Healthy iftar snacks at a Ramadan iftar party Noor Shaikh what I felt like doing panting But I couldn’t break my fast in front of anyone I told Sara I had to use the washroom so I ran back to her house while she waited All the parents were in the backyard so no one knew I had come back to the house I made sure no one was looking and then I poured myself a glass of cold water from the tap It was so good that I immediately drank a second one Then I washed the glass and hid it away and ran all the way back to the park I had just done something terrible I had intentionally broken my fast because I couldn’t keep it any longer I had been fasting for about eight hours and that was as long as I could last Of course I didn’t eat anything or drink again until sunset Those two glasses of water had transformed me first with energy then with a heavy load of guilt It would have been so much better if I’d just waited to fast instead of making a promise I couldn’t keep But I was 10
introduction 9 years old so it didn’t take me long to throw myself back into the excitement of playing with Sara at the park I broke fast with everyone else that night and accepted everyone’s praise and good wishes with a wide smile and happy self-congratulations as if I’d actually kept my fast I was feeling pretty good until I was alone in my room at night Then the guilt really hit me I’d begun the most important religious tradition my family observed with a half-truth all for a glass of water I’ve learned a lot of lessons since then including the purpose behind the month of fasting The holy month of Ramadan isn’t meant to be a punishment Muslims see it as a blessing I know now there would have been no harm in confessing the truth or admitting I didn’t feel well or waiting until I was older to fast No one would have been angry with me or disappointed They would have encouraged encouraged me to try again This is the first time I’ve told the story of the 9-year-old who couldn’t keep her fast The secret is out at last To give you a sense of what Muslim kids think about fasting for a whole month I asked a few of them to tell me what Ramadan means to them You’ll find their answers in each chapter of this book Ramadan is a humbling experience that allows us to empathize with others and reminds us to be thankful for the life we live and to go on living with an open mind with love in our hearts and peace emanating from within Zahra age 17 Fig and date cookies on Eid morning Summer Shaikh Sweets on Eid morning savaiyaan and mitai are traditional Pakistani Eid offerings Summer Shaikh 11
Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām in Mecca Hejaz Saudi Arabia iStock com prmustafa
one What is ramadan What Is Islam and Who Is a Muslim Islam is a monotheistic tradition a religion with more than 1 6 billion followers worldwide A monotheistic religion is one that holds that there is only one god rather than many different gods Historically Islam came after Judaism and Christianity It arrived in the Arabian peninsula in 610 ce Common Era Today that part of the world is known as Saudi Arabia Two of the holiest sites in Islam the cities of Mecca and Medina are located in Saudi Arabia Muslims are followers of Islam who worship the same God as Jews and Christians but call God the Arabic name Allah Muslims also recognize and respect the same Mecca is considered a holy city of Islam because it’s where the messenger of Islam the Prophet Muhammad was born At the cave of Hira outside Mecca the message of the Qur’an was transmitted to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel 13
