With the sighting of the crescent moon of the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the country gather together to congratulate each other and share their happiness, and to prepare for the voluntary work that will take place in almost every mosque in the Kingdom. In Ramadan, mosques open their doors before Maghreb prayers to organize free Iftar meals for the poor that have been prepared by members of the local community. “We gather immediately after Ramadan is announced every year to pray the Isha prayer followed by the Taraweeh prayer. Later people from every house in the district pledge to voluntarily provide different dishes and other food items so that we can offer 30 days of free Iftar meals to those wishing to break their fast at the mosque,” said Imam Adnan Abdullah from Abuzar Mosque, Jeddah. Men work hard to provide everything required for the extra meals their wives will cook in addition to preparing dishes for their family's Iftar. “Some people provide vegetable dishes and others provide rice, but it's not a fixed menu. We can change what we offer during Ramadan in order to get the best dishes to break the fast, Sami Mohammed, one of the volunteers at Abuzar Mosque, told Saudi Gazette. Ahlam Abdulateef, follows her father's custom of sending bread to the mosque every day during Ramadan. “We have been living in our house for almost 15 years, and during this time, my father always used to provide the mosque with bread for the breakfast meal every Ramadan,” she said. “He passed away, but I promised myself to keep the tradition alive by sending bread to help Muslims during this holy month.” The imams of mosques usually supervise the organization of the Iftar meal. “It is my job to divide the work between people, collect the food and make sure nothing is missing,” explained Adnan Abdullah. According to Abdullah, people send not only cooked dishes, but also plastic plates, spoons, water and juice, dates and yogurt. The Iftar meal during which hundreds are fed usually takes place outside the mosque in order to keep the holy place clean. “In addition to collecting the food, Ibraheem Al-Alwai, an Al-Salamah district volunteer, makes sure that the area around the mosque is clean after the Iftar meal. “Our job is not only to collect the food but to keep our mosque clean. We expect large numbers of people to break their fast at the mosque every day, and in order to keep the place in which we pray in good condition, we serve the food in the open area in front of the mosque and clean it after people have finished eating,” he said. “A group of young boys from the district have volunteered to clean the place and get rid of any bad smells by using traditional Arabic “oud” perfume to ensure that people can pray in comfort while worshipping Allah.” In Ramadan, Muslims in the Kingdom give up food, drink and all sensual pleasures, but it does not mean that food is the main thing about fasting. “Muslims believe they can learn more about discipline and working together during the holy month,” Al
