Each Friday around lunchtime, dozens of mostly African-American Muslims gather at Masjid Al-Ansar, a two-story mosque within earshot of Interstate 95 in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood.

As the downtown office workers, neighborhood residents and occasional, curious non-Muslims settle themselves on the floor of the dim, carpeted prayer room and face Mecca -- Islam's holiest city -- assistant imam Fred Nuriddin begins his sermon, weaving in and out of Arabic.

``La ilaha ila Allah. There is no god but Allah,'' Nuriddin says. ``Dear believers, let us stay focused . . . Allah is bigger than all, he is in charge of all, whether we know it or not.''

CLOSER TO GOD

On Saturday, South Florida's 70,000 Muslims begin their observance of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam. They will fast from sunrise to sunset. They will aim to temper their thoughts, purify their souls and give to the poor. They will make their way through the 500-page Koran, Islam's holy book, trying to finish it before Ramadan ends.

``Fasting brings you closer to God,'' says Nuriddin, 61. ``Just imagine, God says I'm going to refrain from having food and drink during the daylight hours; I'm not even supposed to have relations with my wife during that period. If I can restrain myself from those things that are lawful, it should be a lot easier to restrain myself from those that are unlawful. During this month, you get the greatest blessings.''

Nuriddin, a post office worker and volunteer imam, has been an off-and-on prayer leader for more than 15 years at the mosque, one of the oldest in South Florida. A 300-member congregation with a prison outreach ministry, regular fish-fry fundraisers and a small pre-K-8 school, it began in 1966 as a Nation of Islam mosque in a building that was originally a church.

UNITED BY ISLAM

Of the two dozen Islamic centers in South Florida, Al-Ansar is one of the few with an African-American majority. Many Muslim centers have been built and sustained by immigrants, but most members of the largely volunteer-run Al-Ansar are American-born converts to Islam.

``But whatever your race or background, we're all Muslim,'' says Melton S. Mustafa, another assistant imam at Al-Ansar, which counts South Asians and Middle Easterners among its members.

Mustafa, 61, who was raised in a Baptist family, grew up in Liberty City and now lives in Miami Gardens. His day job: saxophonist and director of the Jazz Studies program at Florida Memorial University.

Ramadan, he says, is a time for Muslim unity.

``It's a time when you realize the value of life, a chance to get closer to the source. ``Quite often we are in the world of today, we are bombarded with loud music, loud language, corrupt news, this and that, all this fightin' and fussin' and bickering. Ramadan gives you calm.''

Mustafa joined the mosque in 1975 when it was part of the Nation of Islam, which combined traditional Islam with black separatist politics. By the late '70s, the organization had dwindled in popularity, and Al-Ansar leaders brought the mosque into the traditional Muslim fold.

``What we were introduced to after Nation of Islam was more in tune with your common sense and just the natural way things should be -- respectful of all humanity,'' Mustafa said. ``We opened up our reach.''

On Friday, Mehboob Rahman, a clothing importer from Bangladesh who lives in Medley, made his first visit to Al-Ansar.

``I was in the neighborhood with some clients and it was time to pray,'' said Rahman, 42, standing near a Jamaican Muslim woman selling fried fish and navy bean pies and a man selling ``African Black Soap'' and ``Egyptian musk'' incense. ``I usually go to Darul Uloom [mosque] in Pembroke Pines, but you can do the same prayers anywhere.''

Ramadan will be one of the first topics students tackle when classes resume Monday at the mosque's Clara Muhammad School, where two dozen youngsters, study Arabic and Islam along with math, science, language arts and history.

``You teach them about it, but usually for kids under 12, it's difficult to fast,'' says former school director Hanan Ali. ``They always try and you don't stop them when they do, but we wouldn't force it.''

Ramadan, which is a lunar month on the Islamic calendar, will likely end Sept. 20, but leaders at Al-Ansar and many other mosques traditionally wait until they see the new moon to proclaim the month's end and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, a day of feasting and gift-giving.

``Ramadan is one of the few times you see a believer here every day because, usually, people are working during the day,'' says Daa'iyah V. Sabir, 74, a school volunteer who lives in Little Haiti and has attended the mosque for 33 years.

``Eid is the end and it's just great. You have gifts, you have food, you have family. There ain't nothin' like Islam in the world.''

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