Islamabad family opens home to hundreds during Ramadan feasts

Islamabad  – (Web Desk) – As the sun set over Islamabad earlier this week, the modest apartment of Syed Muhammad Umar Shah quietly came alive. The aroma of simmering pots filled the air, oil sizzled in pans, and trays of dates and fried treats were carefully arranged. Shah, his wife, and children moved efficiently — not preparing a family dinner, but a meal for over 100 strangers who had gathered to break their fast.

For nearly ten years, 45-year-old Shah, a salaried employee, has hosted this daily iftar, affectionately calling those who attend his “Guests of Allah.”

During Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, sharing meals fosters compassion and empathy. Across Pakistan, large communal spreads, or dastarkhwans, are often organized by mosques, charities, or local committees to feed the poor, laborers, and passersby. The Shah family, however, runs their initiative directly from home, relying on personal savings and support from close friends and relatives — no banners, no institutional backing, no public collection boxes.

“We started at home,” Shah recalled. “Whatever we cooked for ourselves, we began making a little extra to share. We always ensure the food is clean and of good quality, the same food we eat ourselves.”

Their dedication has persisted even through Pakistan’s harsh economic conditions. Inflation reached 38 percent in May 2023, driven by energy price hikes, currency depreciation, and IMF-linked fiscal reforms, pushing food prices up and many closer to poverty.

“Inflation affects us too. As a salaried worker, it’s challenging,” Shah said. “In the past, we offered dishes like nihari and chapli kebabs. Now, we serve simpler meals within our means.”

Today’s iftar includes pakoras, samosas, jalebis, bread, curry, dates, and sharbat, with the menu rotating every two weeks to keep variety alive.

“Especially in these difficult times, people should step forward and help others who struggle to afford food,” Shah emphasized.

The work begins long before sunset. Preparation starts at sehri, the pre-dawn meal before fasting commences, and continues through the day.

“Our work begins from sehri time because many items must be prepared,” said Mrs. Omer Shah, who managed the kitchen logistics.

“For example, pakoras and samosas need preparation. For samosas, we knead the dough, roll it, and prepare them in advance. We boil potatoes, chop onions, all this work begins at sehri time.”

Years of constant cooking has taken a toll. She previously required surgery on her hand to remove a lump developed from repetitive strain. Still, she continues overseeing the operation.

Muhammad Bhutta, a cook who had learned under her guidance, helps manage the scale.

“Baji [Mrs. Omer] taught me the work,” Bhutta said as he dipped jalebis into hot oil. “I cook food, bread and curry. We prepare jalebis, pakoras, samosas, dates, sharbat.”

Each evening, as the call to prayer marks sunset, plates are distributed outside. Laborers, sanitation workers and passersby sat shoulder to shoulder.

In a capital often defined by politics and bureaucracy, the daily gathering beneath Shah’s building offers a quieter portrait of Ramadan, one built not on institutional charity, but on family labor, personal sacrifice and the belief that generosity should mirror what one serves at one’s own table.

Unlike many Ramadan initiatives, the family chooses not to collect zakat, the obligatory Islamic alms that must be distributed to specific eligible categories under religious guidelines. Accepting zakat would have required screening recipients, something Shah did not want to do.

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“We have not placed any donation box outside, nor do we collect funds publicly,” Shah said.

And the goal, he insisted, went beyond feeding hunger:

“When food is unique, good, not repetitive, and served with love and kindness and when you speak gently to people, heartfelt prayers naturally come out.”