Amira looks back at Ramadan 2009

Amira El-Shareif Resident of Ipswich

The month when the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed

Happy Eid!!! Ok, so better late than never, right?

Ramadan is now over and on Sunday 20 September, I woke at a normal humane hour having slept through the 4.30am food binge!

I was able to eat at normal o'clock now that daylight fasting was over.

Sadly as I do shifts at the Port of Felixstowe, I had to attend work, whilst others went to the Mosque for Eid Prayer.

This is a special 'service' for when Ramadan ends. Then everyone spends the next week appreciating their food in the morning, relishing in lie-ins and visiting family and friends.

I'm actually quite sad Ramadan is over. It has brought so many of us together and I have really learnt far more about Islam.

As all my family tend to be up north or abroad, we decided to celebrate by going to a different country altogether - Spain!

Not very Islamic since the Moors left, but good fun nonetheless.

I don't know a word of Spanish and English is not quite the lingua-franca when it comes to Madrid restaurants let me tell you!

The foulest language

When Eid occurs, you greet those celebrating with the phrase 'Taqabballah minna wa minka' which asks that Allah may accept us, our efforts, our prayers, our fasts and so on.

I would say this Ramadan has really brought home the following:

• To treat one's parents with far more respect than I grant them.
• To swear less. When you become more conscious of it, it's amazing how much one or those around really do use the foulest language!
• To be kind, humble and less aggressive, even to those you percieve of as enemies or do not get along with.
• Constant remembrance of what I have, how lucky I am to have it, and in my God.

Reflecting and really focusing on my religion and God has helped highlight these points. Now, that can't be a bad thing, can it?

Lessons in trust

Our Islamic class recently discussed the issue of trust, and it's something I would like to share.

We spoke of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and his companions, their experiences and sayings (or 'hadiths').

What I learned is no matter how small or large, try not to break a person's trust.

Amira has an Egyptian Muslim father and a Scottish Catholic mother

Once trust breaks, between family or friends or mere acquaintances, suspicion heightens and nothing is left.

'Khiyana', or breaking trust, is indeed a very big sin.

Another hadith speaks about friendship and souls - 'souls are like soldiers grouped in ranks. Those who are familiar will be friends, and those who are not will be in conflict'.

I thank Allah that I have my parents and close friends, Muslim and non-Muslim.

It is said the people who you interact with 'must not be a factor or hindrance that will keep you from being closer to Allah'.

Many see this as a way of judging Muslims who have non-Muslim friends.

What I can say is that my non-Muslim friends, the true close ones, do not hinder me from my religion. Nor do I shove my religion in their faces.

With this in mind, I would ask fellow Muslims to be gentle and calm in their way of describing Islam to others and I would ask non-Muslims that if they are to not understand Islam, then to at least accept it in others, and that it is not always what you see it to be in the media.

I hope that my blog has entertained, humoured, but more importantly highlighted that not all Muslims are the same, not all of us rightly or wrongly practise in the same ways.

It's up to no-one to judge but my God, so it should not be the job of me nor others.

Finally, Islam really is a peaceful religion and it should not incur violence or hatred.

So from a very fat Amira (yes, I have totally indulged in my food of late!), I wish all of you a most enjoyable time in your lives and lots of happiness!