Breaking bread & barriers: Sikh man's daily iftar promotes interfaith harmony
If you happen to be outdoors at Iftar time, you might have noticed a tranquility that instantly transcends everywhere at the call of the muezzin and as the clock says it is time to break the day-long fast. This is typical of Ramazan and unparalleled to any other time of the year. Completely in contrast to the madness that prevails on the streets in terms of traffic and the chaos around food shops before iftar, there is a somewhat quasi-eerie peace outside as people break their fast, as though the universe is in complete harmony. It is an endearing experience to see people sit down to eat together in big or small groups, be it indoors or publicly on the street or in the little rooms built for chowkidars outside homes and buildings.
Sardar Darshan Singh must understand the power of food or perhaps it is that endearing feeling that he wanted to magnify by organising an annual iftar for Muslims in Lahore that feeds no less than 100 people every day. Astounded? Read on.
Since the last eight years, Sardar Darshan Singh, a trader from the Sikh community, has been organising the month-long iftar dastarkhwan in Liberty Market, Lahore. Since eating together symbolises service, love and unity, his gesture of goodwill is aimed at promoting interfaith harmony.
Every evening, just before Asr prayer, Singh gets busy organising his daily mega-event. He has carefully planned the menu, making sure that it is delicious, hygienic and nutritious. Jugs of cold sharbat, and platters of dates, hot samosas, mouth-watering pakorray, and freshly-cut fruit are laid out on long plastic mats by Sikh volunteers in colourful turbans. “Once the light refreshment is partaken and the maghrib prayers and a special dua led by the Imam of the nearby mosque has been offered, the dinner menu consisting of chicken biryani, chicken haleem, meatballs with eggs, palak paneer, and chicken qorma is served,” says Singh, who lives in Model Town, and runs a garment business in Lahore. “We also serve Chinese dishes once a week.”
Singh purchases dates and fruit himself, while the meals are prepared at the local caterers. “Apart from travellers and tourists who come to Lahore, mostly the people who break their fasts at our dastarkhwan are shopkeepers and customers in the market,” he says. “As the market is closed on Sunday, it is a light day for us relatively, but during the week, we have lots of people here and we are very busy throughout.”
Due to the present day inflation and food costs, hundreds of people ask Singh to take home food for their families. “The days when we have lesser people to serve here and there is surplus food, we give away meals for people to take home,” he says. “Usually, there is an arrangement for 1000 people to break their fast here so there is hardly any leftover food. Our priority is that people should come and eat at with us at the iftar dastarkhwan.”
The present day’s lavish iftar that is now a Liberty Market tradition has humble beginnings with Singh initially organising iftar for his shop and a few fellow shopkeepers in the market. But over the years, the iftar has a tremendous expansion and Singh manages the funds out of his pocket.
“Several Muslim friends want to contribute to our iftar dastarkhwan, but we have sufficient funds to manage it,” he says. “However, they contribute by participating in making arrangements on ground and in distribution of iftar food items on time so that everybody has food laid out in front of them and everything is smoothly organised, because iftar is time bound. Our objective behind the iftar dastarkhwan is to inculcate respect for the holy month of Ramazan, feed the poor and those travelling, and to express solidarity with Muslims. There is a strong bond between us and Muslims in Punjab, and we participate in each other’s important religious events as a mark of solidarity.”
Singh who has received many awards including the Pride of Pakistan award in 2021, also arranges a free supply of cold sharbat for people on the occasions of 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal and the 10th Moharram. “Our Muslim brothers also reciprocate by taking care of the Sikh community and arrange langar and sabeel for us on the occasions of Baba Guru Nanak ji’s birthday and Vaisakhi,” he says. “We want to strengthen the Muslim-Sikh brotherhood.”
Rashid Ali comes to Singh’s iftar dastarkhwan almost every day and has no concerns about the iftar being arranged by non-Muslims. “The most important aspect is that food is being provided to people irrespective of who they are,” he says. “We are not concerned whether the food is arranged by Sikhs or Muslims. Food is our basic need and it has no religion. I get a decent meal here every day and in return I pray that may Allah increase the income and wealth of those who organise this generous dastarkhwan.”
“After providing iftar food items to my colleagues at work, I come here daily to break my fast,” says Mohammad Hussain, a security guard who works in a private bank. “I can hardly afford to eat fresh fruit and chicken qorma every day with the salary I get, but when I come here, I can enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal.”
Women are also seen arriving and seating their children along the plastic mats, placed in parallal rows. Jameela Bibi who lives in a katchi abadi on railway land not far off brings her two children along every day. “My husband died some time ago, but I have three daughters and two sons,” she says. “I eat here every day as I am fasting and bring my children in turns. When we eat here, I worry about food for the three children at home but sometimes when there is surplus food, Singh gives me some to take home for them.”
Apart from the spread at Liberty Market, the Sikh community also arranges iftar for Muslims in Nankana Sahib, which is attended by numerous fasting Muslims, travellers, and the poor. Besides this, another iftar dastarkhwan is organised by the Christian community in Youhanabad, a predominantly Christian area in Lahore. Since this year, the Muslim Ramazan and the Christian Lent has overlapped, people from both communities are arranging combined communal meals to break the fast.
“Breaking bread together is a part of our religion,” says Sardar Bishan Singh, renowned Sikh leader and the former president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. “In Ramazan, we extend our custom and tradition of sitting down to eat together as a unified community, as is done at langars in gurdwaras across Pakistan and abroad. At the Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, langar is distributed to everyone at our dastarkhwans, irrespective of anyone’s religion or faith.”
Upcoming are two important religious festivals for Sikhs, Khalsa Janam Din falling on April 14 along with Vaisakhi. “Since it will still be Ramazan, sweetened cold milk will be prepared and served to both Sikh pilgrims and Muslim brothers,” says the Sardar, beaming. “Even while fasting, Muslims will joyously serve their Sikh brothers during the day and partake the milk at iftar. It is because of this tolerance and harmony, that we feel, Pakistan is no less than a heaven for the Sikh community.”
Dr Naureen Fatima, a sociologist believes that in a society which is believed to be unsafe and discriminating for minorities, it is crucial for non-Muslim communities to prepare iftar spreads for Muslims. “There cannot be a better example of harmony, friendship and brotherhood,” she says.
Crushing all notions and misconceptions regarding Muslims accepting food from non-muslims, Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi, the head of Jamia Naeemia Lahore, says that there is nothing wrong with accepting iftar from non-Muslims. “There is also no issue in accepting money from non-muslims to make arrangements for iftar,” he says. “The meal or payment for it is a gift them, just in the way that our Prophet (PBUH) also accepted gifts from non-believers.”
Substantiating his opinion, Dr Naeemi cited references of different Hadith pertaining to acceptance of gifts from non-muslims. According to one Hadith, the delegation of Yahanna Bin Rauba, the king of Elah, appeared at Tabuk in Rajab, 9 AH. As he reconciled with the Prophet (PBUH) and agreed to pay jizya, Rauba gifted a white female donkey to Him. In another Hadith, according to Hazrat Ali (RA), Aqidar bin Abdul Malik Al-Kindi Al-Sukuni, the ruler of Dumat al-Jandal gifted a piece of velvet to The Prophet (PBUH), who gave it to Hazrat Ali (RA), to get veils made out if it and distributed.
In line with the same spirit, a youth organisation Khayal-e-Nau [new idea], has also been arranging an iftar spread at the Badshahi Mosque, in Lahore for the last seven years. It is attended by people of all sects and communities as a message of peace to the world. Appreciating the initiative for promoting interfaith harmony, special prayers were offered by Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, the Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee at iftar this year.
“Our efforts are reaping fruit now as we see more participants every year,” says Hunain Zaidi, the secretary of Khayal-e-Nau. “We want to see a peaceful Pakistan where Muslims of all sects, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians can sit down to a meal together.”
Sharing a meal is a simple, yet sacred occasion. It is a universal act that is important for building relationships within groups of people. Intentionally eating together creates time and space to engage in spiritual and intellectual levels that are unique to human beings. Sharing food cultivates community because the implications of the meal extend beyond the time of eating together. In these times of extreme polarisation and hate-mongering, these communal food sharing events are crucial to allow people to open up, stop hating and fearing each other, explore and learn about each other’s worlds, and thereby create an atmosphere of tolerance, peace, respect and even affection