Ramadan gives teen extra pep in his step
When Ahmed Lulu was 7, he struggled to successfully fast during Ramadan, despite his enthusiasm.
He admired his older siblings and parents’ commitment to the holy month. But it took a few years more – when he was 11 – to be able to fast during the sunlight hours.
It is now the month the Riccarton High School senior leader looks forward to most in the Islamic calendar, and he has an extra pep in his step as he walks through campus.
When Ramadan starts, this year on April 13, Lulu wakes before the sun rises, at 5am, to eat a small meal (suhour) before the first prayer of the day. He then goes back to sleep for a short time before getting ready for school at 7.40am.
Lulu is one of 30 Muslim students at the Christchurch high school, and there is a classroom designated to their prayer times, usually held about 12.30pm. A normal day would involve at least five prayer times but it increases to six during Ramadan.
Lulu prays again about 3.30pm, then at 5pm, again at 6pm, and after the fast is broken at the evening meal (iftar) with his family. He rushes to catch the first bus after school, excited to get home. The family sit together to recite and interpret lines from the Quran together – increasing their bond. ‘‘It definitely brings families together more.’’
The 18-year-old says it is a time of fun. They make competitions out of things like knowledge quizzes, and who can read the most pages of the Qur’an. ‘‘My sister always finishes it the most because I have school.’’
He loves learning more about his religion while his mother reads stories of times past. ‘‘The whole family sits together sharing dinner, talking about historical events in our religion we never knew about.’’
Preparing the food takes his sisters and mother more than three hours, and the spread of Palestinian and other ethnic treats is fit for a crowd. The leftovers are used the next night, or to give to those in need.
Grape leaf-wrapped yabrak, fried kubba and samosa, fatteh (rice and chicken), and salad are distributed to patiently waiting family members. After the evening meal, they wash up before praying, then have sticky qatayef and Arabic coffee for dessert.
There is a misconception that Muslims are starving during Ramadan but Lulu’s obstetrician mother, Fatma, says it gives the body a chance to healthily rid itself of toxins. She used to stand for hours in an operating theatre with no issues.
Many of their non-Muslim friends have started fasting with them and feel healthier than ever.
Lulu’s school friends ‘‘think I’m punishing myself by not eating or drinking’’. ‘‘I don’t feel any hunger or any thirst. I don’t know, call it a miracle.’’
He set up prayer sessions and catch-ups with Muslim students at their lunch break, so they have somewhere to go if they need to get away. Study often takes priority for the aspiring surgeon. But during Ramadan his focus is on ‘‘snatching every opportunity to do good deeds’’ and trying to better himself.
A feast with family and friends will be held to celebrate the last evening of Ramadan. ’