Ramadan Reflections: 30 days of healing from the past, journeying with presence and looking ahead to an akhirah-focused future

Product Information

Mai Hussain, Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist in the Critical Care/Surgery Therapy Team, based at MRI. After the final Iftar of Ramadan is completed and the moon for the commencement of Eid is sighted, droves of women and girls flock to the local bazaars to celebrate this auspicious night. Prayer commitments – Muslims will try and participate in additional prayer during the month which might require frequent breaks. Interfaith: My personal philosophy has always been that we are more alike than different, and in celebrating our differences we can view them as a rich opportunity for learning and growth.

Meetings - consider hosting meetings earlier in the day (from 10am - 1pm) rather than in the afternoon, as energy levels may reduce during the day. early start and up before dawn ensuring I had Sahūr - the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting. During these three days of festivities, participants gather to pray, eat, exchange gifts, and pay their respects to deceased relatives. Fasting is considered to teach self-discipline and reminds us of the suffering of those less fortunate than us.So that means that the first day of the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, moves backwards by about 11 days each year.

However, I was learning that fasting offers practical benefits like fostering discipline, self-restraint and proven renewal and detoxification of the body all helping with improved character, conduct and health. During expeditions, the Prophet’s ﷺ wives would be carried in a howdah (a covered seat for riding) on their camels. But beyond my own curiosity, this was a chance to gain a far deeper connection with a faith and understand more about fasting and its deeper meaning. Fasting is more than just being hungry and thirsty, it is not an end in and of itself, rather it is a means to obtain something else. I have had the privilege of being amongst the few early readers ofAaliyah Umm Raiyaan's Ramadan Reflections book.We have produced resources on the support available for Muslim students and staff during Ramadan and guidance on maintaining health while fasting, along with more information on the month and how staff can support our Muslim community. At night, we have lovely feasts with family and friends, which I appreciate more than ever since the pandemic, and we are able to go the Mosque and pray in congregation again which is nice. To keep the tradition alive, the Turkish government has also implemented a membership card for drummers to instil a sense of tradition in those who play and encourage the younger generation to take part. In fact, I hesitate to use the word book, for this is quite different to anything I have read before.

As soon as the moon for Eid is sighted, the women of South Asia rush to the markets for Chaand Raat. Girls wear rich, colourful, embroidered jalabiyas and gold jewellery, while boys are adorned in traditional Bahraini thobes, jackets, and caps. She speaks to me like a longtime friend who knows me well, yet with the wisdom of a great-grandmother from another time. For myself, there are a number of books I have read in the lead-up to Ramadan and during Ramadan that have led to a more prepared and spiritually fulfilling Ramadan.

Aliyah has this gift to connect the readers actual feelings and thoughts as if she is inside their own minds. For many, it is marked by fasting with no food or water before the hours of sunrise to sunset which translates from about 4.

After this revelation came down, and Allah revealed verses in Surah Nur clearing Aisha’s name and proving her innocence. She says: “Some people think non-fragrant ‘wild’ flowers are worthless and using worthless flowers is disrespectful to the dead. She has a gift for reflection, and a gift for imparting learnings from those reflections through writing. Before I continue, I have to give a nod to Sawood Pearce, Deloitte Muslim Network lead, and his wife, Aarifah, (a former Deloitte employee and member of the Deloitte Muslim Network), for coming up with the genius name! Aisha’s ascetic lifestyle, selflessness and generosity should inspire us to reconsider the value of our worldly possessions andprioritise the value of the Akhira and the reward for charity and helping others.I recommend Ramadan Reflections for preteens and above for anyone curious about their being and their Creator. We see this time and again across Star Trek, from Klingons to Kelpiens, rituals offer meaning and a sense of sacredness to one’s being.