Ensuring our sisters get the best of Ramadhan

Ramadhan for women has never been the same as for men.

As far as family members are concerned, the person who generally contributes most in the running of the household in terms of preparing suhoor (pre-dawn meal) and iftar (breaking of fast meal) is the woman of the house.

Mothers and grandmothers hurry to prepare sumptuous dishes to a guaranteed audience that is on time, hungry and grateful. Tables are usually loaded with enough dishes to feed a small army seeking to camp in any backyard.

This is a month well-known for being a spectacular time of culinary extravaganzas and elaborate, even exhausting, family gatherings.

She can be the wife, a sister, or the daughter and her work doesn’t stop there. The supplementary work of Ramadhan is stacked on top of her routine work, be it her career if she has a job or taking care of the children and running the house if she’s a homemaker.

In her struggle to be the best provider for her family, what a woman may miss out unknowingly is her connection with Allah.

According to the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), it was narrated that he would eat a handful of dates for suhoor, and if he did not have dates, he would have water.

The same way, he broke his fast as well when it was time. There was no concept of elaborate meals and drinks in suhoor and iftar that we observe nowadays.

The purpose of fasting is not just to keep away from food and drink. It is to acquire taqwa (forbearance, fear and abstinence) and to recognise and empathise with the less fortunate who don’t have the luxury of three meals all-year-round. It is to acquire control over your desires and keep them in check by will alone.

That is not to say that if you prepared more than two dishes for your family to break their fast with you have committed a sin. Not at all. What it means is that the time and energy you spend toiling away in the kitchen while fasting yourself can be much better spent reciting the Quran or praying.

Cut back on the housework so that you can partake of this month’s blessings to their fullest. Balance is key.