• Home

Nothing like a hearty Iftar with family

As a child, I used to prepare my Iftar plate well in advance and count every second while my mother lovingly admonishes me to use this time to make duas

For me this is the month of cleansing, spiritually it enlivens the soul and physically it detoxifies the body. The abstinence from food and water during the day build one 's will power. And the time of iftar is that beauteous moment when we all sit together waiting for the azaan to break the fast. Looking at each others faces with expectant glee of the forthcoming delectables, the iftar with the family brings us all together with the shared piety.
As a child, I used to prepare my Iftar plate well in advance and count every second while my mother lovingly admonishes me to use this time to make duas (that is the time when maximum prayers are answered). My brother would call me a glutton and my father would be busy making Rooh Afzah (a cool sweet drink). The sound of the pakoras frying in the hot oil and pressure cooker whistling away the cooked chanas were the sign that Iftar is near.
To lay the table, was my apportioned task, to which I used to eagerly look forward. Sometimes when the electricity would ditch us right at the Iftar time, my father would narrate us how in his childhood days back in the villages they used to have long community Iftars where each house used to get something to eat. Busy fanning myself, I used to make dua for the electricity to come and trust me it would come in like just minutes or at times seconds after I'd finish making the earnest dua! The joy I would feel at that moment of my prayer getting answered is inexplicable and that ' see- didn't- I-tell-you Allah answers prayers at Iftar time - look at my mother's face boosted my faith in Allah.
Now alone in Dubai, away from family, I reminisce those precious childhood days and thank Allah for accepting my prayers and revitalising and boosting my faith with each passing Ramadan. These memories are now my constant companions and never make my feel lonely at Iftars. I now have another lovely set of colleagues at work who accompany me at Iftars, beautiful set of relatives who do not let me feel alone on my weekends with my aunt Nilofer specially preparing my favourite Iftar dishes so that I don't miss mom too much. And not to forget my amazing friends with whom I learn and study Quran and who do not forget to tag me along for the special night prayers Taraweeh during this whole month, post which we again get together for dinners and suhoors.
The power of Iftar with your loved ones enriches the fast as we learn to care and share even in extremities.
saman@khaleejtimes.com