Srinagar : As serving Iftaar to a Muslim is considered a highly-rewarding act in Islam, Muhammad Ramzan from central Kashmir’s Srinagar district ensures he never misses carrying out the good deed in the holy month of Ramadan.
The 52-year-old, after every Asr (later afternoon) prayer along with his family members, prepares hundreds of Iftaar kits and serves them to the travelers and passersby on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway at the time of breaking the fast. Muslims fast from pre-dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadan.
“It is a routine for me in the month of Ramadan to serve Iftaar to anyone traveling on the highway. A few minutes before Iftaar time, I start distributing Iftaar kits to passersby on the road,
For him, serving Iftaar is the “happiest and most peaceful moment” for which he spends money from his own earnings. “Serving Iftaar to a fellow Muslim has a great reward from the Almighty,” Ramzan said.
Normally, an Iftaar kit consists of a couple of dates, a mineral water bottle, a banana, muskmelon, watermelon, grapes, slices of other fruits, etc. It can also be a cooked rice packet, locally known as biryani, and other delicious eatables.
Another person, Nazir Ahmad, also has a practice of serving Iftaar, however, not daily but weekly. He serves a glass of ‘Babri Byol Treish’ (milk mixed with basil seeds) or with the fruit chat.
I prepare around 200 fruit chaat kits and 150 to 175 liters of ‘Babri Byol Treish’ for Iftaar distribution.
Another neighbour Ramzan, a 33-year-old Nisar Ahmad also serves Iftaar to travelers on the highway.
“Every Ramadan, I ensure that I make the arrangement of Iftaar for those who are traveling on the highway. I make around two buckets of milk mixed with basil seeds and use disposable glasses for distribution,” he said.
The scenes are not just confined to a single area of Srinagar but many people from across the valley offer Iftaar to passersby.
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