TODAY marks the 10th day of Ramadan. All over the world, Muslims would have been observing a strict routine from dawn till dusk. This is the month when they limit their food intake, control their emotions and attempt to restrict their thoughts to only that which is good. Certainly, these are challenging tasks even for the pious.
This is also the month when compassion should be the rule of the day. One of the objectives of fasting is for Muslims to experience and understand the thirst and hunger the less fortunate have to experience. It’s about bringing down our selfishness and ego to a much lower level.
Even non-Muslims recognise this. One of my Facebook friends, Peter Chow, had said: “During Ramadan, our Muslim brothers and sisters fast and practise patience and humility. You’ll often hear them say sabarlah as they refrain from thinking, speaking and acting negatively. It would be nice if we could join them in this practice of patience and humility even if we don’t fast. Malaysia would be a better place. Perhaps one day we can all be sabar all-year round.”
In short, we’re united by compassion for others. It’s a beautiful feeling and we shouldn’t miss it for the world. As parents, we must ensure that our children learn this beautiful lesson too. Here are some simple things we can do together to further strengthen that sense of unity.
PREPARE MEALS TOGETHER
Ramadan bazaars are great but only for the stronghearted. Otherwise, one is likely to overspend and end up wasting precious food. A good strategy is to cook at home.
But there’s something even better. It’s cooking at home with the help of the children! The time you spend cooking together can be used as bonding time. Everyone can get involved, from the little ones to dad. Cooking is a long process and surely there’s something for everyone to do.
The kitchen will be abuzz with activities when you do this. There’ll be plenty of teasing and laughter too. This is the stuff that sweet memories are made of. The whole family can and will be reunited through food.
PRAY TOGETHER
A similar thing can happen during prayer times. Praying together is better than praying alone. Ramadan evenings come alive as folks come together to perform the terawih prayers at their local mosques. The long prayer is made easy (and fun) when performed together.
‘Fun’ shouldn’t be our only objective though. It should be more about getting together, getting to know each other and renewing our social bond.
FEEL FOR OTHERS
At the end of the day, Ramadan is more than just about controlling our desire for food and good things.
More importantly, it’s about reflecting on how other less fortunate souls live their lives. They’re everywhere — in our own backyard to those war-torn countries far away.
Feeling their pain is a good way to do that. Once we do, we would feel more generous and go out of our way to help them, no matter where they are. There’s no better time to do it than now, the holy month of Ramadan. That’s when we know that we’re truly united by our compassion.
Zaid Mohamad coaches and trains parents to experience happier homes and more productive workplaces. Reach him at zaid@smartparents.com.my