Ramadhan Stories

Muslims all over the world are marking this holy month of Ramadhan by fasting, praying, reciting the Quran, and giving charity; all the while remembering Allah. Today is the 20th day and in the last 10 days of Ramadhan, Muslims will hope to find Lailatul Qadr, a night better than a thousand months. It is the anniversary of when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. In these last 10 days, the mosques will be full, and may all prayers be rewarded accordingly.

Ramadhan is a time for sharing, hence the giving of charity and the spread of goodwill. It is during this period that the less privileged will receive from the generosity of their fellow mankind. I remember that in the kampungs, neighbours give each other food that they had prepared for iftar (the breaking of fast). Iftar ideally is a simple meal, but now the profusion of Ramadhan bazaars and buffets in hotels/restaurants sometimes promote indulgence during the breaking of fast. At the bazaars where one is shopping for food while fasting (read hungry), there is the tendency to 'overbuy'. So food is often wasted. At buffets one tends to 'overeat' because the food is there!

During Ramadhan some foods are iconic. Like the bubur lambuk, the most 'famous' being the one from Kampung Baharu, KL (It never fails to make the news every year! I have had a taste of it some years ago while in Taman Keramat nearby). Then of course the kurma (dates), which now comes from so many countries, from China to the Middle East to the US of A. Just check this out at the local supermarkets. You will be overwhelmed with too many choices.

But for me, the food I remember most during the Ramadhan of my childhood was the telur masin (salted duck's egg). It was my family's favourite appetiser, especially during the sahur/pre dawn meal. As a child, you wake up all groggy, but the freshly cooked steaming hot rice, some lauk (meat/vegetable dishes) and the telur masin entice you to eat with gusto in anticipation of another day of fasting.

Some stories of children learning to fast sometimes put a smile on your face. Like my little nephew who 'broke' his fast with just a half hour to go to iftar. He just could not resist the ais kacang  (shaved ice dessert) on the iftar table! Then there was a young niece who was fond of taking showers, many times a day. It turned out that she lets the falling water seep into her mouth, a lot! Sounds a bit like what I used to do too. Another puasa rookie would just buka & tutup many times throughout the day. My father's way of training us to fast when we were children was to disallow anyone not fasting to be at the iftar table. Non-fasters were relegated to another less-laden-with-food area.So my siblings and I were keen to gain our status at the coveted iftar table as soon as we could. We understood that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, pahala at the end of puasa.

Have a blessed Ramadhan and thereafter Aidil Fitri.