Days 25 and 24 of Ramadan

Day 25

Today, my parents went to cook dinner at the masjid or a Muslim community center. This is fairly common during the month of Ramadan, in the U.S. My dh and ds went to Chicago to enjoy a day there and then eat at an Arabic restaurant.

We shopped at Arab stores. It was cool to see others that I don't know were fasting like Dh and myself. (I come from a very small town in the U.S.). We asked the store owners if they opened after dinner because we wanted to finish our shopping. Many said yes during Ramadan.

This is my first time eating at an Arabic restaurant fasting. It was an interesting experience. We walked in about 15 minutes before it was time to break our fast, seating ourselves. Some Muslim families were already seated, others followed behind us. Customers were waiting patiently. At the appropriate timing, everyone broke their fast with dates or water. Breaking a fast with dates or water is a tradition that Prophet Muhammad used to do. There are many health benefits by breaking a fast this way.

I was surprised to see many people breaking their fasts in restaurants because growing up, I never broke my fast in a restaurant. It was at home, other homes, or at the masjid.

Day 24

I took ds to the park, we met some friends there. Once my ds and I (dh was working) arrived at my parents' home, we listened to Qur'an recitation by Abdul Basit As Samad, a famous Egyptian reciter.