Fair exchange:  Customers enjoy their time at the Soto Kauman Express food stall in Depok, West Java. This stall offers 70 free portions of soup to its customers everyday during Ramadhan in return for prayers that the business will be prosperous. (Courtesy of Soto Kauman Express Depok)

The month of Ramadhan, when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and other pleasures, is also a time for focusing on doing charitable work for society.

In Depok, West Java, the owner of a small soto (chicken soup) stall has been asking his customers to pay only with prayers for their bowls of soto and takjil (light meals) as they break the fast during Ramadhan.

Ubaidillah, the owner of Soto Kauman Express in Depok, said anyone breaking their fast in his food stall received a small piece of paper, which he called a prayer card. The customers then write down words of prayer, for themselves and for his business, and then hand the cards to the cashier.

'€œI believe that the prayers of people who fast are very effective. Therefore, I hope their prayers can make this place even more successful in the future,'€ he told The Jakarta Post recently.

He said he generally prepared at least 50 bowls of soto for his customers, however the number may have been 70 bowls during the past couple days given the rising popularity of his food stall. Ubaidillah said he had previously set a limit on the number of free food packages because his stall could only accommodate 50 people.

'€œHowever'€, he continued, '€œnow my customers don'€™t even mind eating while standing up or sitting on their motorcycles.'€

He added that besides a bowl of soto, each free package also contained siomay (steamed dumplings), an aloe vera drink and dates, which together cost him Rp 20,000 (US$1.50). The free packages will be available until the end of Ramadhan.

Aside from individual charity, local mosques also contribute to society during Ramadhan. Deputy treasurer of Al-Azhar mosque in South Jakarta, Adib, said every year, his mosque ran several charity programs during Ramadhan.

Adib said that this year, Al-Azhar mosque distributed as many as 700 boxes of food for people breaking the fast, offered free medical checkups and ran programs in detention centers, breaking the fast with prisoners.

'€œFree food is not only for the needy, the mosque provides it for anyone who comes here to pray and break the fast,'€ he said, adding that besides preparing the free meals, the mosque also distributed various food donations that they received.

'€œFor the medical check-ups, we organize one doctor and one nurse. The service is open every day during Ramadhan, from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.,'€ he said.

He said members of his mosque had also talked with the head of Tangerang Detention Center in Banten, Pondok Bambu Detention Center in East Jakarta and Tangerang Juvenile Penitentiary about breaking the fast with those communities.

'€œThat'€™s one of the main purposes of Ramadhan. It is not only to do good for ourselves, but also for others,'€ he said.

Social groups also took part in charity for the holy month. One of them was Inter Club Indonesia, a Jakarta-based fan club of Italian soccer club FC Internazionale Milano.

They plan to hold an event to break the fast together with the Rumah Yatim Orphanage in East Kemang, South Jakarta, on Saturday. In order to participate in the event, each member was asked to donate Rp 40,000.

Ahmad Sofian, one of the members, said it would be the community'€™s second year doing charity in Ramadhan, after they broke the fast together with street children last year.

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