Maghrib Prayer Call

On way way home from work in Dubai today I needed to stop for petrol. All petrol stations in Abu Dhabi are operated by ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company). I wasn’t taking much notice of what time it was, but as I pulled onto the ADNOC forecourt the prayer call for the Maghrib prayer went up. In Ramadan this is particularly significant as it marks the time when the day’s fast may be broken (it was around 7pm). Because of the changing daylight hours this call will move forward as the month proceeds and will be nearer 6.30 pm by the end of the month.

I did feel guilty, as the forecourt attendants were trying to drink their water to break fast as well as serve customers. I did give mine a good tip though. As I was sat in my car I was presented with the little package below......







The contents: water, dates and a cleaning wipe. Dates are the traditional way to break fast, as they have such a high sugar content they provide the necessary “kick” , with water or milk.

These are given out partly as a gift of the season, but also as a practical way of drivers breaking fast while they are traveling, before they reach their destination for Iftar (meal after Maghrib prayer in Ramadan). Trust me, when you see drivers on the motorway who have not eaten, drank or smoked all day - you want them to have something ASAP !