Ramzan Weirdoes

Last evening while breaking the fast, I as usual read the dua of breaking fast. I was about to put a date in my mouth when I felt some thing wrong. My hand stopped at the distance. While focusing my eyes on the date, I couldn’t concentrate on the dua. I was not reading it correctly. I tried again. This time I tried to focus on each word. Oh what I was saying? It wasn’t the prayer of breaking fast. What I was praying for?

The actual prayer of breaking the fast is:

And I was saying:

‘O Allaah, I take refuge with you from all evil and evil-doers.’

This is the dua, which is said before entering the bathroom. I mixed both duas due to the same starting words. I am a big time stupid; I have realized it at once. I remained cursing myself on how blindly I just say prayers without concentrating on words.

But what can I do? We enter bathroom more than once in a day and we say Aftar prayer just once in a day. There is a strong probability of mixing both duas due to the similarity of starting words. To err is ….you what. Oh I don’t know how many fasts I have opened with this prayer. I am sure Allah have taken it correctly.

Muhammad Tariq

Who is Muhammad Tariq? You may not know him but people in our locality know this name very well, even haven’t seen him ever.

During Ramzan, there are used to be many social workers who volunteer themselves for the virtuous deed of waking people for the sehri. These includ dhool walas, dholki walas teen dabba walas, any other orchestra walas, molvis, beggars, etc. We are lucky enough having all of them at different times from 2:00 am to 6:00 am. I must admit how much punctual and hard working they are, even having such odd timings. After offering this duty whole Ramzan, they are used to visit at Eid day and demand for Eidi for their social work they have done passionately the whole month. Exploiting the opportunity, some irregular and unknown (rather unheard) sehri walas also come on Eid and ask for the money of their unasked and uninvited services. We used to argue with those.

Among all these, Muhammad Tariq (he often calls himself Tariq sehri wala as well) is a prominent figure. Why? Because of his unique style. To avoid the above-mentioned situation on Eid day, he is used to say “aa gaya Muhammad Tariq Sehri wala aa gaya, uth jao sehri ki tayyari karo” and dhunn dhunnnnnn. Although the last lines are merely heard but he screams aloud on “Tariq Sehri wala”. We have learned his name by heart. If anyone dares not to hear him properly, he has a tool with him as well. The teen dabba…..uffff…….I cannot tell you how much sharp voice this teen dabba utters when Tariq bhai saab hits it mercilessly with a stick. My brother is used to sleep late at night. Once he requested him not to beat the teen dabba. The great Tariq sab welcomed the request and promised that he would avoid it from now. Next night, he was still there with his shrieking voice and the lovely teen dabba.

All in all, I must admit the intelligence of Tariq Sehri wala. He found the excellent way of leaving his unforgetful name and style on our minds. I wonder if my brother also respects him for this. And I also wonder how my brother would receive him on Eid.

Forgetfulness

It takes time for getting used to the timing of Sehri and Aftari. In the first week of Ramzan, we were eating as quickly as we could, keeping an eye on the clock. The last few minutes are always crucial. Suddenly a molvi saab of a nearby mosque screamed; “Stop stop eating and drinking. Time for sehri is over. You are not allowed to eat or drink further”. We looked each other. According to our clock, there was still some time. But with the doubt that our clock might have told the wrong time, we stopped eating consequently. The molvi saab came again on loud speaker: “I am really sorry. I was mistaken. There is still 10 minutes left for Sehri”. What the……………….

In the remaining fasts, we did not believe in any announcement of Sheri and Aftari made by this Molvi. He has lost his trust. Although I am the one who stops eating in the end with the very last announcement made by any molvi of even a far away mosque and also the one who breaks fast with the very first announcement of it.

Iftar Party: Another blessing of Ramzan

Iftar parties are among the other exciting things of this month. Since my childhood, we used to count them the whole month and brag among friends. lol friends with lesser number of iftar parties are tagged unlovable, obnoxious and abhorrent because people do not invite them much to iftar parties. We still do that.

To arrange sehri and iftari are my responsibility at home. I am told that it is also a month of my cooking practice. Mother remains busy mostly in ibadah and I am supposed to look after every thing. The most heartbreaking thing is to leave the bed in the mid of night for preparing sehri regardless at what time I sleep at night. Then to wake everyone up for the sehri, another task. I used to say that I could earn more than the sehri dhol wala earns for waking up people with his terrible dhol beats which caused to harass people than waking them up.

To meet everyone’s choices at iftari is another task. Some one wants to have baigan pakoras. Others argue for chicken rolls and samosa. Fruit chaat is must thing but dahi bhallay are also highly demanded. Some one fights for milk shake, others for lassi. May Allah give me ajar but honestly speaking I feel sometimes that I am wasting my time. The time, which I spend in making all these luxurious dishes (I must say), can be spent in ibadahs. Seriously, everyone remains busy in his or her prayers and I am the only crap found in kitchen. Many times, I declared that simple iftari would be served but each time have to face severe protests. I iftared more than half of my rozas in kitchen as everyone needs garam garam crispy pakoras at iftari.

In all this barbarism, the invitations for iftari happen to be a ray of light in my dark kitchen.

There is no pleasure than to sit on the chair and enjoy the ifari stuff, watching other people running from kitchen to dining table for putting variety of dishes on the table.

There are many remarkable things about these iftar parties or dinners:

• You can save your food stock for more days to come.
• You can enjoy variety of dishes at a time without doing any thing hehe.
• Your stoves can have some rest for few days which can increase their life span.
• You can enjoy a different taste if you are fed with your home’s typical taste.
• There is a possibility of having any new dish which you try for the very first time in your life and can adhere it forever if it tastes good. So a chance of some new experiments.
• You can have a look on new fashion around.
• You can get an idea of cousins’ Eid dresses.
• You can see who is getting and losing weight in Ramzan.
• You can listen the news bulletin of the family and friends.
• On last iftar party, date of one’s wedding was decided. So it saved the time and money of concerned parties and others.
• You can have knowledge of any beauty parlor, boutique, tailor, bakery, samosa shop, fruit wala, sweet house, doodh wala, dyer, etc offering special packages for Eid.
• You can have booking with your cousin or friend who is expert in applying menhdi.
• You can tell others that you are coming to their homes for spending Eid with them. You can also tell them at which dish they are good enough.
• You can inform others that you will not be at home on Eid.

Ramzan Feelings

A strange type of feelings surrounds every thing in Ramzan. Feeling of being heard and feeling of being blessed, I think. I feel like every thing looks brighter than ever in Ramzan. Noor seems spread everywhere. I feel strange satisfaction in whatever I do in Ramzan. I am unable to explain this feeling in words. The words cannot delineate these feelings. I sense that Allah is closely observing me. Why don’t I feel this in all the months? Allah observes us all the time whatever we do, even whatever we think. I wish I feel same in all months of the year.