Egypt's Mercy Tables

"I wish Ramadan were 365 days, not just 30," said one elderly Egyptian as he took his place on the mercy table. (IOL Photo)

The clamor on the streets was deafening with cars and motorcycles racing to reach their destinations before the call to the Maghreb prayer from towering minarets resonates across the Egyptian capital.

The voice of sheikhs reciting the pre-Maghreb Qur’an, however, ruled supreme, reaching everybody on the streets through mosque microphones and radios to remind them that their fast is about to reach the finish line.

On a street in central Cairo’s el-Tawfikkia spare parts’ market, people were making no tracks.

Tables were spread featuring colorful plates of appetizing treats.

On both sides of the tables people – both poor and rich – perched, rubbing shoulders, as they waited for the call to the prayer to be made.

Young men were standing on both ends of the street inviting passersby to the tables, using every persuasive manner to attract them.

"Come share a meal with us, Mister," they would tell every passerby. "Here or at home, it’s all the same."

Charity is a habitual practice for Egypt’s Muslims, but in Ramadan it is the salient trait of everybody in this major Arab-Muslim country.

In the holiest of all months in the Islamic calendar, the streets of Egypt turn literally into an open food court where everybody gets a fill of food and drink to quench hunger and thirst after a long-day’s fast.

"We hold the table for the satisfaction of God," the sponsor of the table told IslamOnline.net, insisting that his name must not be used.

"Ramadan is time for us to thank the Almighty in a practical term."

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to become closer to Allah through prayer, self-restraint and good deeds.

Better Options  

With soaring food prices, free iftar meals are the only solace for poor Egyptians. (IOL Photo)

The cycle of daily life to Egyptians, like Muslims around the world, revolves around fasting from dawn to sunset and cultivating a heightened emphasis on personal spirituality and generosity during Ramadan.

Every Muslim is motivated to embrace the chance of the fasting month to deepen his/her faith.

And the mercy tables, Egypt’s most ubiquitous feature during Ramadan, are a means through which this country’s Muslims try to deepen this faith.

"This is one of the greatest aspects of the fasting month in this country," said Hajji Ramadan Mukhtar, who took his place beside others on the table.

"I wish Ramadan were 365 days, not just 30."

But though the poor relish these mercy tables, the argument now is whether giving the needy donations in kind is better.

Recently, a group of scholars came out to speak against the tables because they serve both the poor and rich.

"These tables are useless," says Sheikh Youssef el-Badri, a renowned Egyptian scholar.

"The tables are everyman’s land. That's why they don’t help the poor efficiently," he told IOL.

The argument about the best means of targeting the poor is a serious matter in Egypt, a country where more than 30 percent of the population lives under the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

Although the national economy has managed to reach a growth rate of over 7 percent for the second year in a row and the country attracts billions of dollars in investments, the government is still faced with the challenge of distributing the fruits of reform equally among Egyptians.

Urban inflation has reached 26 percent, according to a recent government report.

This has pushed the prices of most food stuffs up in a way that left a bitter taste in the mouths of millions and triggered several protests nationwide.

"Time and again, I’ve called upon the government to register the most needy classes," said el-Badri.

"When the poor are registered, the money spent on these tables can go directly to them, either in the form of food or currency."