Sharjah/Dubai: Every Ramadan, mosques in the UAE host free iftars for thousands of people every day and tonnes of food and drinks worth millions of dirhams make their way daily to mosques thanks to anonymous donors. It is all fuelled by the belief that charity during Ramadan is especially auspicious, and that a person providing iftar to the fasting person also gains his or her spiritual reward for fasting.
That must translate into massive rewards, considering the huge number of people at iftars at mosques.
At the Malik Ibn Anas mosque in Sharjah’s Abu Shagara area, some 600 people end their fast daily. And not one pays a dirham for any food or drink item.
The iftar cost at the mosque, roughly Dh150,000 for the entire Ramadan, is mainly borne by two Emiratis who have been sponsoring the daily Ramadan iftar there for years, said the mosque’s iftar coordinator, Abu Jameel.
“I cannot tell you who they are. It’s all meant to be anonymous. They don’t want praise from people, they are only after spiritual rewards,” said Abu Jameel, a Palestinian resident of the area coordinating iftar at the mosque for 12 or 13 years.
The main food at iftar at mosques nationwide is biryani, a favourite rice and meat dish in the UAE, especially among South Asian expats who make up the bulk of the population.
Just the biryani for the 600 people costs Dh90,000 for the month of Ramadan at the mosque. Other regular items, such as water, dates, milk, juice, and fruits, make up the rest of the cost.
But not all the iftar items are prearranged — ordinary people also drop off their contributions — a carton of water here, a packet of dates there. “We don’t know them, they don’t know us. They come and drop it off. No one says a word,” Abu Jameel said.
“Everyone wants to do their own bit. That bit can be iftar for one person or 1,000 people, depending on who you are, and how much you want to spend in charity.”
Also doing their bit are volunteers who serve iftar and clean up afterwards. Some schoolchildren have been helping out at the mosque every Ramadan.
“My job is to put together small cartons of juice, milk and water and hand them out to people as they line up. I also make sure no one jumps the queue. I don’t mind the heat, I love serving my fellow Muslims,” said student Azhar Ul Alam, 16, from Bangladesh.
The scene is repeated at mosques across the country. At the Al Arif mosque in Dubai’s Muhaisnah 2 area, around 2,000 worshippers end their fast. Iftar for half of them is sponsored by a government agency while the rest is arranged through private individuals.
“Five or seven Arab nationals are mainly sponsoring the iftar. The rest of the costs are borne by ordinary workers who don’t earn much, but want to share whatever they do have,” said Mohammad Faruq Nadvi, the mosque’s imam.
“They help clean up afterwards too. They don’t take money for their effort, it’s for something more noble than that.”
