Pay attention to the small circle in the corner.
I suppose this is about not being left out, not merely for the sake of it, however out of glorification.
I’ve written before about how the mosques in Tareem conduct their weekly khatam (completion) of one round of the Qur’an at dawn every Thursday. Some do conduct it before the call for dawn prayer. Some do it very shortly after. On this weekly ceremony, coffee and nibblets are served, including some oil perfume and typically top quality incense.
It begins by someone reciting the 93rd chapter of the Qur’an (Surah ad-Duha), then the guy or kid on his right reads the subsequent chapter. And so forth until the end and then they read the first two pages of the Qur’an, indicating a new beginning to next weeks’ completion.
At school, due to the large number of students and attendees, multiple circles are formed before coming back together to read the supplication altogether, which is when coffee (without snacks) get served.
This last Thursday I arrived at school late, hoping to join midway, before supplication and coffee time. At the main gate were some guys sitting on the floor.
Turns out it was the security guard of the school and a few others who instead of going into the mosque, sat there, to keep him company, by conducting their own circle of recitation.
When the students were prepping the many pots of coffee, one was sent to this circle. The guard went to fetch some bakhamri (or mutabbaq as Tareemis call it) in a room next to them. It’s a fried cake made largely with egg, flour and sugar (condiments like black seeds, cardamom, etc – optional).
It surprised those with him as even the many inside the mosque on a weekly basis don’t get bakhamris or biscuits, only coffee.
He said, someone rides past this school every week and drops it off for this circle here.
Be it those who chose to sit there with him, or the chap that sends nibblets weekly, it is a manifestation of what’s inside.
In this case, it was glorifying the Glorious Qur’an.
