Kathmandu, May 22 -- It's 6:30 pm on a cloudy Sunday evening. Mohammed Allahuddin looks out towards the dark skies from the Kashmiri Jama Masjid in Ghantaghar, and murmurs, "It will rain heavily tonight." If it rains tonight, the sun may shine a little too bright tomorrow. And Allahuddin, a vegetable vendor, will have a tough time walking the streets of the Capital in the blistering heat on a fasting body.

It is the month of Ramadan, and for Muslims it is time for their biggest celebration. It is also a time for them to fast for the entirety of the ninth month of the lunar calendar-a month in which it is believed that the Quran was revealed to prophet Muhammad.

At the gates of the masjid, Allahuddin performs his wudu-a ritual that requi...