Ramadan is a week away. I am filled with anticipation and anxiety. At 70 every day is a bonus granted at the Almighty’s mercy. May Allah grant me this Ramadan in full and in good health. Aamiin.This time around it is going to be a different fasting month on many levels. The whole country - in fact the world - has been in lockdown, partially or full, for the last month at least as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it appears that that's not going to change any time soon. So, what are we looking at?
For a start, my husband and I will be undergoing fasting confined to our home. Unlike previous years when we would gather with the other residents in the neighbourhood for our daily iftar at the surau, followed by the Maghrib prayers. We would then dismiss, return to our homes before assembling again for isya’ and terawih prayers. It is this spirit of community, numbering close to seventy people, that I would miss most. What would it be like having to do the terawih prayers on our own? How many rakaat will we do? Can we still manage the twenty (20) as in previous years now that we are devoid of the strength and motivation found in numbers? Since he will be home at all times, my husband will take on the role of imam and he would need to rely on his physical and spiritual strength to see us through all the prayers throughout the day.
Then there’s the iftar. For the past fifteen years since we’ve lived here, we have embraced the Ramadan culture of the community. What this means is that every fasting month the residents contribute a certain sum towards the morei i.e. the meal for breaking fast that enables us to break our fast together at the surau. The Surau Committee would decide on the choice of two caterers who would get to cater for two weeks each. The residents also make it a point to take home leftovers so that there would not be food left to waste. For this Ramadan, as a result of us not being allowed to have any form of gathering, it has been the residents’ consensus that we would pay the caterer to provide us with bubur lambok (rice porridge) instead which would be sent to our homes. And I am delighted with this arrangement. It will save me from having to cook the meal for breaking fast. Cooking can be tiring and stressful when you are fasting! Of course there’s still the sahur meal to worry about. But that being a pre-dawn meal, no heavy cooking would be involved and a light meal would suffice.
In the past years there would be a weekend when all my children would visit and spend two nights with us. I would cook their favourite dishes and breaking fast would be a merry affair. This is certainly not happening this Ramadan and I would miss it terribly. The likelihood of gathering as a family too over Hari Raya (Eid) celebrations looks pretty slim as long as the Movement Control Order is still in place. If so, then Hari Raya would be a sombre and quiet one for my husband and I.
Despite the gloomy outlook, I am looking forward to the fasting month like always. It is a special period for me because it is a time for introspection, to be more concerned with my spiritual being and less on worldly matters. It is time again to evaluate the life I've led so far. Has it been purely worldly and self-serving? This is a time when I make a special commitment to be more religious by intensifying my daily religious practices and devotion to the Almighty in order to seek His mercy and reward. Ramadan is a reminder that Islam is a religion that underscores social justice, and that Allah’s bounty should be shared especially with the less fortunate. There is no better time than this to be more mindful about giving and being grateful for what Allah has bestowed upon you than when you are faced with hunger from dawn to dusk.
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