‘My first Ramadan was the best ever’
This year, Filipina national Sumaiya Cabuhat celebrated 10 years of being a Muslim, which means she has been fasting during the holy month for10 years. The Sharjah resident and employee of the Malaysian Consulate in Dubai, Sumaiya breaks into tears of gratefulness while speaking about the overwhelming acceptance she has received from the Muslim community after her conversion in 2008.
Speaking about her first Ramadan, Sumaiya said: “My first Ramadan was the best… I took fast religiously, and I understood the true essence of the holy month. Every minute I spent fasting, praying, and reading the Quran was a wonderful experience.”
She is now married to Sri Lankan national Mohamed Azar, and the couple live in Sharjah with his daughter and aged mother. She said: “Allah gave me everything I have today… If I had remained in my past religion, I wouldn’t be blessed with such a loving family, friends, and support.”
Sumaiya, whose former name was Elma, has been living in the UAE for 20 years and was a Christian before she converted to Islam. “I moved here after my graduation, and I was working in a restaurant in Sharjah. I began learning more about Islam in a bid to defend my previous religion,” she explained.
As she learnt more about Islam, she realised it was the best religion in the world. “It is not something you can learn overnight or something you practice once a week. It is lifelong devotion, and it talks about every aspect of life,” she said. Over the several months she spent studying Islam, she realised that deep down in her heart, she was always a Muslim.
“When I moved here, I lived with my parents. I told my mother that I’d decided to convert. She was very supportive of my decision, and one fine day, I went home after I’d transformed,” she added. “My mother said I’d become a better person since I’d embraced Islam,” she said.
Initially, her father and sister were sceptical and upset at her decision, according to Sumaiya. “They thought it was a fad and I would get over it. But in three years, I didn’t falter in my prayers even once. However, by the time my father retired, he was very proud of me and had embraced me for who I am,” she said.
“Filipinos are known to be freespirited and open people. When other members of our society would see us together as a family, they would ask, ‘Oh, your daughter is a Muslim’, and my father would proudly answer ‘yes’, and stand right next to me,” she added.
My first Ramadan was the best… I took fast religiously, and I understood the true essence of the holy month. Every minute I spent fasting, praying, and reading the Quran was a wonderful experience.” Sumaiya Cabuhat, Filipina national
Ramadan routine
Sumaiya learnt about Islam from the Karama Islamic Centre and the Discover Islam Centre in Karama and still has a huge circle of friends from those days. “I made lifelong friends in this process. The librarian at the Discover Islam Centre was my witness during our wedding,” she added. Furthermore, Sumaiya had an arranged marriage. “My colleagues introduced my husband and me, and Alhamdulillah, I am thrilled today,” she said.
“My mother-in-law doesn’t speak English, so I’ve learnt little Tamil. We mix English, Arabic, and Tamil to communicate,” she added.
Speaking about her daily routine during Ramadan, Sumaiya said: “My husband and I leave for work early, immediately after the Fajr prayers. We come back home early, and I complete my prayers,” she added.
She spends the rest of the afternoon preparing Iftar with her mother-in-law.
“After that, we spend some time reading the Quran. For Iftar, we have simple food like porridge or bananas. We then rest for a while, and then go for Taraweeh prayers,” she explained. “We sleep early once we are back, and repeat the routine for all 30 days of the month,” she said.