It is getting to be late afternoon here and I miss Ramadan. I miss seeing the brothers and sisters each evening about this time for iftar. People I only get to see during Ramadan. There is a lot of hussle and bussle as people are bringing in food and friends catching up on things. My husband almost always makes split pea soup for Iftar each evening. One of the reasons I married him is because of his involvement in the masjid especially during Ramandan when he enjoys cooking and serving fasting people. A good muslim man is going to be active in the masjid, pray fadjr prayer and as many salats there as possible, and spend many Ramadan evenings in worship and brotherhood.
Fasting during Ramadan is really awesome. It seems like it would be difficult to abstain from food, drink and sex during daylight hours but it is not all that difficult. Probably not drinking anything is the hardest part. When breaking fast (iftar) time comes the food and drink taste so wonderful better than it has ever tasted. The best thing though is pleasing Allah (SWT) and knowing that you are fulfilling your duty as a Muslim along with all other Muslims throughout the world! I was concerned about fasting this year because I was breastfeeding my 5 month old son. This is where sisterhood helps... I ask sisters who have done it and they are very encouraging with helpful advise. Alhamdulilah I did fine fasting and breastfeeding. It really gave me a new perspective by way of so many mothers that have no food or clean water and have to breast feed their babies such as in African. Many slowly watch their children starve to death or suffer with diseases from malnurishment. May Allah (SWT) make it easy on them and their children.
We always have new visitors to the masjid during Ramadan. I love new visitors that want to learn about Islam. I always try to say hello because I know how it feels to be new to a mosque not knowing what to expect. I love the chance to make dawah because most people totally misunderstand Islam. I have a Southern accent which always seems to bring comfort to Americans visiting because they do not expect to meet very many Americans. I used to be Christian so I am familiar with their perspective most coming from Chrisitan backgrounds.
An advantage of Ramadan is that retail and wholesale sales boom. Everyone wants a nice new outfit for Eid. However I did meet a couple of sisters at Eid who were dressed beautifully and said they were recycled outfits by adding new hijab and accessories. They felt they wanted to de-emphasize Muslims feeling like they have to have a new outfit for Eid much like the Christians do for Easter/Christmas. We should move away from the materialism of Eid. I agree but I needed a new dress anyhow. That is one reason why I have so many hijabs so I can give different looks for the same dress. This year I wore a black dress with gold accents and trim. We had some family pictures taken during Eid picnic and I am very happy with the photos. I usually hate my own photo because I am a plus size and not a model size as I grew up to believe all women should look like in America.
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