On The Last Day of Ramadhan

(Ramadhan at Makkah in the year 2000 - while at Jabal Uhud)

 

Today is 30th Ramadhan 1429 Hijrah, the last day of fasting. I recalled the year 2000 in which, during this time I spent Ramadhan in Makkah and celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr there. It was the most satisfying and memorable Ramadhan I ever celebrated in my entire life. I wished I could repeat that same kind of Ramadhan or better than that somewhere in the future, Insha'Allah. It seems to me time passes very fast that it is now almost ten years since I last spent my Ramadhan in the holy land of Makkah.
 

(Celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr in Mekkah - Umrah Ramadhan Trip 2000)

I felt that this year Ramadhan was too fast. I was unable to perform as much ibadah as I had planned. With my husband out-station most of the time, the mosque was beyond my reached. I was always busy attending my six year old son and there were only two of us on the dining table during Iftar, the breaking of fast. I even barely finish with the preparation for the Eid. There are still lots of work to be done at home. The sofa cover need to be changed, the clean curtains need to be hanged, the ingredients for tomorrow's early morning cooking need to be prepared tonight and most importantly the cooking for the last Iftar with my family, need to be done.

(Eid-ul-Fitr in Makkah - Dec 2000)

 

About thirty-five years ago, during my childhood, it was my late grandma, my mum and aunties who were the ones who used to be very busy preparing for Raya Day. While the adults were busy with the house-chores, my cousins, siblings and I were happily playing at the back lane behind our home, Pondok Kalompang Gubuk, until the last few minutes before Iftar. We were called in, minutes before the azan for sholat Maghrib (the sholat after sunset), one of the daily five prayers. By this time, the foods for Iftar were all ready laid on the dining table. The adults got to enjoy their meals at the dining table while the children picked their choice of foods on a plate and had their meals on the ''Ambin'' (a huge working table) in the kitchen.

 

(Map of South-East Asia... The Nusantara Region known as Malay Archipelago)

During this night, the azan was followed by ''Takbir'' denoting the dawn of Eid-ul-Fitr. After Iftar, it was time for sholat Maghrib and my granddad used to be the Imam. Moments after that, he would ''Takbir''. I used to be happy and excited to hear the ''Takbir'' because I was looking forward for tomorrow's morning break. To me it means no more hard work in the kitchen, helping my grandma with the pealing of potatoes skin and washing lots of ''loyang'', the mould for making ''kueh''.
 

Every Ramadhan during the 1960s and 1970s, my grandma used to rent a stall situated at the back lane just in front of the old Tekka Market. At this back lane, I used to help my mum selling ''kueh-kueh'', desserts prepared for breaking the fast. Among the ''kueh-kueh'' sold at my grandma's stall were Kueh Bakar, Kueh Putri Salat, Kueh Kosuee, Kueh Rangair and Agar-Agar.
 

(Kueh-Kueh... Desserts of the Nusantara Region)

Unlike my childhood days, as an adult I am always not as keen as before to meet the day on 1st Shawal. It is an obligation for every Muslims to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr as well as Eid-ul-Adha in which, fasting is not allowed during these two Eids. However, I am always sad to leave Ramadhan and always supplicate for Almighty Allah to give me more chances in the future to celebrate Ramadhan again. May Almighty Allah give us the chance to meet Ramadhan again, in good health, in the years to come. Aameen.
 

To my Muslim readers all over the world, wishing all of you ''Eid Mubarak'' and to my husband, mother, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, nephews, nieces, cousins, uncles, aunties, relatives and friends in Singapore and Malaysia, ''Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Ma'af Zahir Batin''.