abdulhakeem
06-11-03, 09:25 PM
Thursday, 6, November, 2003 (11, Ramadhan, 1424)
Somayya Jabarti
AL-MADINAH Al-Munawwarah, 6 November 2003 — “The Enlightened City”— has the second most holy Islamic site and plays host to thousands of Muslims, especially during Ramadan. Once upon a time, centuries ago, the people of Madinah welcomed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) into their midst, and for that reason, the city has ever since been called ‘Taiba’ which means goodness.
“Years ago in Madinah”, recalls Aunt Ruqayyah Hashem — Umm Muhammad — a senior Madinah resident and grandmother, “the men would go to the Holy Mosque before sunset and spread separate mats at which family members, friends and passers-by broke their fast with Arabic coffee and ‘rutub’ — a type of date for which Madinah is famous. Now families host larger Ramadan iftar meals inside the mosque for any fasting Muslims.”
Salem Sulaiman, a member of a Madinah family, said as he laid out his iftar meal, “We have inherited the love of receiving Ramadan guests visiting the Prophet’s Mosque from our grandfathers. We host iftar for them and are happy to serve them.” Furthermore he added, “My family has been preparing and hosting iftar in Ramadan for more than 15 years and we are proud of the fact.”
“The iftar”, said Ahmad Abdul Majeed, another citizen of Madinah “offer a range of things to the fasting Muslim such as yoghurt, dates, coffee and zamzam water.” He elaborated about hosting an iftar meal. “We collaborate with those responsible for providing what is required for the Ramadan meals and then come early in the afternoon to reserve a location or locations. Each family ends up having a certain spot inside the Holy Mosque which they use until the very end of Ramadan. The costs range from SR5 to SR10,000.”
Hisham Sabr, Fouad Owaidah and Saad Ahmad added that the people of Madinah were used to breaking their fast in the Holy Mosque then returning home after Maghreb prayer. Later they return to the mosque to pray the fifth and last prayer followed by the special Ramadan prayers known as ‘Taraweeh’.”
And yet Hanan Rashed, known as Umm Abdul Aziz, sighs wistfully as she remembers the past. “Things were more simple and genuine in those days. Everyone knew one another. Whatever had been cooked that day for iftar would be spontaneously exchanged with neighbors and vice versa. In fact when we cooked in the past, we did so taking into account that we’d be sharing the food — whatever it was — with neighbors, friends and random guests.
“After the Taraweeh, we women would get together at one of our houses and sometimes the gathering would consist of 25 women. Each of us brought a sample of whatever we’d cooked and served for iftar so that our hostess wouldn’t have to trouble herself in the kitchen. Now people may live in a place for years but not even know their neighbors.
People are too involved with their own lives, even though they have the means to make their lives easy. And Ramadan is an opportunity to reinforce relations and connections between people.”
Khadija Omar — Umm Ahmed — smiles as she too remembers past Ramadans. “Preparations for Ramadan began in mid-Shaban or even in the month before. We began by buying the spices and ingredients most used for cooking such as cardamom, ginger and a ground Arabic spice known as duga.
Each of us prepared things at home and then sent things to our neighbors, especially mixed spices for the popular Ramadan ground wheat soup. Now things are different. We hardly know our neighbors, let alone share spices and soups with them. People are not the same as before.
“The hearts are no longer the same. In the past houses were open to one another, even though it was hard work to receive random guests — but the hearts were open to one another. Nowadays, houses are larger but hearts are smaller. Neither people nor hearts are as welcoming as they used to be.”
“There was more warmth, sharing and caring in the past,” observes Faiza Sulaiman — Umm Hussein — as she sits among her 11 grandchildren. “We even helped one another in kneading and preparing the dough for a pastry eaten in Madinah during Ramadan which is known as bureik. It is a process that may take an hour and a half but it means hard work with your arms. After mixing the dough which is mostly flour, water, a pinch of salt and oil and sometimes optional eggs, we’d begin rolling out the dough, first with a rolling-pin and then with our hands. The dough of course got bigger and bigger; it expanded to the extent that we would be alternatively spreading and stretching it, using our bare arms. And then as the dough was spread into a thin-like layer, we’d lay it down on a huge sheet outside the kitchen. We then spread the stuffing mix, mostly mincemeat, onto the dough. Next we would knead another thin layer of dough to cover the mincemeat so that it was sandwiched between the two layers. That is how it was baked. This ‘bureik’ would be served alongside foul with a popular Madinah bread known as shureik. The work was hard and we didn’t sleep much. We would sleep around 11 or 12 o’clock, getting up a hour or so before the dawn prayer which is when the fast begins.”
Umm Muhammad added, “Another thing we did to get ready for iftar was fill the water or zamzam water glasses or cups with incense called mustaka. We lit the coal and burned the mustaka which are small pieces.
We held each glass or cup upside down over the mustaka as it burned, so that the smell would be inside and this gave the contents a wonderful smell.” Ghazi Ahmad, another citizen of Madinah remembered, “In the past, after praying Taraweeh with friends and family, we went around visiting each other. There were fewer formalities as there was no TV to distract us. This is why people were closer in the past, especially during Ramadan. We shared our food; we shared our time; we shared all that we cared about.”
Ghazi Ahmad’s son, Abdullah who is now a father himself, remembers, “There was a cannon which was fired for breaking the fast. A cannon was fired when it was time to wake up and eat sohoor, the last meal before the fast began. A third cannon was fired about half or quarter of an hour before the dawn prayer which marked the beginning of that day’s fasting. The third cannon reminded us of the last chance to drink water.”
Abdullah remembered his grandmother tenderly. “Despite all the hard work, she always gave my cousins and me iftar for us to distribute to certain needy families before sunset. The portions that were given away were not taken from what was left over but when the women cooked every day, they took into account what would be given away. In fact both food and clothing was given away.
Sometimes those in need were relatives who were less fortunate than we were. One thing is for sure: the doors to houses, not just our house, were never closed. Every house was your house.
“When someone said, ‘Our house is your house,’ it was sincerely meant and we could feel that it was.”
And though many leaves may have been scattered by time, it appears that some things remain the same. Hasan Zaki and Salah Ayman, both visitors from Egypt said in unison “Ceremonial hospitality is a familiar feature which characterizes the people of Madinah.” Ali Zain from Tunisia and Imran Nabeel from India said, “We are not surprised at the warm generosity with which we’ve been received for we’ve heard of the welcoming ways of Madinah people.”
Umm Anwar, the widow of a former Imam of the Holy Mosque in Madinah who is now a great-grandmother, says, “Ramadan and Madinah together are like a breeze with a fragrance.” Preparing for ‘Taraweeh’ prayers she repeats that idea and continues, “Yes indeed a breeze and a fragrance, moving hearts that are asleep and hearts that are awake, bringing us the scent of beloved memories and of loved ones from the past and present.”
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=21§ion=0&article=34723&d=6&m=11&y=2003
Somayya Jabarti
AL-MADINAH Al-Munawwarah, 6 November 2003 — “The Enlightened City”— has the second most holy Islamic site and plays host to thousands of Muslims, especially during Ramadan. Once upon a time, centuries ago, the people of Madinah welcomed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) into their midst, and for that reason, the city has ever since been called ‘Taiba’ which means goodness.
“Years ago in Madinah”, recalls Aunt Ruqayyah Hashem — Umm Muhammad — a senior Madinah resident and grandmother, “the men would go to the Holy Mosque before sunset and spread separate mats at which family members, friends and passers-by broke their fast with Arabic coffee and ‘rutub’ — a type of date for which Madinah is famous. Now families host larger Ramadan iftar meals inside the mosque for any fasting Muslims.”
Salem Sulaiman, a member of a Madinah family, said as he laid out his iftar meal, “We have inherited the love of receiving Ramadan guests visiting the Prophet’s Mosque from our grandfathers. We host iftar for them and are happy to serve them.” Furthermore he added, “My family has been preparing and hosting iftar in Ramadan for more than 15 years and we are proud of the fact.”
“The iftar”, said Ahmad Abdul Majeed, another citizen of Madinah “offer a range of things to the fasting Muslim such as yoghurt, dates, coffee and zamzam water.” He elaborated about hosting an iftar meal. “We collaborate with those responsible for providing what is required for the Ramadan meals and then come early in the afternoon to reserve a location or locations. Each family ends up having a certain spot inside the Holy Mosque which they use until the very end of Ramadan. The costs range from SR5 to SR10,000.”
Hisham Sabr, Fouad Owaidah and Saad Ahmad added that the people of Madinah were used to breaking their fast in the Holy Mosque then returning home after Maghreb prayer. Later they return to the mosque to pray the fifth and last prayer followed by the special Ramadan prayers known as ‘Taraweeh’.”
And yet Hanan Rashed, known as Umm Abdul Aziz, sighs wistfully as she remembers the past. “Things were more simple and genuine in those days. Everyone knew one another. Whatever had been cooked that day for iftar would be spontaneously exchanged with neighbors and vice versa. In fact when we cooked in the past, we did so taking into account that we’d be sharing the food — whatever it was — with neighbors, friends and random guests.
“After the Taraweeh, we women would get together at one of our houses and sometimes the gathering would consist of 25 women. Each of us brought a sample of whatever we’d cooked and served for iftar so that our hostess wouldn’t have to trouble herself in the kitchen. Now people may live in a place for years but not even know their neighbors.
People are too involved with their own lives, even though they have the means to make their lives easy. And Ramadan is an opportunity to reinforce relations and connections between people.”
Khadija Omar — Umm Ahmed — smiles as she too remembers past Ramadans. “Preparations for Ramadan began in mid-Shaban or even in the month before. We began by buying the spices and ingredients most used for cooking such as cardamom, ginger and a ground Arabic spice known as duga.
Each of us prepared things at home and then sent things to our neighbors, especially mixed spices for the popular Ramadan ground wheat soup. Now things are different. We hardly know our neighbors, let alone share spices and soups with them. People are not the same as before.
“The hearts are no longer the same. In the past houses were open to one another, even though it was hard work to receive random guests — but the hearts were open to one another. Nowadays, houses are larger but hearts are smaller. Neither people nor hearts are as welcoming as they used to be.”
“There was more warmth, sharing and caring in the past,” observes Faiza Sulaiman — Umm Hussein — as she sits among her 11 grandchildren. “We even helped one another in kneading and preparing the dough for a pastry eaten in Madinah during Ramadan which is known as bureik. It is a process that may take an hour and a half but it means hard work with your arms. After mixing the dough which is mostly flour, water, a pinch of salt and oil and sometimes optional eggs, we’d begin rolling out the dough, first with a rolling-pin and then with our hands. The dough of course got bigger and bigger; it expanded to the extent that we would be alternatively spreading and stretching it, using our bare arms. And then as the dough was spread into a thin-like layer, we’d lay it down on a huge sheet outside the kitchen. We then spread the stuffing mix, mostly mincemeat, onto the dough. Next we would knead another thin layer of dough to cover the mincemeat so that it was sandwiched between the two layers. That is how it was baked. This ‘bureik’ would be served alongside foul with a popular Madinah bread known as shureik. The work was hard and we didn’t sleep much. We would sleep around 11 or 12 o’clock, getting up a hour or so before the dawn prayer which is when the fast begins.”
Umm Muhammad added, “Another thing we did to get ready for iftar was fill the water or zamzam water glasses or cups with incense called mustaka. We lit the coal and burned the mustaka which are small pieces.
We held each glass or cup upside down over the mustaka as it burned, so that the smell would be inside and this gave the contents a wonderful smell.” Ghazi Ahmad, another citizen of Madinah remembered, “In the past, after praying Taraweeh with friends and family, we went around visiting each other. There were fewer formalities as there was no TV to distract us. This is why people were closer in the past, especially during Ramadan. We shared our food; we shared our time; we shared all that we cared about.”
Ghazi Ahmad’s son, Abdullah who is now a father himself, remembers, “There was a cannon which was fired for breaking the fast. A cannon was fired when it was time to wake up and eat sohoor, the last meal before the fast began. A third cannon was fired about half or quarter of an hour before the dawn prayer which marked the beginning of that day’s fasting. The third cannon reminded us of the last chance to drink water.”
Abdullah remembered his grandmother tenderly. “Despite all the hard work, she always gave my cousins and me iftar for us to distribute to certain needy families before sunset. The portions that were given away were not taken from what was left over but when the women cooked every day, they took into account what would be given away. In fact both food and clothing was given away.
Sometimes those in need were relatives who were less fortunate than we were. One thing is for sure: the doors to houses, not just our house, were never closed. Every house was your house.
“When someone said, ‘Our house is your house,’ it was sincerely meant and we could feel that it was.”
And though many leaves may have been scattered by time, it appears that some things remain the same. Hasan Zaki and Salah Ayman, both visitors from Egypt said in unison “Ceremonial hospitality is a familiar feature which characterizes the people of Madinah.” Ali Zain from Tunisia and Imran Nabeel from India said, “We are not surprised at the warm generosity with which we’ve been received for we’ve heard of the welcoming ways of Madinah people.”
Umm Anwar, the widow of a former Imam of the Holy Mosque in Madinah who is now a great-grandmother, says, “Ramadan and Madinah together are like a breeze with a fragrance.” Preparing for ‘Taraweeh’ prayers she repeats that idea and continues, “Yes indeed a breeze and a fragrance, moving hearts that are asleep and hearts that are awake, bringing us the scent of beloved memories and of loved ones from the past and present.”
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=21§ion=0&article=34723&d=6&m=11&y=2003