Al-Mesahrati: “Wake up sleepy head, Worship God, Peace is spread”

Al-Mesahrati is the most famous figure in Ramadan. His main task is roaming around the streets, beating on his drums to wake the people up to have their Suhur meal before the Fajr prayer.

Al -Mesahrati is a person whose profession is to wake Muslims up at night in Ramadan to remind them to have their Suhur meal (A meal that Muslims have before Fajr to be able to start their fasting). This person is known by the sound of his drums. His call for people is usually accompanied by some lullabies or religious songs. This profession is very famous in the Arab countries of North Africa such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan, and in the Arab Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait.

The origin of this profession in Islam goes back to Bilal Bin Rabah, who was the first Muezzin in Islam (A person who calls for prayers), as he used to wake the people up to have the Suhur meal. Also, Anbasah Ibn Ishaq was the first one to call for having the Suhur meal in the year 228 A.H, as he used to walk from Al Askar city in Fustat to Amr bin Al-As’s Mosque and call the people to wake them up to have their Suhur meal.

The profession of Al- Mesahrati appeared in Egypt in the Fatimid era, during the ruling of Sultan Al- Hakim Bi-Amr Allah. As he commanded the citizens to sleep immediately after Tarawih prayers (Special prayers that Muslims do on Ramadan nights). Then, his soldiers were passing by all houses before the Fajr prayer, knocking on doors to wake the people up to have the Suhur meal.

Clearly, the Egyptians were the first ones to use the drum to wake the people up as they were wandering the streets. They were repeating the religious songs and calling people to wake up and worship God. The most famous phrases that Al-Mesahrati uses are “Wake up sleepyhead, Worship God, Peace is spread”, and “Suhur meal, Blessing feel”.

If you want to enjoy these vibes of Ramadan, you have to visit Muizz Street in Egypt to enjoy the charming touches that Al-Mesahrati spreads in the place with his sweet words.

Translated by: Yara Mahmoud Abdel-Aleem