After four weeks of daily abstention from food, water, sex and other sensual pleasures, the community was ready to celebrate by praying, being with family and, of course, eating.

"You have passed this test very successfully and today, Allah is giving you good grades" Imam Mohamad Ali Elahi told a packed auditorium at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights. In Islam, "imam" is a title for prayer leader.

More than 1,000 people crowded into the mosque for early morning prayer and a light breakfast of pastries and coffee. Friends greeted one another in the hallways with hugs and the phrase "Eid Mubarak," Arabic for "Holiday Blessings."

For many Muslims, the day was about spending time with family, thanking God for seeing them through Ramadan, and giving alms to those who go without food because they have no choice.

Muslims celebrate Ramadan as the month during which the Koran was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad. The Koran calls for people to fast during Ramadan as a means of learning self-restraint and spiritual rather than physical fulfillment.

Donna Abbiss of Sterling Heights said she learned this year how important her family is to her, especially when they gathered each night to break the fast together.

"You appreciate what God has given you," Abbiss said.

At the Islamic Center of America in Detroit, about 6,000 people filtered in and out throughout the morning to mark the day, which is called Eid al-Fitr. Imam Hassan Qazwini described the atmosphere there as joyous.

"There is a sense of spiritual relief," he said. "After 30 days of fasting, people feel they have been blessed."

At most mosques, the immense crowds had disbursed by noon, either moving the celebration home with their families or going on to work.

People leaving the mosques said they were planning to prepare special meals of meat and rice in the evening and exchange gifts with their families. The celebration will continue today and Friday.

According to religious leaders, this year's crowds were larger than usual because people are still on break from school and work. Because Muslims follow the lunar calendar, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr fall on different days each year.

The traditionally joyful celebration turned somber at moments when the subject of the Middle East conflict came up.