I eat. I'm hungry. I'm like, "Oh you're kidding me."

But Ibrahim says he likes helping his mother with Ramadan preparations and seeing his friends at prayer times.

The month-long observances mark the time in which the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad.

Ibrahim says he doesn't plan to rejoin his high school track team until after Ramadan. His family is from Africa.