Ramadan
and few iftar food
Iftar parties are very popular in Ramadan, especially
in Muslim countries. This is a new trend and nothing religious about it. In
Ramadan it is not like the whole day of fasting is just about Iftar’’.
We see programs in TV about making various iftars in
Ramadan. As Muslims, we should focus on the essence of Ramadan.
The
importance of Ramadan
This is the month the Holy Quran was revealed. The
Quran clearly mentions this:
"O you who have
believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you
that you may become righteous". [Al-Baqarah 2:183. Al
Quran]
A month where Muslims are encouraged to do good deeds,
prayer charity and be considerate towards the poor. It is not right to consider
Ramadan as month of having iftar parties without fasting. We muslims should
take care to regard this month as holy and not tarnish its importance and
sacred ness.
Ramadan
Timings
It is the ninth month of Islamic Calendar. So what do
Muslims in this month.
Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. That is after adhan of Fajr prayer (Morning Prayer) till Magrib adhan. These are names of
prayer in Islam.
During fasting rules to be followed are:
·
No eating
·
No drinking
·
No marital relations between husband and
wife
·
No lying
Any of the following during fasting
breaks the fasting. It is not just about fasting but the spirit of this month.
There are many rewards of the fasting person and he/she encouraged to do good
deeds. Since every good deed is multiplied by about 10. Muslims are encouraged
to do charity in this month. Even if you give 10 dollars or 10 Taka with
correct intention, the person is rewarded. Come on man, think of the various
times where we spend thousands of taka or hundreds of dollars (in US) without
thinking. Think of the less fortunate, homeless and needy. I am not talking
about professional beggars’’.
Reward
for giving ifar to fasting person
There is much reward in giving iftar to a fasting
Muslim .
The Prophet (saw) said, ‘Whoever feeds a person breaking his fast
will earn the same reward as him, without anything being lessened from the
reward of the fasting person.’ [Tirmidhi]
These little things we can easily do. In the end it is
not about numbers. It is not how much money you give or quality of iftar you
give. It is about efficiency.
The intention behind charity (Sadaqah)is the main
factor. Do not give charity as to belittle the person you are giving or
flaunting your wealth. A person might be deprived of blessings and rewards of
this highly recommended act.
Iftar
The time we breakfast. It is not just about the food,
quality and quantity. An iftar with dates and water is enough too. Rather the
fact family doing iftar with the family and eating, sharing it with family,
friends and neighbors.
Give an iftar to your neighbor or tenant. It does not
have to be fancy. It is the kindness, affection and love towards the Muslim
brothers and sisters that counts.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said this about 1400 years
ago:
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ‘(O people!)
Save yourselves from the Fire even if it is with half a date, and if you cannot
find that, then (save yourselves by saying) a good word’. [Muslim]
Note Muslim here means the hadith.
Now we understand the spirit let us discuss the iftar
Muslim people have
1.
Saudi
Iftar
Dates. These are highly nutritious
food. It is a Sunnah of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh). Sunnah means the actions of the Prophet in his daily life.
It is highly recommended in Islam and not mandatory. Following Sunnah entitles
a Muslim to many rewards.
In Saudi Arabia, a
traditional iftar would include:
·
Dates
·
Arabic coffee
·
Soup
·
Fried samosa
·
Kunafa
These
dishes vary in place to place. People should remember the Almighty and ask from
Almighty any supplications. Say you want a big achievement for your son or a
great house. Well the best time to ask almighty Allah (God) is before iftar in
Ramadan. At this time, chances of supplications being accepted is a lot.
Arrive
at iftar before at least 10-15 minutes early. Sit in front of iftar waiting for
Magrib adhan. This is usually with family of friends.( A Muslim environment)
2. Turkish
iftar
Turkish iftar is
about Sherbet and kabbabs. In Turkey,
you understand there is Ramadan since streets are decorated with lights and
decorations. In addition, they have :
·
Soups
·
Vegetable selections
·
Desserts
·
Turkish coffee
·
Fruits
Try Koftah with
Potato and Yoghurt.
The recipe:
Ingredients
For The Koftah:
300gr. ground beef
1 medium-size onion
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
a good pinch of baking soda
4 tbsp olive oil to fry
For the Potato base:
6 medium-size potatoes (boiled and mashed while hot)
2 tbsp oil or butter
2 cups thick whole-milk plain yogurt
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
The fat we cooked the kofta
For the Butter source:
1 tbsp heaped butter
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each red pepper flakes, paprika
parsley leaves to garnish
Instructions:
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Don’t miss Turkish iftar without sherbet. Few sherbets which
are at the iftar table are:
·
Rose Sherbet
·
Aryan (don’t know if they use it in iftar.)
Well in Resurrection Ertrugrul and the Seljuks
series taught us viewers about Aryan. The tradition among Muslims from Indian
sub continent is that they gave sharbat’ to guests. I used to wonder why
.People did not give sharbat’’(juice) to the people in the house hold . Te
Muslim people especially in India and Pakistan have a way of presenting the
Sharbat’(sherbet,juice,etc) in a special way. The ladies usually presented this
sherbat’’ or sherbet’’’to the guests.
See Bala Hatun (TV series historical person) in Kurulus Osman reminded
me as kid. I think the Turkish Muslims introduced this culture. A tradition not
usually seen in Bangladesh and not much emotion attached with this Sharbat’
’thing.
Desi
and Bangladeshi iftar
The items here are similar in some ways.
·
Dates
·
Bahjis’’ Fried in flour with Brinjals
. Specifically called Begunis .
·
Samosas
·
Haleem
·
Lassi(Desi equivalent of Aryan).
·
Chick peas (cooked)
·
Fruits such as Water melon.
At the end it is the spirit of Ramadan
that matters. The Muslim world are having a global get together with family, friends,
neighbors and poor. Globalization is a concept pioneered by Islam. The concept of Ummah ,Muslims despite their location ,race ,wealth are
unified by their religion :Islam.
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