With hours to go before the first day of Ramzan, Muslims in the city are preparing for the spiritually resonant month. Fasting through the day and reading the Quran take primacy for the faithful, though canny businessmen have transformed the month into a multi-crore business around haleem, dates, and other food items.
The fasting hours will be long this year, averaging about 14-and-a-half hours.
At the Athaara Seedi masjid inside Golconda fort, locals have cleaned up the ancient mosque. “Just cleaning up the premises is enough. We believe in simplicity. Focussing on other things like lighting or decoration is not what we want to do. We are watering the floor before prayer time so that it stays cool. We will continue to do so till the weather cools down a bit,” said Muhammad Amin, a local managing the mosque.
Some other mosques have got a fresh coat of whitewash. On many social media sites, the likely timing of Sahar and Iftaar are being circulated, but the moulvi at a masjid at Riyasath Nagar said till the sighting of the moon nobody can time the beginning of the fast.
“Preparing for Ramzan means gearing up the mind and body for a complete overhaul of routine, yet being mindful of daily responsibilities. At the physical level, preparation for Ramzan will mean altering the body clock for the changed meal times, i.e., Sahar and Iftaar . Spiritually, it is training to practise restraint, not just in food or drink, but in your overall outlook. More than preparing for this month, Ramzan itself is a preparatory period to bring out a better version of ourselves,” said Mahnoor Sahrash, assistant professor, St. Francis College.
“The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has mandated new rules during Ramzan for procuring meat and cooking haleem. We will stick to the rules but the GHMC should deploy sufficient staff at the slaughter houses as well as begin the work early morning,” said Muhammad Abdul Majeed of Pista House.
