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Ramadan means so much to all of us, but is has special significance if you're young. There really are no words to express the feelings we experience in anticipation of Ramadan and then getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of the daily routine. As we capture some of the feelings below, one thing is for sure: For every one in the family, Ramadan is a month-long faith booster.
Getting Ready
You just know Ramadan is not too far away when the imam starts giving reminders during the month of Sha`ban. There are the usual reminders, in the Friday Khutbahs, about starting to practice for Ramadan by fasting on Mondays and Thursdays as Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do.
The youth organize clean-up days on the weekend. The carpet has to be cleaned, all the bookshelves dusted, and the copies of the Qur'an stacked neatly on the shelves. All sorts of decorations are prepared, including the usual cut-outs of stars and crescents, and greetings such as "Ramadan Mubarak" and "Happy Ramadan" spelled out on individually cut-out letters, are hung around the masjid. At home, a similar clean-up routine starts, with every one pitching in to be sure that the house is neat and organized and ready to host family and friends for iftars. Ramadan means abstaining from food and drink among so many other things, but ironically enough, the kitchen and dining room will be the most trafficked areas since families will be spending time preparing and eating their sahur and iftars together.
School Routine
For American youth, Ramadan falls this year at the start of the school year. Along with the fasting come the usual questions from classmates and teachers about why it is that young people are "made" to stop eating and drinking throughout the day. Some of you are asked, "What kind of God would want people to starve all day? Or "Don't you just want to eat when no one is looking?"
You know in your heart that Allah is All-Knowing and All-Seeing and that it's not about eating when no one is looking, because we fast to seek the pleasure of Allah. Most of you have been answering these types of questions for so long that you're now experts! You know how to be polite and to say, "no, thanks; I'm fasting," when someone offers you chips or a soda.
It's not easy to restrain from eating and drinking when your daily school routine must go on. You cannot just sleep during the day and eat during the night. You have to get up for sahur, perform the Fajr Prayer, and maybe rest for a couple of minutes before getting ready for another day at school. During the day, you excuse yourself to perform the Zhuhr Prayer, and you might even request to go study in the library during recess or the lunch period. You cringe when your stomach begins to growl and make all sorts of funny noises! With the help of Allah and your own willpower, you stay strong and make it through the day until you can come home and rest for a while before iftar. Some of you keep yourselves occupied with homework so that you don't think about that usual after-school snack!
Sahur, Iftar, and Tarawih Prayer
Depending on your family's circumstances, you might be blessed with the opportunity to have sahur and iftar with all your family members. For some of you, the predawn meal is just that, a meal, complete with courses like soup, a main dish, and of course dates for dessert. For others, the sahur is a more modest affair, with fruits, yogurt, and of course, some dates. Regardless of what is eaten at sahur, all of us have very special memories of waking up to eat at a time when we know the rest of our neighbors are asleep. There is something to be said about moving around the house in a sleepwalking mode and, in the early part of the month, fighting to stay awake while we attempt to make our body believe that it really is OK to be eating at 4:30 a.m.!
The amusing part is watching the youngest siblings attempt to fast when they're only 6 or 7 years old. Almost inevitably, these young people cannot stay awake until the time for Fajr Prayer and so they end up basically eating sahur and falling asleep, sometimes right on the prayer rug! On the other hand, iftar is a lively affair, with everyone clamoring around the kitchen, preparing their plates just in time to break the fast.
Most memorable are those iftars where family and friends get together at home, or if you live in a big city in the US, then breaking the fast with anywhere between 500 to 1,000 men, women, and children. What a wonderful sight indeed, with people of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities, from all socioeconomic backgrounds, the rich and the not so rich, all of us eating the same food, sitting together, all for the sake of Allah.
The same feelings of unity are strengthened and reinforced as each day for the entire month of Ramadan, we go to our local masjid to join the Tarawih Prayer. The beautiful recitation of the Qur'an is moving, with prayers more frequently being led by young teenage Americans who have memorized the entire Qur'an.
Charity and Service to Humanity
While we fast and then eat and drink and pray together, we extend a hand to those among us of all religious backgrounds who on a daily basis go without food or shelter. Many young Muslim Americans recognize that Ramadan is a month full of opportunities to engage in charitable deeds. Throughout the US, we find young people preparing packages of food, setting up distribution stations, and sharing the joy of Ramadan with those who deserve our charity, with a smile. A wonderful feeling comes over us when we realize that we continue to feed others seeking Allah, asking for neither thanks nor reward. After all, this is Ramadan, a month-long faith booster!
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