hey its good to se people so involved with culture and religion these days
well my family is originally from peshawar pakistan of pathan(pashto) origin
bit we know urdu too.
neway
i was born in chicago and have lived in the US all my life though i go back every two years to pakistan. so i have a really good background culture. my family hasnt forgetten the fact that there american by paper..paki by nature. so in my family youll feel like your in pakistan even though ur in chicago..though american influence is pretty dominant too.
a normal day for my family in the month of ramadhan is wake up for fast before sunrise and observe fajr and tahujjud prayer. then we go back to sleep or read quran and then dont eat until its time to break the fast.
one thing i miss seeing in the us that i see in pak. is that even if its weekdays ppl get a chance to go to mosque and break fast and do salat there. so it s not like that in the weekdays in chicago.
since ppl here are from all different religions ramadhan is not that special in the sense that it affects ur lifestyle ( if ur not muslim).
the dominant religion is christianity, and since we have a whole month to fast not just a day or two like other religions we cant take off from school or work either.
ramadhan weekends are especialy special and fridays of course
we all gather at th emosque and do maghrib prayers, break fast, and do tarawee withisha prayers. we all get to socialize a little too. and sometimes we even have dinners with other relatives or muslim friends too. it alot of fun
alot of ppl here are now known to fasting the muslim way, but when someone asks even if they are rude, i always try to act calm and answer calmly.
beacuase i take pride and am thankful for bieng muslim, and i think its great when Allah gives us an opportunity to show ppl the beauty, unity, strength, and dedication muslims have toward s their heritage, culture, and islam.
thoughim only 14.. i feel we all need to respect other religions but never forget our own.
because without religion a person feels more lost in day to day life and activities.
islam has alway sgiven me a sense of love, protection, and has made me strive and work extra hard to get at my goals.. and i hope it gives every other muslim a sense of unity and brotherhood too.
as prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
a muslim is a mirror to another muslim".
so i hope everyone takes this seriously and thinks of a good way for ppl to accept, embrace, and understand islam.
there is soo much we can do to keep our religion strong and alive. no matter where we live.
just always remember Allah, because he wuill never leave your side.
i promise.
and just have iman( faith).
i wish i could kep going but i cant so
assalamalaikum from me.