The holy month of Ramadhan is an extraordinary time of fasting, devotion and reflection. Ramadhan is a period of spreading kindness, love and healing to one and all. This is the ninth festive month of the Muslim lunar calendar where over a million Muslims explore peace and patience. It is said that the period of Ramadan softens our souls and gets rid of all evil, in fact it is a period of living our lives better and starting to acknowledge our precious resources. To elaborate this special time , lets explore more about Ramadhan. Muslims believe that around 610 A.D a unique man named Muhammad from the Arabian city of Mecca received holy revelations from Allah by the religious angel Gabriel. These sacred revelations were carefully preserved into a 114-chapter holy book widely known as the Quran. Ramadhan is celebrated as the sacred month during which Mohammad received the first revelations of the Quran. Surprisingly, Ramadhan does not have a fixed date and shifts approximately eleven days every year. Throughout Ramadhan before dawn, everybody eats a huge meal called Sahoor, this gets them prepared for the day, keeps the hardworking Muslims active for the whole day and lets them focus on their devotion. After their long challenging day of fasting , they enjoy a delicious evening meal called Iftar. An interesting fact is that, traditionally, a date is eaten to break the fast! During their period of fasting, Muslims usually read and explore the wonders of the Quran, in addition to this, Muslims help those in need with all their heart and let them know that they will always be loved. The generosity during Ramadhan is endless and fascinating. Not only helping others, Muslims should also avoid gossiping, swearing, smoking and other bad habits at all costs. This teaches them self control and reflection of oneself. This practice nourishes the Muslims every year and lets them lead a long , happy and healthy life and in this busy world, Ramadhan leads all devotees to the path of success! Some believe that Ramadan is the time of the year when one’s soul replenishes, cleanses and purifies . At the end of Ramadhan, friends and family gather to celebrate a grand Eid al Fitr (“The festival of breaking the fast”). Eid marks the end of Ramadhan and celebrates the successful completion of fasting, it is the most exciting and joyous festival. This highly anticipated festival includes special prayers and exchange of gifts. Another incredible fact not widely known is that, non-Muslims are also welcome to participate in this religious time of the year. For example, In 1996, then-first lady Hillary Clinton hosted the first Eid al-Fitr dinner at the White House. President Bill Clinton continued the tradition throughout the rest of his time in office. His successor, President George W. Bush, hosted an iftar at the White House in 2001 and continued the dinners every year of his two terms in power. President Barack Obama followed suit, hosting his first White House Ramadan dinner in August 2010.

Ramadhan is not only known for its history and healing properties but food too! Some Muslims agree that the best part of Ramadhan is the scrumptious and delicious food. People of all ages eagerly look forward to enjoy the variety of yummy dishes as the sun sets. Harees is one of the traditional Arab dishes popular in the UAE, this is a dish of fresh coarsely-ground wheat, mixed with meat and elegantly seasoned. This unique dish had been documented in Ibn Sayyar Al-Warraq’s 10th-century cookbook “Kitab Al Tabikh” , in Al-Baghdadi’s 13th century cookbook and finally a 13th century Andalusian cookbook. Now, Harees spread to all parts of the world including India! It is said that may versions of Harees exist. One of the version is Harissa which is a dish eaten on Easter day in Armenia, here the roughly ground wheat called “Korkat” is incorporated in the dish. Furthermore, it has a symbolic meaning too as the preparation of this dish takes a long time, people believe that the valuable time spent on this cooking makes the food more precious for the others. Alternate versions of this dish are “Harise” from the Iraqi cuisine, “Aleesa” or “Alsa” from a district in Kerala, “Haleem” in Hyderabad, “Harissa” or “Hareesa” in Kashmir. Long time ago, Harees was cooked a s a charity dish to feed the poor but now it has grown into a dish for celebrations and festivals. Harees is commonly served with a bland seasoning but it generally depends from households to households whether to spice it up different varieties of flavour like cinnamon , cumin, garlic etc. Another great traditional dish for Ramadhan is Mahsi, this is a flavourful assorted rice stuffed vegetable. The most common ingredients are Vine leaves, eggplants, marrows, capsicum peppers etc. These vegetables are either cooked together or separately. This dish is widely known and eaten in Egypt, in other words, it is an Egyptian traditional food but to be specific, Mahsi is one of the dishes from The Ottoman Origin that spread throughout the ancient empire , from the Balkans to the Egypt. Moreover, the translation of the word Mahsi which us stuffed squash describes the amazing dish itself. Just like Harees, this dish has a few appetizing versions too, In Croatian and Serbian, this dish is called “Punjene Tikvice”, In Albania, it is called “Kungulleshka Te mbushura” ( That is indeed a long name!) and in Turkey it is known as “Kabak dolmasi”. There is a common practice associated with this dish which is, this dish is meat free for the poor but with meat for the wealthy! Mahsi can be made tasty with precision and can thus be assembled by filling a Dutch oven with tomato and potato slices which will serve as a base for the zucchini. The zucchini stuffed with rice and meat is placed on top and then the tomato sauce, broth, olive oil and lemon are added. After simmering for a long time, the zucchini is very tender, the rice fully cooked and the meat very soft. The reduced sauce is sprinkled with cumin and this dish is ready to be served. This is a good recipe for food lovers!

Another aspect of Ramadhan is preparation of oneself. There is an arousing question in the Muslim community which is, “Should we prepare for Ramadhan?”. Long ago, the companions of the Prophet used to prepare for Ramadhan BEFORE SIX MONTHS! So, if we want to make this Ramadhan the best, then we better start preparing now. There are tons of ways to prepare for this holy month, one of them is voluntary fasting. Fasting often before Ramadhan gives the person, the control and patience to fast during Ramadhan. This way, our body system gets used to the fasting routine and makes it easier for the individual during Ramadhan. The Prophet once said, “(Allah said), ‘Every good deed of Adam’s son is for him except fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it.’ Verily, the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better to Allah than the smell of musk.” (Bukhari). Also, you could start reflecting on the portions of the Quran to get closer to Allah and discover the meaning and value of life and each time someone reads the Quran he or she is said to get wiser. Other than reading the Quran, you could do special extra prayers and show your sincere devotion to Allah. Finally, the most important thing is to improve our moral values before Ramadhan and definitely eat healthy and nutritional food before the holy month. To be healthy and strong during Ramadhan, it is advised that we should pay attention to what we eat now, so that it benefits later. However, overeating should strictly be avoided. In addition to that, The Prophet (pbuh) used to say: “The best amongst you are those who have the best manners and character.” (al-Bukhari). In conclusion, I hope that this magical month of Ramadhan brings good to one and all! Happy Ramadhan to everyone!