site.bta300 to 350 People Attend Traditional Iftar Dinner at Sofia's Banya Mosque Every Evening

During the Holy Muslim month of Ramadan, every evening between 300 and 350 people attend the traditional Iftar dinner at Sofia's Kadi Seyfullah Efendi Mosque, better known to the public as the Banya Basi Mosque, Sofia Regional Mufti Beyhan Mehmed told BTA's Yuzlem Tefikova.

On certain days of Ramadan and especially on Friday evenings or during the last ten days of the month, the attendance is tangibly larger, Mehmed specified.

In 2025, Ramadan lasts from March 1 to March 29. The three-day holiday of Ramazan Bayram begins on March 30, the Regional Mufti said. Called Eid al-Fitr in Arabic, the feast marks the end of Ramadan.

Iftar is the nightly meal taken by Muslims around sunset, gathered together, to break the fast during Ramadan.

"The Ramadan meals at Sofia's mosque bring together Muslims from the capital city and people from other parts of the country, travellers and members of various ethnic and religious groups. People who need this food are always welcome to our table so that we share the dinner with them," Mehmed pointed out. "In this way, people express their empathy and generosity, being able to share and sit around a table," he went on to say.  

Ramadan is the month during which the first verses of the Quran started to be revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. 

"The fast is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During that month, Muslims abstain from food and drink between dawn and sunset but also from bad words and deeds, so as to strengthen their faith and feel empathy to those in need," the Regional Mufti said. "This is a time of spiritual cleansing, prayer, self-analysis, and aspiration to draw nearer to Allah the Almighty," he said. 

Apart from fasting, Muslims try to increase their readings, the reading of the Quran and doing good deeds. "During Ramadan Muslims seek a deeper relationship with the Almighty, indulging in meditation which is called 'tevekkul' [in Turkish, 'tawakkul' in Arabic], meaning gratitude and spiritual perfection," the Mufti explained. 

In his words, "Ramadan is a time for purification of the heart, forgiveness and reconciliation with the people among whom we leave," he added, stressing that a lot of people make additional charity gestures, ask forgiveness for their close ones and seek to overcome their weaknesses.

"Charity and help for the needy are exceedingly important in Islam," Mehmed pointed out. "This is especially strong during Ramadan, because the month reminds believers of the suffering of the poor and encourages them to be even more generous," the Sofia Regional Mufti said. "Besides this, at the end of Ramadan Muslims give mandatory alms called 'Zakat al-Fitr', which is intended to enable the poorer and the needier to celebrate Ramazan Bayram at ease," Mehmed explained.