The cultural attache in the United Kingdom, Dr. Amal Jamil Fatani, recalls her memory of an era and a time that has its fragrant and eternal spirituality, and she recalls Ramadan during her father’s work in the United States of America, as she nourished the conscience by listening to the Holy Qur’an through CDs, and when she took over the tasks of supervising students on scholarships She devoted most of her time to them and strengthened the warmth of their relationship with each other, which melted the ice of alienation.. Here is the text of the conversation with our guest:
• What does Ramadan mean to you?
•• Ramadan is the month of mercy, tolerance and asking for forgiveness. It means to me the honor of time and the sanctity of the place. It is a month in which the Holy Qur’an was revealed. Muslims in all countries of the world gather to fast and pray for it and provide for acts of worship and acts of worship, and they live the joy of the return of the holy month, as we find Muslims before the departure of Ramadan praying May God bring him back to them for many years.
simple life
• What does Dr. Amal Fatani's memory carry from childhood in Ramadan?
A: Many beautiful memories remained from Ramadan in childhood, despite the simplicity of life during that period, but the years of childhood are unforgettable. We used to help the family before breaking the fast with the preparations of the meal. about this time.
• When was the first year of fasting? •• Families in those years encouraged their children and motivated them to fast and pray, and some gave a reward to those who fast at the end of Ramadan, but parents used to give us large spaces for fasting when we were young, and there were even times for rest such as drinking water and eating Some fast food without the knowledge of the parents. As the stage requires us to do so, and fasting is not imposed on us as much as it is an imitation of adults, and the answer when asked is that we are fasting.
• What Ramadan personalities were you following in those years?
•• During Ramadan, there are some prominent personalities, and although they were few in that time, they force you to follow them at the time of Iftar or after it. Sheikh Ali Al-Tantawi, may God have mercy on him, and the Noor Ala Al-Darb program was available at that time, so it is present with some interesting historical series and fatwas that families are keen to follow; Therefore, Ramadan is the month of work and worship, and of course we read the Holy Qur’an at different times when we finish our daily work and before the prayers.
ether dish
What is the favorite dish on the table?
•• The preferred dish on the table is love soup, samosa and beans, in addition to dates and coffee, and these meals may be the most prominent on the family table.
• What TV programs are you keen to follow?
•• The television program that I am keen to follow during Ramadan is the one from which I benefit from lessons on fasting, night prayers, and other matters of religion and the world, and cultural and scientific programs that benefit everyone.
Ramadan in exile
• Who do you invite with you at the breakfast table?
•• I pray above all at the Iftar table that God gathers the hearts of the family and guides everyone to what is good for them in this world and the Hereafter, and I invite from the honorable family and family personalities that I make sure that all of them are present at the Iftar table.
• What are your memories of your father's years of work in the United States of America?
•• The years of my father’s work in the United States were rich despite my young age – at the time – because moving from one stage to another and from one environment to another is different in everything, but it was beautiful, and I remember listening to the Holy Qur’an through CDs and reading it with the family and talking to them in Arabic about the Kingdom Our customs and traditions, and during that period there were few means of communication that brought us together with family and relatives.
permanent nostalgia
• What is lacking in Ramadan in the scholarship country?
•• Ramadan in alienation is undoubtedly different for one reason: you are far from family and relatives, lack a lot of intimacy, and there is constant nostalgia for the homeland and Ramadan nights in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, which are completely different from fasting in another country or city, as you find Ramadan in Makkah Al-Mukarramah a mixture Among the visitors, pilgrims, and those who go to the Sacred House of God, there are different and spiritual faces that are not comparable to any other city.
• How do you spend Ramadan now?
•• In exile, we, the employees, live the spirituality of Ramadan by meeting each other with a collective Iftar, as happened on the first Friday of Ramadan. And the scholarship students, male and female, are happy to hear about their activities and meetings and the mighty role played by Saudi clubs throughout Britain, and this relieves them of alienation, so they remember Ramadan with the family and exchange information and news with their families, friends and colleagues in the country of scholarship, as well as the various meetings that they carry out in Saudi clubs in the United Kingdom.
Abdulaziz Al-Rubaie (Makkah Al-Mukarramah) arabiue
