Pearls Of Wisdom

Ramadan Special

On Ramadan (Short Story)
By Hanan Hassan

The clock ticked 12:00 in the noon. Amena closed her Quran and sat thoughtfully on her favourite rocking chair. She remembered it was the 10th of Ramadan. How quickly time has been flying. Alhamdullilah even in this scorching summer her fasting has gone well. She has cared to bring a good Ifthar for her family everyday with her husband's and kids' favourite dishes.
Amena sat there, lost in a pensive mood. She couldn't think of any dishes to prepare today for Ifthar.
Though she enjoyed cooking and breaking the fast together with her husband and kids, in a lone corner of her heart she was yearning for something else. She wished to be back in her homeland with her huge family. Ramadan had always been like celebrations when she was a little girl.
As children she and her cousins would always look forward to Ramadan. They took fasting as a competation. The one who fasted for maximum days will get a present from grandpa on Eid-ul-fitr day.
They regarded it to be a prestigious prize. At school also they were so excited and was never tired. As they had short hours at school during Ramadan they would reach home at 2:00pm and would take a nap till Asar. They would do the Asar prayer with the grown-ups in the family and would soon complete their home works so that they could stay up all night and go to Masjid for the Taraweeh prayers with their parents. The men and boys in the family break their fast from the Masjid and come home after doing Magrib Prayer. By then the ladies would finish their prayer and settle everything for the main feast. The whole family would sit around for the main course. Delicious dishes would be arrayed on the table.
Amena loves everything her mother prepares. Amena thought there was magic in her mother's exquisite hands. Mashallah. Her mother has always fulfilled their needs.
She remembered how her brother and herself would trouble her mother in the kitchen asking to prepare all that dishes they felt like having for Ifthar, but after having 3 dates and a glass of juice they don't feel like having anything more. "Poor mother, used to eat everything so that food is not wasted" Amena told herself with a sigh. At this moment a bitter memory flashed Amena's mind. It happened few years back. Amena was having her final exams at university and the exams were in the middle of Ramadan.
After exams she used to reach home late, just half an hour before Adhan at Magrib. That day she reached home even late. When she reached home her mother was busy preparing dishes. Father was getting ready to go to the masjid. She washed her face and sat down to break the fast. She didn't bother to help her mother. She was getting furious because she couldn't find the vermicelli porridge she had asked her mother to prepare. There were only some dates and a jug full of mango juice on the table. She broke her fast with the dates. She couldn't wait for other dishes anymore. With anger she shouted at her mother for not preparing the porridge. She had some water and walked away from the dining table.
Father came to her later. He asked her to be sorry for mother. Father explained her that mother couldn't make the porridge as she had a bad headache. She regretted for what she had done. She never thought of her mother who had been tired and working all day preparing food and doing other household chores. She never thought of other muslims in other part of the world who don't even have a piece of date to break their fast. She forgot the lessons of Prophet Muhammed who taught the value of patience and being kind to parents. Astagfirullah! She wept like a little girl on her father's shoulder. Her father consoled her. She went near her mother and asked to forgive her for her harsh words. Mother felt happy and hugged Amena.

Amena suddenly woke up from her thoughts by the Duhr Adhan. She went to the kitchen enlightened as she has planned to make something. She searched for the packet of vermicelli on her kitchen shelf.