What is iftar for Muslims? When does it take place? How is it going? We take stock of this important moment of Ramadan.
Sacred moment among Muslims during the period of Ramadan, iftar takes place for nearly a month, every day after dark. Iftar or Ftour refers to dinner which makes it possible to break the fast of the day during Ramadan. What time can we eat? What is the meaning of Iftar and what meals are offered? Here is all the information you need to know about the Ftour for the year 2023.
What is Iftar or Ftour?
Iftar, also called Ftour or ftor is the name given to meal taken every evening by Muslims at sunset during the fast of the month of Ramadan. It is a meal taken, most often, with the family, after a day of fasting paying homage to the Prophet Muhammad, who, according to the Koran, was fasting when the angel Gabriel brought him the word of Allah in the year 610 during the “Night of Destiny”.
What does Iftar mean?
The term iftar means, in the context of Ramadan, “break young”. It also echoes the word fitr that we find in Eid al-Fitr, a celebration marking the end of the month of Ramadan. The rest of the year, “iftar” is a word for the breakfast meal.
What is the Ftour time during Ramadan?
Ramadan always lasts between 29 and 30 days and moves back ten days each year, to adapt to the Muslim calendar which is not solar, but lunar. As for the start date of fasting, it varies each year. In fact, she is determined from the sighting of the moon which will make it possible to define precisely when the start of the 1er fasting day of the month. Thus, this year, the ftour should begin on March 22, 2023 and end on Friday evening April 21, 2023. The dates remain to be confirmed, however, during the Night of Doubt.
During Ramadan, Muslims are prohibited from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. The Ftour therefore marks the time of the evening when the fast is broken, and this, throughout the month of Ramadan. Muslims thus find themselves, most often as a family, around a meal centered on typical specialties such as tajines, bricks or chorba, without forgetting of course the oriental pastries.
What to eat during the evening meal in Ramadan?
Couscous, tajines, bricks and chorba are obviously part of the main oriental dishes served during Ramadan meals. For a better nutritional balance, especially after a day of fasting, it is advisable to accompany these dishes with salads (green salad, mixed salad, Tunisian salad, etc.). Among the other typical culinary specialties of ftour, we also find the Mloukia (soup), the fricassee (small sandwiches) and the Ojja (dish with tomato and eggs) among Tunisians or the soup harira and the kofta in Morocco. On the sweet side, we consume dates, baklavas, makrouds or namoura (semolina cake), accompanied by a delicious Mint flavored tea.
Where to take the ftour for Ramadan?
Because oriental cuisine is an art that is not always mastered, but also because we sometimes don’t have the time or are too tired from fasting to come home from work and work for hours in the kitchen, it there are solutions. In addition to alternating meals taken with the family or at home, some Lebanese, Indian, Moroccan or Tunisian restaurants and caterers also deliver the ftour at home. All you have to do then is set the table and wait for the moment to break the fast to feast! Moreover, ftours can also be organized in certain mosques. Finally, why not take advantage of the conviviality of a typical restaurant, to dine there, with the family, with your feet under the table?
When to start fasting during Ramadan?
According to the Quran, Ramadan is the holy month during which practitioners must fast from dawn until sunset. In Muslim countries, the beginning of the fast is announced by a call to prayer at dawn. Before the start of the fast and the appearance of dawn, Muslims take a last meal called “suhoor”.
From what age can we start the Ramadan fast?
Children can start Ramadan from 13 years old for boys, while girls can fast from the moment they have their period. Whatever the age, there are exemptions from Ramadan for sick people, pregnant women or even travelers.