Iftar Begins with Three Dates — Epoche B1
Dear Sara, Greetings from Amman! I am writing this just before six, in the last quiet half hour before we eat. From our balcony in Jabal Al-Weibdeh I can see the minaret of the neighbourhood mosque against a pink sky, and the street below is completely empty. Everyone is at home, waiting. The table is already set, and it is set in a particular order. In the middle there is a plate of dates and a jug of cold water, because that is what we touch first when the call to prayer comes. The Prophet broke his fast with dates and water, and after a whole day without either, you understand the sense of it: something small and sweet, something cold, and the body is answered without being shocked. Nobody goes straight to the cooked food. Most families here eat the dates, drink, pray the short sunset prayer, and only then sit down properly — so iftar is really two meals, a few minutes apart: one of three dates, and one of everything else. The everything else tonight: lentil soup, fattoush with sumac on top, and my grandmother's qatayef for later — the little folded pancakes, filled with walnuts or soft white cheese, that you only see during Ramadan. My mother has been filling them since four o'clock and there is sugar on everything in the kitchen. The adhan has just started and my little sister is shouting from the door. The dates first. I have to go. Warmly, Layla References The Holy Quran, Surah Ar-Rum (30), Ayah 21.