It is more often than not said by the historians that Buddhism used to be the predominant religion of the Maldives before 1200 A.D. However, then Islam took over as the main religion of this island country and today one can easily find the impact of this sacred religion in the hearts of the local people. The beautiful golden dome of the Islamic center in the capital island Male, is a real treat to watch. This sacred dome was built in the year 1984 as a result of the President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s commitment to encourage and reinforce the character of the nation.

The artistic beauty involved in the making of this center is worth mentioning. Tourists’ coming to Male makes sure that they give a visit to this gorgeous center. The nicely built and comfortable interior of this center is often used for the necessary official occasions and regular meetings. The dark woodcarvings portray the religion’s history and are very special for the people of the Maldives. Worshippers get to see both the communication tower of the Postal building and the elegant minaret of the Islamic center while being in a mosque for offering prayers. It really seems to fill the gap between technology and tradition. The awesome beauty of the mosque gets breathtaking in the quite night and the tourist really feels it as a memorable moment of their life while standing at the steps and looking upwards at one of the most spectacular mosques of the world.

The Maldivians have a true faith in their religion and they believe in respecting other religions too. Maldivian hospitality to the tourists is something which can really show their respect towards other people. They look at Allah as the supreme of all the powers and the creator of the world. They believe that nothing can be done or even thought of without the permission of the almighty Allah. They consider “Muhammad” to be the messenger of Allah who can help them lead a pure life. Like all the other religions they believe that their deeds in their life will decide whether they will get hell or heaven after their death. Only good actions like offering alms to the poor, saying prayers five times a day, fasting for a whole month of Ramadan and offering a visit to the sacred Mecca can help them reach the heaven.