Istiqlal Mosque Provides 10 Thousand Free Breaking Fast Meals During Ramadan

The congregation is preparing to perform the first day of tarawih prayers while reading the holy verses of the Quran at the Istiqlal Mosque, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (18/2/2026). ANTARA/Lintang Budiyanti Prameswari.

JAKARTA - The Istiqlal Mosque, Central Jakarta, provides up to 10 thousand free meals for fasting worshippers during Ramadan 1447 Hijriah.

Minister of Religious Affairs and Istiqlal Mosque Chief, Umar, said that Istiqlal is ready to become a home for all religious people during Ramadan, not only for Muslims.

"The fasting activity at Istiqlal takes place routinely. On weekends, the number of fasting people can reach 7,000-10,000 people, while on weekdays around 4,000-5,000 people. We serve them all with rice boxes," he said as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, February 18.

Nasaruddin emphasized that the Istiqlal Mosque also pays special attention to disabled friends with elevator facilities, toilets, and special areas in the front of the mosque.

"Special fasting and sahur facilities are also prepared for them," he said.

During Ramadan, the Istiqlal Mosque also held a Khataman (reading together) of the Quran which took place from morning to evening.

"Other routine activities continue, such as English, Mandarin, Arabic, Persian, French, Indonesian courses for foreign speakers, even Hebrew and Arabic. All these courses are free. The teachers are native speakers, for example, we bring teachers directly from China for Mandarin," he said.

The theme "Green Ramadan" was raised in the celebration of this year's Muslim holy month at the Istiqlal Mosque to raise awareness of preserving the environment in religious life.

The Minister of Religion stated that Istiqlal has a solar power plant system that has become a concern of people around the world.

"Usually what is in the spotlight is the skyscrapers in Dubai or Qatar, but last year, what caught the world's attention was the Istiqlal Mosque because the Istiqlal roof was filled with solar panel systems. With this system, we can save a large amount of energy," he said.

In addition, he continued, the Istiqlal Mosque also ensures that not a single drop of water is wasted in the sewer because all the water is collected in a large tank, then processed again (recycled).