Ramadan away from home: 'Family togetherness is important for us'

The strong faith in Nouman's family has its roots from their hometown in Siraha District, a part of the Sagarmatha Zone in Nepal.

For Nepalese expat Mohammad Nouman Siddiqui, 36, Ramadan is not only a month of spiritual and religious significance, it is also a time for strengthening the bond within his family. In the past three weeks, Nouman and his wife Afreen Siddiqui, 34, have been sharing traditions and creating memories associated with the sacredness of the holy month with their kids, Shama, 11, and Hamdan, 2.
The strong faith in Nouman's family has its roots from their hometown in Siraha District, a part of the Sagarmatha Zone in Nepal.
"One of our best traditions is organising Islamic speech about Ramadan and its benefits," said Nouman. "The community spirit is very strong and we have this tradition of waking up friends and neighbours for Suhoor before performing the first prayer of the day.
"Greetings of Ramadan Kareem or Ramadan Mubarak are very warm and we share whatever we have during Iftar with the poor and needy neighbours. Everyone also gathers for Taraweeh or the late night prayers," he added.
And since Nouman and his family are away from home, they are making their own Ramadan tradition in their adopted country.
Aside from sharing Iftar with relatives and friends, they also go to their favourite places during Ramadan in the UAE, including the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the recently opened Quranic Park in Al Khawaneej, the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation and Al Badiyah Mosque, which is the oldest existing mosque in the country located in Fujairah.
"Family togetherness during Ramadan is very important," Nouman said. "One of the teachings we impart to our kids is fasting. It increases our devotion and brings us closer to the Creator. It creates the recognition that everything we have in this life is a blessing from Him. It teaches us self-control, upright manners, good speech and virtuous habits," he added. "More importantly, the value of fasting that we teach to our kids - particularly our eldest daughter who started fasting at the age of seven - is simply not about denying one's body of food and water but how to overcome the more taxing challenges, like avoiding ill speech, arguments, loss of temper and malicious behaviour.
"The whole point of fasting is to demonstrate complete submission to God and keep the mind focused on the spiritual plane," Nouman, a Dubai resident of nine years, underlined.
Afreen added: "Fasting is not about a diet of burning calories, it is about burning egos, pride and sins."
angel@khaleejtimes.com
 
 

• Ramadan 2021