Hawzah News Agency (Tehran, Iran) – Here are some excerpts of Ayatollah Khamenei's words on serving Iftar during Ramadan month:

This year, more so than previous years, a great tradition was witnessed. It is good to pay attention to this issue, which is the act of providing the people with simple and unadorned iftar meals in our mosques and on the city streets of our country. Unlike the act of offering extravagant iftar meals, which we heard a number of people did, this is a highly preferable act. Under the pretext of offering iftar meals, some people engaged in extravagant acts; instead of becoming an instrument for establishing a psychological relationship with the poor and the deprived in the month of Ramadan, they indulged themselves in carnal desires by doing this.

We do not want to say that if somebody eats a delicious food during iftar, this is forbidden. No, according to Sharia, these things are not forbidden. But extravagance and overindulgence are forbidden. The extravagance which is sometimes witnessed in such occasions is forbidden. It is so much better for those who want to offer iftar meals to do this by cherishing the tradition which has become common. In such traditions, a number of individuals offer free iftar meals - with great generosity - to people and passers-by and those who like to benefit from these iftar meals on the streets and in different Hussayniyyahs.

Aug 9, 2013