What Ramadan Means to Me: Council Rock Teen Shares Family Traditions
By Maha Malik
Maha Malik and her father Abdul Subhan Malik break their fast with water, dates, appetizers and juice around 7:30 p.m. at their home in Ivyland on Monday, April 4, 2022 - Nur B. Adam / Bucks County Courier Times
My whole life, Ramadan has held a special place in my heart. It's a time to come together as a family and appreciate one another, while also celebrating the religious aspects of it.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from before dawn to sunset, and participate in many religious and cultural traditions. I personally love the feeling of waking up before dawn and sitting around the table with my family for our pre-dawn meal, sehri, before our day of fasting. I also thoroughly enjoy the time before iftar, the breaking of the fast, where we are all making our favorite treats, welcoming guests, and being with our friends and family.
The late night car rides back home from the mosque when all the stars are out and it is starting to get quiet; the laughter of friends and family wafting through the house as they greet each other; the delicious aromas mixed in the air as you walk downstairs — all define the feeling of Ramadan in my household.
Some traditions that are more centered toward my family are decorating our house for Ramadan, with fairy lights hanging up all around the house. We also enjoy making some of our own cultural food such as pakoras, a potato fried crisp, and samosas, a triangle filled pastry. We also enjoy going to the mosque on the weekends to read prayers there and meet with our friends
Along with all these, Muslims during this time pay particular attention to their spiritual side, making sure to put effort into reading their five daily prayers, paying charity to help the less fortunate, and giving more of our time to focus on being a better human being.
About 1.6 billion people celebrate Ramadan. It is a religious holiday that many all over the world take part in and in recent years has become known to others who might not have known about the significance of it.
As an American Muslim living in this time, I take it upon myself to help others become more aware of the things that affect so many people like me.
Ramadan can have its misconceptions, but through opening up the conversation, and being willing to share I hope I can tell others about all that I, as a Muslim, take part in during Ramadan and explain how special it is for so many Muslims.
(Maha Malik is a junior at Council Rock High School South, and a member of this news organization's Teen Takes panel. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times)
