Memories of My First Fast

My father decided that I was ready to fast the year I turned ten.  We were in the Philippines that Ramadan, and a couple of my cousins – who were the same age as I was – were staying with us during that time.  So Abbu thought this was the perfect time to teach us about fasting.  My younger sister, who was eight years old, insisted on fasting as well.  So on the first Friday of Ramadan that year, the children woke up before dawn to start their first fast.  We went to school that day, and quietly sat throughout lunchtime whilst all our classmates had their meal.

When we reached home later that day, we couldn’t find our parents.  It was something very unusual since Ammi was a housewife then and was always home whenever we arrived from school.  The aunty next door came over to tell us that Ammi wasn’t feeling well so Abbu had to take her to see the doctor.  She told us to behave, then left when she heard her baby cry.  Since our parents weren’t around, we were happy that we won’t be taking our afternoon nap, and dashed outside to play hide and seek.  A couple of hours later, we were back at home and worried.  I saw the aunty peek out from her window, making sure we weren’t breaking anything, then went back to whatever she was doing.

By five in the afternoon we were all tired, thirsty, hungry, and worried.  Since Ammi wasn’t around to remind us – plus we were so engrossed in playing – we missed all our prayers that day.  Being the eldest, I decided that we break our fast.  At first we were skeptical, but decided that it was the right thing to do since we were uncertain on when our parents will return.  So an hour before iftaar, we drank water and ate dates.

Ammi and Abbu arrived shortly thereafter.

They had brought snacks and juice with them, and lots of fruits of us.  We all sat together to break the fast and offered our prayers.

Then Abbu took me to another room, where he asked me sternly on why I decided to break my fast and encouraged the other children to do the same.  Tears trickled down my cheeks as I listened to him stress on the importance of patience and perseverance during fasting, my head bowed in shame and regret.  I’ve never felt so guilty in my entire life.   I felt responsible for the broken fast of my sister and cousins as well.

Then Abbu drew me close to him and gave me a hug.

It was explained to us that day that we should ask Allah for forgiveness and make up by offering our prayers punctually and pay more attention to our Qur’an lessons.  Ammi and Abbu decided that we weren’t ready for fasting that year, and therefore paid more attention on helping us improve our prayers, and taught us more about Islam and its pillars.

We were in Karachi the following year, where I had my first complete fast.  By then I had learned its importance and virtues.  Everyone around me was fasting – that made things a lot easier.  And later that day, my grandmother arranged for a grand iftaar party for me, where I got to wear new clothes and received lots of gifts!

So the memories of my first fast isn’t really too … exciting to recall … but I’ll always remember that day, because I’ve learned the importance of Ramadan and salat, and of patience.

How was your first fasting experience?  And more importantly, what did you learn that day?

Cannons Fire Up During Ramadan

Five minutes before Iftaar, with the food spread out in front of us, and after making our respective duas, Masood turns on the T.V. We love watching the cannons being fired right before the call of prayers. It’s nice to see how people gather around the cannon (at a safe distance, of course) and wave their hands at the camera.

The firing of the cannon is an important Ramadan tradition here in the U.A.E. It is believed to date from the early days of Islam, when the Fatimid caliph instructed that a cannon be placed at the highest point of a city so that during Ramadan, all Muslims would be able to hear the shot, signaling the end of the fast at sunset.

In the U.A.E. however, the tradition started in Sharjah in 1803, during the rule of Sultan Bin Saqr. Dubai followed this tradition in 1912, during the rule of Shaikh Saeed Al Maktoum.

The Imams are instructed by the Ruler not to call for Iftar until they heard the firing of the cannon. The timing was determined by the Ruler upon recommendation from a group of religious scholars.

By 1960, firing of the cannon became the responsibility of the Dubai police, and has remained under their supervision ever since.

Historically, military cannons were used; this has now been replaced by sonic cannons.

Today, there is no practical reason for the firing of the cannon, but it still exists in an effort to preserve the tradition. The Ramadan cannon has become symbolic and is an integral part of the U.A.E. tradition.

The cannon firing team consists of one sergeant, one traffic officer, and three soldiers. They arrive about an hour before sunset. A soldier loads a blank charge into the cannon and sets the safety switch to prevent any mishaps. The men communicate over the walkie-talkie as the sun dips lower in the sky.

A few minutes before the cannon is fired, a huge crowd gathers around the cannon to witness the firing, before going to the mosque to break their fasts and pray. They wave to the cameras and call their friends and family at home to watch them live on T.V. The Sharjah government also provide Iftaar meals to people who come to witness the cannon fire.

Photo and facts courtesy of the Gulf News.

Ramadan At Work

I started working a week before Ramadan. As much as possible, depending on work load and other office-related circumstances, Masood and I try to pray together. The mosque is small; it’s an office space actually. There’s a small space at the corner near the door, separated off from the rest of the room by a wooden divider, where women can pray in private. But there is only one entrance to the mosque, so I can basically see how many men are in the mosque.

Usually, there would be around 10 or 15 men during Maghrib, that’s when everyone comes down to the mosque to pray at the same time. Otherwise, there would be just 5 or 8 men praying. In the ladies section, there would only be two of us.

However, since Ramadan started, I noticed a few things:

• There is a sudden increase in the number of men and women praying: the mosque gets full now! Where were all these Muslims brothers and sisters before Ramadan?

• It is now common to see people sitting in the corner reading the Qur’an. This wasn’t happening at all last week.

• Women bring in their footwear inside the praying area. I mean, who’s going to steal them! All the people coming in to pray are professionals working in the same building.

• After As’r prayers, I find some men sleeping in the mosque. That’s okay, I guess. But when I start to pray, that’s when the snoring competition begins, and it is really a distraction.

• The restaurants on the ground floor have curtains on them, so that the food is not openly displayed, and you can still go in and eat if you’re not fasting.

• There is a tent put up for smokers. It is prohibited to smoke in public during Ramadan, so if you can’t resist the urge to smoke, do it inside the tent.

• We get to work only 6 hours! Others, like my brother-in-law for instance, work for only 5 hours each day.

• The traffic is horrible after As’r prayers, with everyone rushing to be home to break the fast. Drivers are irritable and impatient.

Nevertheless, I am grateful that I am spending Ramadan in a Muslim country with my family, and having to work less hours, Alhumdulillah.

How’s your Ramadan coming along so far?

Ramadan Mubarak!

Have A Blessed Ramadan! May Allah accept our fasting and worship, Ameen.

Cleanse Your Soul Before Ramadan

Astronomers at the Sharjah Planetarium announced today that the first day of Ramadan for this year will be on Monday, September 1, InshaAllah.

Most of us Muslims take advantage of the blessings of Ramadan to refresh our relationship with Allah. We intend to and make great efforts to get ourselves spiritually closer to Him. We assess our lives, reflect on it, and make good changes. We work towards becoming a better person. And most importantly, we focus on pleasing Allah by worshiping Him, and seeking forgiveness for our sins.

But shouldn’t we cleanse our souls even before the advent of Ramadan itself?

We are inherently weak and helpless before Allah, and are therefore prone to committing mistakes every now and then. We are given the capability to determine the right from wrong, yet we are made susceptible to committing sins. Regarding this human nature, Allah says in the Qur’an:

“If Allah were to punish men according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the surface of the earth one single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated term.” [35:45]

Allah doesn’t expect His believers to be free from fault and sins. Rather, He expects us to realize our mistakes, feel sorry for them, and seek forgiveness from Allah.

We pray five times a day. That in itself is a great way to ask for forgiveness for any mistake that we may have committed, whether intentionally or unintentionally, during the course of the day.

But we need to cleanse our souls; that’s where repentance comes in.

Tawbah or Repentance means seeking refuge in Allah for one’s sins. It’s an absolute commitment to refrain from committing the same mistake ever again.

“O my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins; for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn to your Lord (in repentance) and bow to His Will, before the Penalty comes upon you; after that you shall not be helped.” [39:53-54]

Repentance, however, doesn’t necessarily guarantee that a person will indeed never commit the same mistake ever again. But Allah is Most Merciful, and He has given us an entire lifetime to repent for our sins. As mentioned in the above verse from the Qur’an, a person is stripped off his privilege to repent after death.

For repentance to be accepted by Allah, one has to follow these stages:

1. Feeling of deep remorse for the sins committed; being humble enough to accept that one has wronged.

2. Abstaining not only from committing the sin again, but also from the circumstances that have lead towards committing such a sin.

3. Firmly resolving never to sin again, and making efforts to do good deeds to make up for the sin.

4. Forgiving those who provokes him/her; not blaming anyone else, but taking responsibility for own deed.

5. Surrendering to Allah and sincerely seeking for His forgiveness.

Let us repent for our mistakes and cleanse our souls, so that we may welcome the Holy month of Ramadan with pure hearts and minds. Remember also that repentance is the most noble and beloved form of obedience in the eyes of Allah. We don’t have to suffer an entire lifetime of guilt over something we have done in the past.

Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said:

“Allah has said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and hope in Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son on Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds in the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you.” [Al Tirmidhi]