For centuries, the neffar has roamed Moroccan streets before dawn during Ramadan, sounding his trumpet to wake people for suhoor, a tradition that continues, though now fading. Rooted in history and folklore, his role stretches from Marinid Fez to Saadian Marrakech and remains a symbolic echo of a time when faith, not alarm clocks, marked the hour. DR ‹ › For generations, too many to count, a man would appear once a year to serve as a human clock. Carrying a long brass trumpet, he would roam the streets before dawn, waking sleepers for suhoor just minutes before Fajr. The profession has existed for centuries in Morocco and, though fading, still struggles to survive today. As tradition dictates, once the sighting of the crescent moon announces the beginning of Ramadan, the neffar prepares for his nightly mission: waking fasters for their first suhoor. This ritual continues throughout the thirty days of the holy month. In some regions, the neffar does not rely solely on the long trumpet. He may be accompanied, or replaced, by a drummer known as the dekkak or tabbal, or even by another trumpeter sometimes referred to as the ghayat. The instrument may vary, but the mission remains the same. Alongside the sound of his instrument, he chants familiar words: «Blessed is this month, O people of the house, There is no god but Allah… there is no god but Allah, My Lord alone, with no partner. Wake up for suhoor, O sleeper, Pray Fajr and intend your fast. Ramadan is passing, Blessed are those who fasted, prayed at night, and kept account of their deeds». Marinids or Saadis The neffar's role has changed little over the centuries. Some historians trace his emergence in Morocco to the introduction of the instrument itself. Mustapha Aarab, a researcher in popular Islam, explains that the trumpet used by the neffar originated in Al-Andalus, where it was known from the earliest centuries of the Islamic era. It was introduced to Morocco in 725 AH (1325 CE), during the reign of the Marinid Sultan Abu Inan, who built three towers in Fez for the bawwaqin, the official trumpeters. One of these towers stands next to the famed Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque: Borj En-Naffara (the Naffar Tower), «built in the form of a minaret» and attached to Dar al-Muwaqqit, an institution responsible for observing lunar months and determining prayer times, a task performed by an astronomer known as the muwaqqit, according to an article by the Rabita Mohammedia des Oulémas. Located near the coppersmiths' quarter and the notaries' market, the tower takes its name from the neffar himself. According to some accounts, the emergence of the neffar is linked to Marrakech during the 16th century, under the Saadian dynasty. One popular story recounts that Lalla Aouda Saadia (the mother of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur al-Dhahabi) was strolling one Ramadan afternoon through her lush garden, surrounded by ripe and tempting fruits. Absentmindedly, she reached for a peach and ate it with pleasure, only to suddenly realize that she was fasting. Stricken by remorse, she is said to have sought to atone for this lapse by commissioning and mobilizing the neffars. They were instructed to climb to the tops of the city's mosques and stay awake at night, sounding melodic chants and hymns whose tunes would alert the heedless and wake the sleepers during Ramadan. Documented at Dawn: A 1903 Account During the 20th century, the profession was documented as early as 1903 in the writings of a British envoy sent to the Sultan's court in 1880. In Tangier, the neffar worked alongside the dekkak, the account details. «The neffar and the dekkak patrolled the streets at two o'clock in the morning, the one striking his tambourine, whilst the other knocked at the doors to waken the people within for the nocturnal repast». The same account notes: «For the first twenty-six days of the sacred month the dekkak chanted throughout the whole city an appeal in rhythmic prose: 'Ye that are the work of God's hands, arise, in obedience to the Lord. Eat and drink that the wrath of God light not upon you.' During the last three days the appeal was modified thus: 'Ye that are the handiwork of the merciful Creator, arise that we may bid farewell to Ramadan, the month of repentance and of pardon.'» Once the fast ended, these «functionaries peculiar to Ramadan, appointed by the Board of the Habous Funds, would go from house to house seeking compensation for their services», according to the same account. Neffar and folklore The neffar is deeply rooted in Moroccan culture, even if his presence is fleeting, seen and heard only once a year. His role is reflected in proverbs and beliefs. One popular saying goes: «Qal lu ach kan babak? Qal lu neffar. Qal lu lhamdoulillah, Ramadan tqada». «He asked him, what was your father? He replied, a neffar. He answered, thank God, Ramadan has ended». The proverb refers to a man of humble origins who rises to prominence but later loses his position, as explained in Wit and Wisdom in Morocco: A Study of Native Proverbs by Finnish philosopher Edvard Westermarck. Beliefs also surround the neffar. According to The Folklore of Morocco, «the most fortunate moment to give birth to a child is when the neffar is announcing Ramadan, at the sighting of the crescent moon». Today, the neffar's profession is nearly extinct, like the crescent itself, rare and awaited. When heard before dawn, he echoes a time before alarm clocks, when community rhythm and faith alone marked the hours.
