Author: Al Jazeera Staff
Published on: 19/03/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Sayeda Zeinab is one of Egypt’s holiest sites, said to be where the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad is buried. People come from across Egypt to pray and hold vigils there, seeking miracles that many believe happen there. During Ramadan, the mosque overlooks a “table of mercy” set up by volunteers to feed the needy and passers-by. Volunteers run small shops and stands in the market, selling fabric, clothes and food. Once they’re done volunteering, they will go back to their shops to try to make money during a month when revenue sinks as fasting changes shopping times and patterns. One day, someone may donate meat, another day rice or vegetables. Hassan, an energetic volunteer in a lime-green hoodie, is scolded by older volunteers for joking around while distributing the food, but it ends in laughter. In Egypt, these tables of mercy are a massive phenomenon that goes as far back as the 800s. The International Monetary Fund is holding meetings with Egypt about past loans and a new $1.3bn package. The kitchen and storage facility that volunteers use belongs to a service that provides free weekly meals to some poor families but on a much smaller scale than this table of mercy. A table for all Hamdy stresses that these tables are open to anyone. Hamdy says seeing people sitting and enjoying their time fills us with joy. “We wait the whole year so that we can come together and do this again,” he says.
Original: 1320 words
Summary: 246 words
Percent reduction: 81.36%
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