How To Host A Whimsical Ramadan Iftar At Home

"The people will remain on the right path as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast."

Iftar is the time we all come together at the dinner table, ready to break our fast. This happens when the 'Maghreb' prayer is called, or when the sun starts to set. Muslim's all around the world fast from sunrise to sunset, performing religious duties throughout the day. Asides from fasting, it is wise to read Quran, make duaa and pray.

Some days we plan to break fast with our friends or family and decide to host a Ramadan iftar. However, during these days we tend to get a little overwhelmed with planning and preparation, that we forget to perform the most basic of duties.

In these instances, preparation is KEY!

Preparing things in advance is crucial, but also planning the day with efficient time management is just as vital for the day to go by smoothly. By applying these methods, you'll still have time to ensure you pray on time, read Quran and of course fast without feeling too fatigued or overwhelmed.

Below, I've elaborated on a list of things you can implement for your next whimsical Ramadan iftar. From planning the evening to table decor, you'll be hosting plenty of dinners in no time.

1. MAKE A LIST

The crux of a successful evening, comes from the strong foundation of planning. When you have all the information you need to host a Ramadan iftar, only then can you succeed in having an eventful and inspiring evening.

Let me take you back to school days where you were taught the 'who, what, when, where and how'.

Who: Who are you inviting?

What: What will you be cooking that evening?

When: When do you want to invite them over?

Where: Where will you be hosting the iftar? Will you be hosting the iftar at home or at another location such as a community hall or reception.

How: How will you be implementing your plan to run smoothly that evening?

After you have answers to these questions, you can start working on the details.

2. WHO ARE YOU INVITING FOR IFTAR?

You've sorted the basic information, now you need to focus on details.

Who do you plan on inviting this year?

It could be your immediate family. Your in-laws. Relatives. Friends. Maybe even friends from work.

Whoever they are, it's important to know the 'who' because every group of people differ.

With your family, you know what they like and the atmosphere they enjoy. However your husband may know more about his own family, so you'd want him to get involved with questions like what you want to make, and how many of them he'd like to invite.

As for friends, it's usually a lot more casual. I feel like people of your own age group and generation are a little different to older generations in terms of leniency and being more casual. They also have a different palette to the older generation who typically prefer cultural cuisines.

Therefore, knowing who you're inviting allows you to answer the rest of the questions a lot passively.

3. HOW MANY GUESTS WILL BE ATTENDING?

You know who you're inviting, but without actually COUNTING who you're inviting, I can guarantee you'll end up forgetting 1 or 2 people from that list.

Thus, specifically listing who will be attending is crucial to determine the next step of hosting your Ramadan iftar.

You could be inviting 2 people, or 10. Depending on the quantity, you want to ensure you make sufficient food for all to feel satisfied after breaking their fast.

And of course, depending on the number of guests attending, depicts the table setting you need to prepare in advance. Will you be setting a table of 4 on the dining table? Or do you need to arrange more tables and chairs for the 15 people you'll be having over.

All these intricate details may seem a little 'extra' to consider, but trust me it all has a role in manufacturing a successful evening.

4. What's on the menu?

Now that you've sorted the who and the how, it's time to create a list of all the meals you want to make for that evening.

The dishes you want to cook for iftar are what will make or break you. Some people tend to get so caught up with making either too many or too little dishes without considering how many people they've invited, etc. This is also a good time to consider making the foods your guests will enjoy most. And also gives you time to prepare some dishes in advance if necessary.

I like to create a list including all the meals such as Entrees, Mains and Sides. Followed by a list of all the ingredients I need sorted into categories, i.e. Dairy, Meat, Vegetables, etc.

This list helps organise how to schedule your time, where you need to grab all your groceries and if you need to prepare things in advance.

Whenever I would have a large gathering at my house for iftar, I would pre-chop or pre-freeze some ingredients that will save me time and energy on the day. The last Ramadan iftar I hosted, I invited my husband's family of more than 15 guests. I took the time before the day of the iftar to chop some vegetables or herbs, juice lemons and freeze pastries to fry on the day. This just allows you to spend more time focusing on bigger things so you don't forget the 'small' things.

Furthermore - this is optional - but you can create a menu in advance for your guests to get a preview of the foods you'll be preparing for them. Although this is a little more extravagant, it's a nice addition to creating a more professional and 'put-together' Ramadan iftar evening.

5. SET A DATE

You finally sorted who is coming over and what you want to cook. Now it's deciding WHEN.

There's a full strategy with inviting guests over during Ramadan.

One can decide to invite all/most guests over on the first/second week to get all the 'hard work' out the way. Thus, spend the rest of Ramadan a lot slower. Although you spend all the time during Ramadan worshipping Allah, sometimes during the 'iftar dinners', you may fall a little behind.

The rest of the weeks you don't have any planned dinners allows you to focus solely on worshipping Allah (SWT). Praying, reading Quran, making duaa and doing the most you can to better yourself as a Muslim. You can read more on that on my blog post 'How To Be A Better Muslim This Ramadan'.

On the other hand, one can leave the first week completely immersed in the Holy Month trying to take in every moment of prayer, iftar and worship. You may then decide to leave guests coming over for iftar during the second or third week of Ramadan. Thus, enjoying the final week with prayers and preparations for Eid.

Finally, one could invite guests over during the last weeks of Ramadan. This is common if they were invited during the first couple weeks and couldn't manage to arrange a time for guests to come over till later.

Overall, there's no right or wrong. It's just a matter of time management and how early you can set the date with your guests and lock them in before other plans are made.

6. THE TABLE DECOR

Hosting a Ramadan iftar doesn't just stop at your guests coming over and food you want to cook. That just makes up half of the equation.

If you'd like to truly create a whimsical Ramadan iftar, then there's no reason for you not to go above and beyond.

Arranging how the dining table is portrayed is such a huge part for me. Every year, I do something different depending on the meals I cook, who I'm inviting, etc.

With large gatherings, I tend to order tables and chairs to create a more cohesive atmosphere. Also, I personally don't have 20 chairs to cater for everyone, therefore hiring extra furniture is the best option for me. Of course, if you have a dinner table sufficient for all your guests to enjoy, then hiring isn't necessary.

Setting up the table is my favourite part. I like to setup the table and chairs the night before, and then add all the plates, cutlery and glassware the morning of the Ramadan iftar. That way they don't get dusty overnight. It also gets it out of the way so you don't rush to doing it 30 mins before the time of iftar.

Using plasticware is an option, especially for really large gatherings. This just helps the host from spending too much time washing dishes in the kitchen. You can opt for more 'classic' plasticware rather than the typical white ones if you still want the dinner table to look like you are using glassware. Your options are endless

Once you've setup your table, you can decide if you want to add your meals on the table itself, or if you'd like to create a separate buffet. I like the dinner table solely for eating. I also get bothered if someone is constantly above my head while I'm eating to scoop food onto their plate.

Therefore, I use my actual dining table as a buffet to place all the main meals I've cooked. This allows each guest to fill their plates, and enjoying it while sitting at the dinner table.

I usually place dates, water and bread on the dinner table as they're priority for breaking fast and eaten with your food.

7. EXTRA, EXTRA

You've officially become a professional at hosting a memorable Ramadan iftar evening.

Is there anything left?

100%!

I did this last Ramadan, where I ordered small favour boxes from Shein and inserted some goodies for my guests to enjoy after they've eaten their meal.

I'm that person that likes to eat something sweet right after a savoury dish. It is what it is. So, I thought why not do this for my guests this year.

I prepared these in advance, that way when you set up the table all you have to do is 'add it on' as part of your setup.

After making the favour boxes, you can choose what to put inside them.

It could be a small foldable paper with a duaa written inside. Perhaps chocolates, cookies or random gifts they could benefit from during Ramadan.

I placed Ramadan inspired biscuits, a small cookie, and a chocolate. These were intended to be eaten after they had dinner or if they wanted to take it home to save for later.

Another 'extra' addition to my whimsical Ramadan iftar was painting my dates with gold strokes.

Gold makes anything look luxurious, so I figured placing it on the dinner plate with the rest of the setup would work out perfectly.

I've attached some images below for inspiration.

8. SUCCESSFUL NIGHT

A successful Ramadan iftar is only successful when Allah (SWT) is present.

This interprets to ensuring you remember your prayers and obligations even after you have broken your fast.

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) tells us to 'hasten the breaking of the fast' (Vol. 3, Book 31, Hadith 178). This means that once you hear the athan (call for prayer), you must break your fast. Even if you had only consumed a date and water, make the effort to pray Maghreb prayer before sitting on the dinner table.

Sometimes we sit at the table too long after Maghreb prayer has been called, without noticing Isha prayer is 5 mins from being called. Therefore, offering your guests to pray Maghreb prayer together is a great way to ensure a successful evening.

You may then proceed to opening the buffet for everyone to enjoy.

Moreover, if your guests stay over till Isha prayer, suggest praying taraweeh prayer together. Utilising our time efficiently and remembering Allah (SWT) is the one and only way we can ever succeed with whatever we do in life.

According to Sahih al-Bukhari 649, (Vol. 1, Book 11, Hadith 621), "The reward of the congregational prayer is twenty seven times greater (than that of the prayer offered by a person alone)". Therefore, it is much more sufficient to perform prayer with a group of people rather than praying alone.

Preparing a whimsical Ramadan Iftar is a door opened for planning much more dinners in the future.

Understanding your audience is crucial. Time management is key. And remembering Allah (SWT) and your duties towards Him should always remain, no matter how busy you get. Without Allah (SWT)'s blessing upon us, we will struggle to succeed no matter how much planning one can do.

Nonetheless, I hope this gives you an idea of the things you can do for a memorable Ramadan Iftar with your friends and family.

Ramadan Mubarak, and may Allah (SWT) accept our fast, prayers and duaa, Ameen.

Lots of love,

Lama x