Iftar (Arabic: إفطار), refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after Maghrib (sunset) time. Traditionally, a date is the first thing to be consumed when the fast is broken.
Many Muslims believe that feeding someone iftar as a form of charity is very rewarding and that it was practiced by Prophet Muhammad.
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In Bangladesh, a wide variety of foods is prepared to break the fast at Maghrib time. Some of the common iftar items from Bangladeshi cuisine include Piyaji (made of pulse, onion, and pulse powder), Beguni (made of eggplant and pulse powder), Jilapi, Muri (puffed crunchy rice grains, usually spiced with onion, garlic, chilli and other iftar items), Haleem, dates, samosas, Dal Puri (a type of lentil based pastry), Chola (cooked chickpeas), fish kabab, mughlai paratha, pitha, traditional Bengali sweets and different types of fruits such as watermelon. Drinks such as Rooh Afza and lemon sharbat are common on iftar tables across the country. People like to have iftar at home with all family members and iftar parties are also arranged by mosques.
In Brunei, iftar is locally referred to as "sungkai". Traditionally this is held at regional or village mosque or masjid for those who have or will be performing the evening prayers. At the mosque, a buffet is prepared by the government and local residents at which all is welcomed to break their fast together. Before the iftar, the beduk must be heard as a signal for beginning sungkai. In the capital city of Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, the firing of several cannons at the central business district also mark the 'Sungkai'. The sungkai is generally a welcomed time of the day, so Bruneians occasionally break their fast at restaurants, bringing along their extended family. Additionally, Only during the month of ramadhan, each district will be hosting an expansive network of 'tamu' or ramadhan stalls where freshly cooked local delicacies are made abundant to be sold to everyone compared to other time of the year.
In places like Hyderabad, people break their fast with Haleem because it has a rich taste and is quite filling.
In Southern states such as Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, Muslims break their fast with nonbu kanji,[1] a rich, filling rice dish of porridge consistency, cooked for hours with meat and vegetables. This is often served with bonda, bajji, and vadai. Vegetarians of other communities are given a dish called surkumba which is prepared from milk. It is mainly done in certain parts of Karnataka.
In Indonesia iftar is called "buka puasa" which means "to open the fast". Markets sell various foods for iftar, including the date, which is popular, as well as unique Indonesian food and drink such as kolak, cendol or dawet, etc. Most of them are only found easily in Ramadan.
Maghrib time is marked by the Bedug, a traditional Indonesian drum. After Asr prayers, traditional markets will begin to open. The food stalls generally sell many kinds of items that are specifically for "iftar". Traffic jams often occur leading up to Maghrib time. Sometimes people invite groups of orphans to eat with them. After iftar, people go to the mosque for Isha'a and Tarawih prayer which, in Indonesia, is often accompanied by a sermon.
In Iran, a small selection of foods is prepared to break the fast at Maghrib time (just after the sunset) and is summarily followed by a proper Persian meal. Most common iftar items are: Chai (tea, usually Darjeeling), Noon (bread usually lavash or barbari), Paneer (cheese), fresh herbs, sweets, dates and halva. Most family members will gather at one home for iftar.
In Malaysia, iftar is known as "berbuka puasa" which literally means break of fast. As usual, the Muslims break the fast with either dried or fresh dates. There are various foodstuffs from the Malaysian cuisine available in Bazaar Ramadhan (local food markets which are open during fasting month) such as sugarcane juice, nasi lemak, laksa, ayam percik, nasi ayam, satay and others. Besides, there are many exclusive restaurants and hotels providing special iftar and dinner packages for those who want to break the fast outside with the families and friends. Even most of the mosques in Malaysia also provide free bubur lambok (rice porridge) after Asar prayers.
After iftar and maghrib prayer, there will be Isya prayer followed by tarawih prayer. And after that, most Malaysian Muslims usually will have special supper called moreh (pronounced as more-ray) with local traditional snacks and hot tea.
In Maldives, iftar is known as "Roadha Villun" which means break of fast. As usual, most Muslims break the fast with either dried or fresh dates. There are many exclusive restaurants and hotels providing special iftar and dinner packages for those who want to break the fast outside with the families and friends. All the mosques in Maldives provide free dates and juice to break fast.
In Pakistan almost everybody stops to rejoice for a few minutes following the iftar sirens and adhan (azan) (call to prayer). Preparations for iftar commence about 3 hours before, in homes and at roadside stalls. The fast can be broken by eating dates or drinking water, if the former is not available. Many restaurants offer iftar deals specially in the big cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. As a meal in Pakistan, iftar is usually heavy, consisting mainly of sweet and savoury treats such as jalebi, samosas, pakoras with ketchup or chatni and namak para, besides the staple dates and water. Rooh Afza, a sweet syrup-based drink, is also considered an integral part of the iftar in Pakistan, sometimes replacing water. Other items such as chicken rolls, spring rolls, Shami Kebabs, and fruit salads, Chana Chaat, Dahi Baray are also very common.In Sindh snacks like Papad is very common. Amongst the Punjabi and Mohajir ethnic groups iftar is often, but not necessarily, followed up by a regular dinner later during the night. Sindhis, Pashtuns, Balochis, Tajiks and the Northern Peoples combine dinner and iftar. Laghman soup, locally called Kalli, is an iftar staple in Chitral and parts of Gilgit.After iftar the mosques are rushed with the muslims to offer Tarawih (a 8 or 20 Rakat Prayer). Various television channels stop their normal telecast and broadcast special Ramadan transmission specially at the time of Sehar and Iftar. The whole month of Ramadan is marked in Pakistan as festive season when people make donations to the poors and do charity. Some organizations or companies also offer free iftar in the name of Allah to the common people even if they can afford iftar.
In Russia Ramadan is observed mostly in Muslim majority states such as Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and other areas. In Moscow it has become a tradition to open Ramadan Tent a public iftar event organised by Russia's Mufti Council.[2] In Dagestan Muslims gather in Makhachkala Central Juma Mosque to break their fast and pray taraweeh prayers.[3] Dates and fruits are preferred to break the fast, followed by soup, bread, and different local delicacies such as besh barmak, khinkal, chudu, kurze, mokhmokh and others. It is widely believed that Russian traditional drink kvass is very good to quell the thirst.
Even though Sri Lanka is mainly populated by Buddhists, there are also a strong Muslim populace. For iftar they make special snacks/appetizers at Muslim homes, such as samosas, cutlets, rolls, and many more. They perform iftar with the family if possible. Muslims believe that giving to the poor is a very rewarding. They eat a date and drink some water to break the fast or to perform iftar. Then they have the prepared meal. Some people like to prepare foods and give to the people performing iftar in the mosques.
In Trinidad & Tobago Muslims represent approx. 6% of the population.[4] Iftar is traditionally performed in the social setting of the Masjid. Various food items, showing the mixed ethnic nature of the country, are usually available. Fare range from fried rice to roti, curried chicken, goat and duck, along with curried channa and alloo (potato). Depending on the persons presenting the meal may even differ to non-traditional items as macaroni pie. The meal is usually server serving style, with persons sitting at tables with the components of the meal brought to the tables.
In Turkey the month of Ramadan is celebrated in a great joy and iftar dinners play a big part in this. In the big cities like Istanbul all of the restaurants offer special deals and set menus for iftar. Most of the set menus start with a soup or an appetiser plater called "Iftariye". It consists of dates, olives, cheese, pastırma, sujuk, Turkish Pide bread (which is a special bread only baked during the Ramadan) and various pastries called "börek". The main course consists of various Turkish foods, especially the Ottoman Palace Traditional Foods. The famous dessert called "güllaç" which is made of rose water is served in most of the places. Most of the fine-dining restaurants offer live musical performances of Ottoman classical music, Turkish music and Sufi music.
Most of the Ramadan celebration practices in Turkey have their roots in the Ottoman Empire traditions. Iftar is a fast breaking dinner and fasting people should break their fast just after the sun sets. At all of the minarets of the mosques, the minaret lightings called "kandil"s are lit, from sunset until the dawn and as soon as the sun sets a traditional "Ramadan Cannon" is fired from the highest hill in every city notifying people to start eating for the iftar.
In Istanbul, one of the more notable places to celebrate the iftar dinner is the Sultanahmet Square. Located near the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) the Sultanahmet Square hosts many activities, like the mini restaurants opened during the month of Ramadan, special shows and traditional Ottoman theatrical shows.
The Tarawih prayer is mostly practised as 20 rekahs in Turkish mosques and between every 4 rekahs a hymn composed by the Turkish musician Buhurizade Itri is sung with all the people attending to the prayer. The hymn is basically a prayer to praise the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
As Ramadan is also the month of "alms giving" many people organise iftar dinners for the poor, students, guests and foreigners. People can find free and tasty Turkish food in most of the mosques.
During Ramadan, Turkish NGOs like Journalists and Authors Foundation started to organise Interfaith Dialogue Dinners to promote the "dialogue" between the "different". These high profile events have started a whole new era of organising big dinner parties by the NGOs in Turkey for the people from different cultures and understandings even if they are not Muslims. In the recent years you can find Turkish NGOs, such as the Interfaith Dialog Center, all over the world organising iftar dinners for inter-cultural and interfaith dialogue which helps promote the true understanding of the month of Ramadan.
Iftar meals are often held at mosques, and Islamic communities, to which Muslim families are invited. Iftars are also commonly held at Muslim households. Since 1996, the United States Department of State holds an annual iftar dinner for community leaders from US society and faith groups as well as foreign policy officials.[5]
In Afghanistan, iftar usually includes dates, bolani, and rice, as well as other dishes.