Ibn Battuta narrates: It is one of the laudable customs of t | The Islamic Chronicles

Ibn Battuta narrates:

It is one of the laudable customs of the people of Damascus that not a man of them breaks his fast during the nights of Ramadan entirely alone. Those of the standing of amirs, qadis, and notables invite their friends and a number of faqirs to breakfast at their houses.

Merchants and substantial traders follow the same practice; the poor and the country folk for their part assemble each night in the house of one of their own number or in a mosque, each brings what he has, and they all breakfast together.

When I first came to Damascus, a friendship grew up between the Maliki Professor Nur al-Din as Sakhawi and me, and he urged me to breakfast at his house during the nights of Ramadan.

After I had visited him for four nights I had a stroke of fever and absented myself. He sent out in search of me, and although I excused myself on the ground of illness he would accept no excuse from me, so I went back to his house and spent the night there.

When I wished to take leave the next morning, he would not hear of it but said to me, 'Consider my house as your own, or as the house of your father or brother,' and gave orders to send for a doctor and to have prepared for my use in his own house everything that the doctor should prescribe in the way of medicine or diet.

I remained in his house in this condition until the day of the Feast of the Fast breaking (Eid), when I joined in the festival prayers at the musalla and God Most High healed me of what had befallen me. Meanwhile, all the money I had for my expenses was exhausted. Nur al-Din, learning this, hired camels for me and gave me traveling provisions, etc., and money in addition, saying to me, 'It will come in useful for anything of importance that you may be in need of' - may God reward him well!

Source: The Travels of Ibn Battuta


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