Zohra Sarwari – Dear Ramadan – Fasting Not Feasting

			Salam aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. Ramadan means to me the month of forgiveness the month
to get closer to Allah subhanaw taala the month of the Quran and the month of
		

			not eating, you know, a lot of people feast in Ramadan but for me it's all about not just fasting
but what else can you do for your sisters and brothers out there the month of giving the month of
charity, the month of Salah, the month of the hedges.
		

			Ramadan has a lot of meanings from y'all haven't been there or makes it so special. It's upon Allah
shakedowns locked up. So we have no excuses our behavior is on our own and knowing that alone, it's
upon like, it feels like there's a whole new air out there. Everything feels lighter, and everything
just kind of go so smoothly martial arts radicalized from not being not where it's like food is the
last thing in my mind. And to be honest with you in Ramadan, I make it very clear to my family that
it's not about cooking. We're gonna have leftovers for me it's about Quran connecting to Allah
charity work can What else can we do? So
		

			yeah, I don't know. I mean, making it special. There's just everything makes us special about it.
But specifically shakedowns locked up and this is all about getting closer to Allah. I pray that I
can read more at the speed of the Quran because Ramadan we have something called Ramadan goals. And
so every year we learn a couple more dwars we recite the entire Quran from cover to cover at least
two to three times obviously we go attempt that our way. We have Quran competitions. This year
really what I would love to be able to do is go through steps that have been copied a bit more
inshallah and really indulge into more of the meaning and understanding and connecting it so because
		

			much of like a Ramadan goes by very quickly. If I could do maybe one just and do it really well in
Ramadan. I think I would have conquered a lot this year inshallah. Well, I homeschool my kids. So,
you know, yes, yes, I know, it's a very difficult thing to swallow. Why would anyone want to stay
home to homeschool their own children and vanilla, but I do that this year, I will have to be taking
my boys also back and forth to university because they're young and they can't drive. So I'm the
driver.
		

			Beyond that really hopes it's my homeschooling my children and my ibadah everything else goes on
hold I do Taekwondo normally as well as my children but I on Roman in Ramadan I put everything else
on hold and really focus on my ibadah getting closer to Allah and trying to do more charity work
more lectures online, anything I can do to inshallah benefit people. This deep seated women can be
well, I'm adding to that some more Quran inshallah, and hopefully, inshallah, this year, maybe my
boys will be able to lead some of the Federal would because I'm almost finished memorizing and
hamdullah the boys do with their father, they do at the costs. And this has been since they were
		

			like nine years old masataka. But for myself and my daughter is we actually go to the masjid. And we
do that always regularly. But the last 10 nights, we stay up until fudger. And so we pray, come
there, and then we have to hold and we still have to budget and we pray and then we go back home. So
that is an amazing time during that time. Either I'm lecturing for the youth in the, you know, until
we're waiting to cure them or we're reading Quran and we're reading stuff or I'm sharing stories of
the prophets with them. So that is a big tradition. I love that we could do that in our massages
over there. So yeah, inshallah hope to continue with that with the date. We say ours was the date
		

			and then we go, we try to go pray. And after this, we try to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet system
as much as we can. After we pray to be able to do we eat very light and Ramadan. I don't cook fried
foods. I don't like the appetizer, but I try to get my kids to have a salad. Like when they break
it. And then I like meal and keep everything light because Ramadan isn't about eating. For us. It's
about you know, your relationship with ally, your closeness and what we're going to do this month
and and then as far as you know, remembering your sins and trying to see how we're going to change
that. Oh, absolutely. We were, we have prizes in my house. So if you complete reading the entire
		

			Quran from cover to cover one time it's one but if you do a two time it's another prize three times
which this year follows we're going to try to go for three times. But I think with my boys being at
university right now and finals coming in there, they might not do it three times, but even two
times inshallah we try to complete reading it two times, but it's not just reciting it, the meaning
is very important. So we sit down we discuss the meaning. We do a short step seed of every chapter
of the Quran as well as a family. So that's Yeah, we try to create
		

			We try to remember what I was teaching. It's not just, you know, recycling and hungry, man.
		

			That's my favorite suit of the Quran. And yeah. Because when you reflect and think and I was asking
over and over and over, which of my favorites, can you deny us upon Allah, we can't deny any of his
favors. And so to me, that becomes very deep and I get emotional and whether he's reciting it or I'm
listening to it. I just, you know, you just sit there and reflect on your life. Just for an I told
us to my daughter, my youngest daughter recently, I said, Would you give up one I for $1 billion?
And she said, No. I said, have a one hand one on one leg? She said, No, I said, so imagine what
Allah has given us a banana and it's upon Allah. We don't think about it, we take it for granted. So
		

			if hamdulillah that's my favorite today. Yes, we do it they cough but not the ones that stay over
like the men do. We leave after budget just because
		

			it's my youngest daughter is too little to do that, but inshallah I hope to attend it the coffin,
the Mecca and Medina one day, inshallah I would say about, maybe three years back. And the reason
for that was because that year, a few months before Ramadan, I was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.
And they said that I didn't have much time to live. And so they wanted there was, obviously my
aneurysm. And I had an infection and they wanted me to do surgery. And so I asked them the question,
I was two months Ramadan, I said, if I do surgery, can I fast and Ramadan? And my doctor said,
Absolutely not. Because you need to take medication, drink water, or else you can have a stroke, you
		

			can go blind in one eye. And I said, well, then I'll take my chances. And I will not take surgery
right now until after Ramadan. So that Ramadan was very special to me. And I took it as if it was my
last, because I didn't, because my aneurysm could pop any moment and you can be dead. And so yeah,
there was extra Baraka and benefits and mental health delay. When I realized I could do Brava dawn,
then I was like, oh, I've been do my six days of shower wall. And then I made my surgery after that.
I was like, No, no might as well get all of it out of the way. Because if I die that is and do the
boom and show.
		

			My most important job is being a mother and a teacher to my children. So that is my most important
job. And then, besides that I am an entrepreneur. So I have a master's in Business Administration. I
did my bachelor's in psychology, I do life coaching, business coaching, and I'm a lecturer I give
lectures currently in the future Shall I am working on a doctorate degree in education. So in the
future, inshallah I'd love to be able to run help re structure schools and reorganize them and get
them to work at a higher level and so their students can not only be motivated but achieve amazing
things in shala very easily I put a lot first and then Allah blesses the rest of it.
		

			And I don't worry about money to be honest with you max upon Allah, this is from Allah I love beings
and so I don't worry much about instance I don't worry much about it. I realized that it's been more
blessed. So like, people might think okay, you're getting only $50 it's not a whole lot but I love
blesses that $50 and so much goodness comes from it so I don't really worry about money or working
much Ramadan I'm really focused about my ibadah my closeness with my children their fasting and
taking care of them in this time probably recite ation of the Quran Yes, that would be the most that
would take because it's the time to if the month of the Quran you just keep reading it and get
		

			closer and reflecting on it trying to understand it. But reciting and understanding Oh I'm so
depressed the last 10 days because it's almost over Ramadan is over and then to be honest with you,
I don't even know if I'm going to make it to this Ramadan but when the last 10 days are coming It's
hard for me because I think is this my last Ramadan? And was it the best Ramadan that I had? And
what if I'm not here for next Ramadan? How you know, like, I try to judge my Ramadan and so it's
emotional for me it's very emotional because it comes only once a year and I know so many people
who've passed away before they make it from a dawn so it's Yeah, it's very hard for me to say
		

			goodbye I don't want to I don't want to say goodbye I'm not ready for either. I'm always you know,
when they're doing the moon sighting, like Please allow one more day for us. Give us one I'm the one
that's making the work for one more day. I yeah, I'm not really ready for that when it comes that
morning. I'm getting ready. Like I don't know what clothes we're gonna wear. I don't know what I'm
gonna cook. Like that morning. I put everything together. I don't care until Ramadan is really over.
Then I get organized. during Ramadan. I'm like, just got time for eat. What if we don't make it for
eat? Why are we so prepared for that? hamdulillah Oh, yes, yes, yes. It's always changing habits.
		

			Ramadan is the perfect time to change habits. Yes, I'm always reevaluating myself as a coach.
		

			Where my weaknesses are where my strengths are what I need to change about myself. And so during
Ramadan I sit down with myself and my children and we make a list of what we need to do different.
And then we work on that goal and so so Pamela absolutely, definitely they're not massive changes
but small changes we make martial law and and all the little changes over time add up and Paula it
makes a big difference. So yes,
		

			being with my family, that's the only time twice a year that I get go visit all my family, my
sister, my brother's the kid, their kids, my parents, my family. Yeah, that's the only that's the
only time I make a lot of time for my family. If it's not even if you know the blood, something
that's happened like a health health issue or something, I'm in the hospital. Other than that, I'm
very busy. I don't get a lot of you know, dinner dates. So he was very special for me. And I think
you know, especially for me because I make a special for my kids. For us. It's the only holidays we
celebrate. I don't celebrate birthdays that are celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day anything
		

			else. So he coming for those six days every day I give my kids special gifts. Every day I make them
special food. So I said you know you don't need all these additional holidays, our laws given us
six, six days. And believe me they take advantage of those six days. They're like, no homework. No,
this they have all night. I hate monopoly, the game monopoly. And my kids love it. So I eat. They
make me sit there for two hours while I'm
		

			at a loss and they make me fight. So they get basically whatever they want and it's a special time
for me to be with my family.