Tuesday, September 26, 2006

My first Ramadan

Guest Post By Hannah

Salaam alaikum,
I am Hannah, and this is my first Ramadan. I took shahadah last December and I’m very excited about Ramadan! I live in Portland, Oregon, and the mosque where I took shahadah is far away from me and I don’t have a car, so it’s hard for me to share iftaar with others. My family and my husband are not Muslim, but are being very supportive. My husband is trying not to eat in front of me even though I tell him it’s OK. I have to admit that if I get light-headed in the afternoon I’ve decided to have just enough juice to bring my glucose back up. It seemed a good idea to be gentle on myself because this is new to me and because I have to be safe when I work. What I’ve loved about Ramadan so far has been the knowledge that my fellow Muslims all over the world are sharing this month together, and that it’s making me so much more aware of the blessing of having and sharing food, and that it’s a time to put myself in Allah’s hands and ask Him for the blessings from this that are best from me. And I have one comment—let’s all take a moment to thank everyone who’s cooking iftaar for us! It’s hard to plan menus and shop for food and cook when you’re hungry! May we all be blessed this Ramadan, and may we be a source of inspiration and goodness and light in the world.

10 comments:

Destitute Rebel said...

Salam Hannah, welcome to the Ramadan Kareem blog. Its so good to hear about the experiences of people from all over the world. We would like to continue hearing about your experiences in Portland, so keep posting. May Allah bless us all and accept our fasting and prayers. Again welcome to the "Online Iftaar" hope to continue seeing you around.

Bee Amma said...

Subhanallah :)

Anonymous said...

Question from an ignorant guy: Might I ask what is Shahadah?

Anonymous said...

Shahadah (الشهادة)
The expression of faith: La ilaha illa Allah. Muhammadun rasulullah. ("There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God."). Sunnis regard this as the first Pillar of Islam

/Daniel

Ahmad said...

A'salam Hannah,
May Allah bless you! Ramadan al'Kareem.

Boo! said...

Salam Hannah. Welcome to the blog and more importantly, to the faith.

Hoping to hear more from you over the rest of the blessed month!

@ a word of symphony - Daniel has given you the meaning of Shahadah. I just want to add that when someone says they took Shahadah at a certain time, it means they converted to Islam at that time.

clayfuture said...

Ramadan kareem Hannah! You have taken a big step here. It's a good thing your family is supportive. May Allah bless you! :)

* said...

SubhanAllah Hannah
Mashallah what an amazing thing to do. In todays time and age when people are turning away from God, you have not only turned to him, but as a Muslim.
And your family is indeed worthy of praise to support you.
May this Ramadan be a time for you to find the peace in your soul. May Allah shower his blessings on you.
Jazak Allah Khair.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Hannah! Salams and welcome! Exciting to have you here :) Thank you for sharing a piece of your life with us.

I wish you best of luck and it is inspiring to read about you and your wonderfully supportive family. All the best to you all.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Bee amma, welcome jee :)

Chas, marhabtein! It was my pleasure :) Enjoy your stay and feel free to mail us if you have anything you wish to add or contribute with.

Ahmad Khalid, Salam and welcome :) If you wish to send us pictures of Ramadan where you are, I'd be happy to recieve them and post them her for you. Enjoy your stay.