Ramadan Mubarak to all the Hivers. Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed Ramadan filled with faith, patience, and endless rewards. Stay strong, stay hopeful, and may your dreams come true!
During childhood, Ramadan days would pass by, and I would eagerly wait for Eid and new clothes. If there were fewer items in iftar, I would feel upset. I was so adamant that I had to have haleem after iftar. Since I was little, I saw my father buying our Eid clothes within the first few days of Ramadan. Before Ramadan started, my sister and I would get the responsibility of writing the grocery list for the month, although our mother would tell us what to include.
Two years ago, my sister left the country for her studies. For the past few years, I also spent most of the early Ramadan days in a hostel, so I could only observe three or four fasts at home. This year, after almost five years, I am spending the entire Ramadan at home, and the changes are more noticeable. Today is the fourth day of Ramadan, yet haleem hasn’t been cooked even once because my mother is unwell; her health has weakened. Besides, considering the price of beef, having haleem is not even a thought. It has become difficult for my father to do the shopping. He hasn’t said anything, but I have understood because I heard that for the past two years, there hasn’t been a Ramadan grocery list at home—only the most necessary items are bought as needed. Moreover, in my twenty-five years of life, this is the first time that even after the fourth day of Ramadan, I haven’t received an Eid outfit from my father.
Thinking about all this, I close my eyes for a while and then open them again. The iftar plate in front of me appears blurry, yet I keep staring at it. Eyes that hold no dreams cannot remain open for long, but I keep them open, thinking—this must be the last time my father has to struggle with shopping, the last time my mother has to set aside her own desires and make sacrifices for us with a limited budget. I will keep my eyes open until I can bring financial stability to my loved ones. And this is my prayer this Ramadan to my Creator.