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Dedra Stevenson,

Author of The Hakima’s Tale

“My favorite part about Ramadan is the fact that my

family eats together every night. In today’s busy world, we

rarely get the chance to have a family meal together, so the

closeness that we experience from having 29 or 30 Iftars

together is rare and beautiful. I feel that our family gets

stronger in our faith and in our love for each other.”

Nayyara Fouad Hussain,

Architect

“Ramadan is a special time of reflection, self-discipline

and spirituality. Despite the long hours of fasting, I look

forward to this month with greater anticipation and a

renewed sense of commitment towards my religious

obligations. This month brings us closer to understanding

how arduous life is for people who don’t have anything to

eat. With shorter working hours and fewer commitments,

the month is a perfect excuse for less productivity at work.

This in turn means more quality time spent together as

a family especially at the Iftar table! A very encouraging

aspect which is reflected overall in the Muslim society is

the sharing of Iftar with others in our homes and amongst

our neighbors. The spirit of sharing and giving should not

remain confined to this month only and I do hope every

year that we continue to carry out our religious obligations

with the same fervor as we do during this Holy month.”

Sarah Zaidi,

Homemaker and mother

“With Ramadan approaching, I can recall many of my

favorite aspects of this Holy month. First of all being

Muslim I like the fact that during this month I never

miss any of my five daily prayers which are normally a

challenging task for me the rest of the year. Secondly,

I love the shorter work timings , my husband works in

Dubai and normally comes back at a time when the kids

are about to sleep. But during Ramadan he comes well

before Iftar and we all spend some quality time together.

In short, Ramadan in UAE is a complete package during

which we can earn rewards from Allah and can have fun

filled time with family.”

Mona Mirza,

Aesthetician

“The best aspect of Ramadan for me is the spiritual

wholeness and oneness it brings with it. A sense

of unity with everyone around me who are fasting

as a reminder that we submit to a much greater

force... Allah, a fact that is often neglected in the

daily humdrum of our hectic lives in which we are

consumed. This is a month in which my soul feels

rejuvenated.”

May/June 2015