Suhur

File:Suhur.jpg

An example of a Jordanian sahur table

Template:Sidebar Sahur, or sahoor (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Langx), also called sahari, sahri, or sehri (Template:Langx), is the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting (sawm), before dawn during or outside the Islamic month of Ramadan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The meal is eaten before Fajr prayer.<ref name="bbc">Template:Citation</ref> Suhur corresponds to iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan, replacing the traditional three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner),<ref name="bbc"/> although in some places dinner is also consumed after iftar later during the night.

Being the last meal eaten by Muslims before fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan, suhur is regarded by Islamic traditions as a benefit of the blessings in that it allows the person fasting to avoid the crankiness or the weakness caused by the fast. According to a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, Anas ibn MalikThe Prophet

Musahharati

The musahharati<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (Template:Langx;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> also anglicized as musaharati<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>), also called "Ramadan drummer" in English, is a public waker for suhur and dawn prayer during Ramadan.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to the history books, Bilal ibn Rabah was the first musaharati in Islamic history, as he used to roam the streets and roads throughout the night to wake people up.<ref name="arabnews">Template:Cite news</ref>

The occupation is described by a Damascene musaharati: "My duty during the holy month of Ramadhan is to wake people up in the old city of Damascus for prayers and Suhur meal."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to a Tripoli musaharati, the attributes every musaharati should possess are physical fitness and good health, "because he is required to walk long distances every day. He should also have a loud voice and good lungs, as well as an ability to read poems. A musaharati should supplicate God throughout the night to wake the sleepers."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The tradition is practiced in Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Palestine. However, there has been a gradual disappearance of the musaharati due to several factors, including: Muslims staying up later; using technology such as alarm clocks to wake for suhur; and larger homes and louder cities that make the voice of the musaharati harder to hear.<ref name="arabnews"/> However, the old Dhakaiya tradition of singing qasidas can still be found in the streets of Old Dhaka in Bangladesh.<ref name=bpedia>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In Indonesia, a kentongan or a bedug is used to wake households up to eat the suhur meal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Significance of Suhur

Suhur is a key significant act during fasting, it is considered a recommended act by the prophet. This made the Sahur not just eating as a means of sustenance, but also as an act of worship.

References

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