Ramadan Mubarak to you all out there. May this holy month purify our souls and bring accepts all of our prayers. Hope we all are going to have a peaceful and healthy month of Ramadan.
For those of you who don't know what Ramadan is, let me give you a brief. It is the ninth month of the Islam calendar. This month is significant for fasting and prayers which ends with Eid ul Fitr. Through this month a Muslim can strengthen his or her relationship with Allah. It is not only about prayers and fasting, it is also about self-purification. Note that, Humanity and Islam go hand in hand.
I have always been fond of Ramadan. It is not like that I always have been a practicing Muslim. But the spirit and rituals of Ramadan always touch me. As a kid and as an adult. Ramadan always brings people closer. This is a time when I found like all the other Bangladeshi family, family members gets closer.
I can recall my childhood memories like it was just yesterday. I was very curious about my first Sahoor/Sehri. So when my mother woke me up in the middle of the night and served me ordinary food, I was furious. It was outrageous! I wanted to eat Sahoor and got served Rice and Fish! My mother still makes fun of this regard.
When I grew up and moved to my university, Ramadan made me sad. I missed my family so very much. I missed them often, but this month of Ramadan was special. I would miss them at the midnight during Sahoor. I would miss my mother's reminder about my prayers. I would miss helping her out with the dishes. I would miss the tasty and fancy Iftar items, let aside the traditional Old Dhaka Iftars.
Now I have passed that period of my life. I know @minhaz007 is passing a very similar phase of his life. But as I know him, he is very pious. And God pours his blessings (Rahamat and Barkat) to all the Muslims. Allah must have good plans for him.
Now let's come to those who have lost their beloved family members. During the pandemic, I've seen a lot of people have lost their beloved family members. It hurts my heart when I see any social media update of anyone who is grieving and reminiscing about their Father/Mother and Ramadan. I know how special these memories can be. All I (we) can do is pray for those departed souls.
Let me wrap up with a request/suggestion/reminder. As I have already mentioned Islam and Humanity go hand in hand, let's use this Ramadan to uphold the spirit. My mate @mahirabdullah and @bdcharity have initiated a fundraiser Project Ramadan | An Initiative To Provide Food Support To Poor Families . Check this out and do participate if you can.