Ramadan in Makkah

01/08/2010| IslamWeb

Wherever in the world they may be, when the sun sets at the end of the day, those who have fasted turn to face one location: the Sacred Ka'bah in the city of Makkah. The crystal-clear "Allahu Akbar" of the familiar Makkan Athaan rings through the city where the Prophet Muhammad spent so much happiness and sorrow.

In Makkah, the spirit of giving and remembering Allah, is truly manifested during Ramadan. The emphasis remains on worship and not on food and festivities as in many other places. It is an amazing sight to see thousands upon thousands of people be all accommodated with dates and water (and even more) for the breaking of the fast. And as the Athaan is called, one cannot escape the sheer generosity of Makkans, offering food and water to all.

It is not unusual to see a man with a pick-up van full of cooked rice and chicken dishing food out to everyone who passes by. The wealthy provide Iftaar and clothes for the poor, and organizations are active in giving huge amounts of charity.

Makkah in Ramadan is filled with visitors performing ‘Umrah or spending a vacation of their lifetime. For them, it is the Ramadan of a lifetime. For residents of the normally quiet city, however, the place is turned upside down.

"The traffic really picks up, and the routine of the city is reversed," said one resident of Makkah. "Day becomes night and night becomes day. People sleep in late and the shops stay open late."

Also, locals are flanked by visitors who are in the city for the month; a year's supply of houseguests comes all at once for them.

During Ramadan, there is much reading of the Quran in the city in which it was first revealed and the true spirit of Ramadan prevails.

Makkans usually break their fast in homes, often in big gatherings with families and friends. The breakfast usually begins with soups of all kinds, then with the traditional Samboosah and Soubia.

A common tradition of Makkaans is that bringing food to the mosque in their local area becomes a noticeable phenomenon during this month, to the point that hardly any Muslim is left hungry during this blessed month.

Families will bring their food to Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (the Sacred Mosque) to break fast there and then offer the Maghrib Prayer together. Later at night, during Taraaweeh Prayer, Al-Masjid Al-Haraam will be as bright as daytime, and nearly as full as it does during Hajj.

It is amazing to think it, but in nearly every place on earth someone from our Ummah will be fasting Ramadan. No other religion could claim such a united and unanimous act of worship amongst its believers. So in the spirit of this joyous and blessed month, let us not forget our brothers and sisters in every part of the world. Let us make the effort to remember them in our supplications, because no matter where we reside on this planet we share something very special. We will always be a single Ummah under the mantle of Islam.