Loved this honest piece! Someone needs to create a vaccine to immunize us from the pressure to 'perform' religion. Be real. Be Honest. Be humble. May your fast be accepted and your heart rewarded with tranquillity.
Beautifully written article and it feels so timely for me. Also a physician and new mom who is BF and skipped fasting last year while pregnant and this year. I was recalling fondly the Ramadans of my childhood and the beauty of taraweeh in the masjid and feeling rather forlorn at how ‘unmagical’ my Ramadans have become.
Sorry, just saw this comment! I'm an adjunct professor at Georgetown—I'm in the DC area. My work is on Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue, Islamophobia, and lately I've been doing more on Israel-Palestine. I'm Catholic and much of my work has been helping Catholics better understand Islam and Islamophobia.
Thank you my dear Somz. This is my first Ramadan fasting in 2 years since having Yaseen and whilst the shorter fasts are nice, it also means suhoor is usually accompanied by at least one child who thinks they have had sufficient sleep for the night and iftar is usually undertaken with one in my arms and one saying he’s bored!! But alhumdulillah for all the blessings and inshAllah the reward that comes with this challenge this year. It’s been the busiest yet and most Iftars are leftovers or takeaways so far. Also as the fasts become shorter, the social aspect has increased and I feel that’s added another layer of stress as a parent, but equally gives the festive vibes to the kids. May Allah accept all of our efforts!
Ahh yeah that’s been the trade off here too—Iftars are now peak bedtime, suhur is quiet so we don’t wake up the kids since it’s so close to morning! Ameen!
This is so profound and so truth. Our lives evolves in seasons and Ramadan meeting us in each seasons will bring different points of spiritual focus aside from the core ones.
I love this piece, and as many, we can relate on many levels. I just paused when you mentioned the COVID times; that wasn't a normal Ramadan for anyone. The more I think about it now, the more I realise the challenges and difficulties we all had to endure working our fasting and Ramanda in all around it.
What a realistic and accurate post. Especially with the pace of social media I feel it is so easy to romanticise Ramadan and make it all aesthetic when in fact it is the total opposite and truly humbling. Like you when I look back on previous Ramadan's no two are the same in fact every day is different. It is important to acknowledge this and know that it is okay. Thanks for writing this post 😊😊
Ohhhh I loved reading this so much! Because it truly reflects on the ups and the downs in Ramadan- not because of a dip in eeman but an overload of responsibility. This is my first Ramadan with 2 kids and alhamdulillah I am able to somewhat handle it and not struggle through the month. It’s still early to say but I pray Allah gives me the strength to last the next 3 weeks!
But like you said, I like the challenge of keeping up with Ramadan the best I can while parenting young children. It wouldn’t feel so rewarding if I did everything with ease.
I loved reading this. Parts of it moved me to tears. I think it touched on a lot of "shoulds" I hadn't realised I was carrying.
I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old and I live far from any family, friends or Muslim community so there isn't a lot of breathing space in my days. This Ramadan I've tried being more conscious about the things I do every day to care for my family and to sincerely intend those actions as worship and devotion.
Indeed, life has different stages, especially a woman's life and ibadah has many different forms ❤️
May Allah accept all our efforts and may we see the benefits in this life and the next 🤲🏼
Loved this honest piece! Someone needs to create a vaccine to immunize us from the pressure to 'perform' religion. Be real. Be Honest. Be humble. May your fast be accepted and your heart rewarded with tranquillity.
Ameen! Thanks for reading and sharing!
Beautifully written article and it feels so timely for me. Also a physician and new mom who is BF and skipped fasting last year while pregnant and this year. I was recalling fondly the Ramadans of my childhood and the beauty of taraweeh in the masjid and feeling rather forlorn at how ‘unmagical’ my Ramadans have become.
I see you. That transition..uff..rocked my world. I'm glad it resonated with you.
I'm teaching an Intro to Islam course to undergrads this semester and will share this with them!
Thank you for sharing! Where do you teach? I’d love to learn more about your work (already subscribed!)
Sorry, just saw this comment! I'm an adjunct professor at Georgetown—I'm in the DC area. My work is on Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue, Islamophobia, and lately I've been doing more on Israel-Palestine. I'm Catholic and much of my work has been helping Catholics better understand Islam and Islamophobia.
Thank you my dear Somz. This is my first Ramadan fasting in 2 years since having Yaseen and whilst the shorter fasts are nice, it also means suhoor is usually accompanied by at least one child who thinks they have had sufficient sleep for the night and iftar is usually undertaken with one in my arms and one saying he’s bored!! But alhumdulillah for all the blessings and inshAllah the reward that comes with this challenge this year. It’s been the busiest yet and most Iftars are leftovers or takeaways so far. Also as the fasts become shorter, the social aspect has increased and I feel that’s added another layer of stress as a parent, but equally gives the festive vibes to the kids. May Allah accept all of our efforts!
Ahh yeah that’s been the trade off here too—Iftars are now peak bedtime, suhur is quiet so we don’t wake up the kids since it’s so close to morning! Ameen!
This is so profound and so truth. Our lives evolves in seasons and Ramadan meeting us in each seasons will bring different points of spiritual focus aside from the core ones.
May Allah accept our efforts
Ameen!
I love this piece, and as many, we can relate on many levels. I just paused when you mentioned the COVID times; that wasn't a normal Ramadan for anyone. The more I think about it now, the more I realise the challenges and difficulties we all had to endure working our fasting and Ramanda in all around it.
Indeed - that one was something else!
What a realistic and accurate post. Especially with the pace of social media I feel it is so easy to romanticise Ramadan and make it all aesthetic when in fact it is the total opposite and truly humbling. Like you when I look back on previous Ramadan's no two are the same in fact every day is different. It is important to acknowledge this and know that it is okay. Thanks for writing this post 😊😊
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts with me! You make a really good point about social media and this Ramadan aesthetic
Such good points, i hadn't fasted in a while due to pregnancy and nursing.But I am this time and some days are easier, and some days are way harder!
Indeed! Some days the kids are easier and some days they’re harder too!
Ohhhh I loved reading this so much! Because it truly reflects on the ups and the downs in Ramadan- not because of a dip in eeman but an overload of responsibility. This is my first Ramadan with 2 kids and alhamdulillah I am able to somewhat handle it and not struggle through the month. It’s still early to say but I pray Allah gives me the strength to last the next 3 weeks!
But like you said, I like the challenge of keeping up with Ramadan the best I can while parenting young children. It wouldn’t feel so rewarding if I did everything with ease.
Lovely piece to read. Have a lovely day!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yep, still early to say- especially with the upcoming time change in the US. May Allah accept our efforts!
I loved reading this. Parts of it moved me to tears. I think it touched on a lot of "shoulds" I hadn't realised I was carrying.
I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old and I live far from any family, friends or Muslim community so there isn't a lot of breathing space in my days. This Ramadan I've tried being more conscious about the things I do every day to care for my family and to sincerely intend those actions as worship and devotion.
Indeed, life has different stages, especially a woman's life and ibadah has many different forms ❤️
May Allah accept all our efforts and may we see the benefits in this life and the next 🤲🏼
Such a great perspective, loved reading!
I’m glad it was helpful to you!