My Ramadan Experience

by Ansar Baig Mirza

As Salaam Alaikum!

My name is Ansar Baig Mirza and I am 8 years old. I would like to share my last year’s Ramadan experience. I had turned 7 last year and my parents asked me if I would like to fast for one day. I was very excited and agreed. I woke up for suhoor in the morning and ate food with my parents. After praying thajjud and fajr salat my mother asked me to sleep. When I woke up around midday to pray for dhuhr salat I was very thirsty and hungry. My mother told me that I must be patient as this is how a poor person lives in the day too with no food and water. That day I didn’t want to play with my toys or read any book. I felt very sad and unhappy for all the poor people in this world. How hard it must be for them to not drink and eat anything. I would open my fridge and look at all the food inside. I felt I want to eat everything but then I saw my mother working hard in the kitchen without eating or drinking. I remembered my father who was working hard in hot sun and not complaining. I ran into my room and hid under the bed. I cried a lot thinking about my parents and all the poor people. I didn’t even realise that I had fallen asleep under the bed until my mother came looking for me to pray for asr. I felt all my energy had left me and I was going to die. My mother told me not to think of food or water but to make my day good for the sake of Allah swt. Last year in Ramadan my mother cooked and fed 879 poor people every day so I got busy with her in preparing food for them. She also cooked all my favourite food that day too. Then we started to place all our food on the table for iftar and very soon poor people started to arrive at our house to collect their food. My mother made me give the food away and all of them said to me “good boy” or “god bless you son.” They sat outside the house and without saying anything opened their food and started to gobble it. I stood and stared at them thinking they don’t have manners how can they eat without washing their hands! At that same time my stomach grumbled from hunger and watching those people eat made me hungry too. Then I realised that they were so hungry all that they wanted was food. I started to cry and I cried a lot standing there looking at them. I fell on my knees and made dua to Allah swt for all poor people to eat and no one to go hungry ever in their lives. My mother called me as it was time to open our fast. She looked at my face and knew I was crying. She hugged me and said Alhumdulillah. I heard my father driving up to the house and when he got off the car he had a big box in his hand. It was my present! A present for my first time ever to fast. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to break my fast. My father fed me dates and water from his own hand as we read the dua to break the fast. I ate my favourite food my mother made for me. I looked at both my parents and realised how lucky I am. I will never forget my first fasting of last years Ramadan in shaa Allah. May allah swt bless all kids with parents and may no poor man go hungry again ever. Ameen ameen ameen.