Arabic for
breakfast, derived from the 3 letter
Arabic root verb Fa Ta Ra. although not mandatory, it is preferable that one break a fasting by first eating
palm tree dates as the prophet
Mohammed used to do, modern
nutritionists experts believe this is a good move, considering the high amount of
fibers and
fructose contained in dates and its ease of digestion.
Muslims break their fasting after first hearing the first
prayer calls for Maghrib (dusk) prayer, usually around 5 pm or 6 pm depending if
Ramadhan falls in summer or winter since Ramadhan is determined by the
lunar calendar and it is the 9th month.
After eating lightly, Muslims would go to prayer and come back to continue their iftar by eating more.