BRADFORD – A Muslim family from Bradford, UK, planned inviting their district’s community to a Ramadan dinner next Friday at the annual ‘Friendship Table.’

“The holy month of Ramadan, which began on May 27, is when Muslim people fast every day from dawn to dusk,” Dr. M. Javed Akhtar told Bradford Era on May 30.

Akhtar and his family have sponsored the dinner for several years. Dishes this year will include spaghetti and meatballs, salad, fruit and drinks.

Ramadan dinner or Iftar is the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Muslims break their fast at the time of the call to prayer for the evening prayer. It’s one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together.

Many Muslims believe that feeding someone iftar as a form of charity is very rewarding and was practiced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“There’s several ideas behind it,” Akhtar said. “The main thing being to identify with the people who have nothing to eat. You feel what they feel.”

“The annual dinner provides a chance for people in the community to learn about the significance of Ramadan and about the Muslim faith in general,” said Akhtar who noted that many people ask questions.

Akhtar got used to volunteers with his wife a couple Fridays a month at The Friendship Table. He’s hopeful that many people will attend the free dinner. “The more, the merrier,” he said.

The British Muslim father added that the holy month of Ramadan encourages body cleansing and discipline. The fast is an absolute fast with no food or drinks — even water.

“It was during this month that the Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad,” he said.

Islam is the second largest religion in the UK, with results from the United Kingdom Census 2011 giving the UK Muslim population in 2011 as 2,786,635, 4.4% of the total population.

In 2011, it was reported that the United Kingdom could have as many as 100,000 converts to Islam, of which 66% were women. Islam is the fastest growing religious confession in the UK and its adherents have the lowest average age out of all the major religious groups.

The settlements with large number of Muslims are Bradford, Luton, Blackburn, Birmingham, London and Dewsbury. The city of Bradford has 129,041 Muslim citizens making 24.7% of its population.