Before alarm clocks became commonplace and smartphone apps came into existence, UAE residents relied on the Abu Tabla to begin their day during Ramadan. Also known in some cultures as the mosaharaty or those “who wake people for suhoor”, the men – often chosen for the strength and clarity of their voices – wandered through streets and alleyways before dawn, singing, reciting prayers and calling upon families to rise.
Their role was to wake the head of the household – most often the woman – so preparations for the suhoor meal could begin before the first light of day and the dawn prayer.
“Oh you who are fasting, wake up for suhoor!” they would chant, beating a drum as they moved from door-to-door, marking the start of another day of fasting.
Often coming from poor families, Abu Tabla would be paid tips collected by households at the start of Eid Al Fitr, especially if they were young boys.
The tradition was common in the UAE until the 1970s, when an assigned mosaharaty would beat his drum and sing, despite some households owning alarm clocks. Many residents would walk out, greet the drummer and connect with each other as the day of fasting began.
In Islamic history, Bilal Ibn Rabah is often credited as the first mosaharaty and the first muezzin, the person who calls out the adhan, marking out the five daily prayer times. Chosen by the Prophet Mohammed, he was a former Abyssinian slave, known for his deep and melodic voice.
A tradition that is thought to have begun in the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century, Abu Tablas have long become obsolete, although they still operate ceremonially in some parts of the world.
“With the development of technology and modernisation of life, many of the old Ramadan traditions have disappeared, like the drummer boy,” Dr Hasan Naboodah, an Emirati historian at UAE University in Al Ain, told The National in 2016.
Today, any drumming that happens during Ramadan is done as performance, rather than tradition.
