Free e-Book: Ramadan for New Muslims presented by OnIslam.net

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MWA's Fahmida Sultana shares a few of her Eid photos

The last sunset of Ramadan: a photo by MWA's Saba N. Taylor

Eid Mubarak!!!!!!!! The last sunset of Ramadan May Allah forgive us all and grant us His mercy and accept our fast. Ameen.

This dua was posted by another sister on Facebook. It is read as the sun sets on the last sunset of Ramadan, marking the beginning of Shawwal:

"O Allah, the Lord of Ramadan, who revealed in it the Quran and ordained in it fasting, I seek refuge in You from that the sun of this day will set and You have upon me a sin that You wish to punish me for on the day I meet You. O Allah, grant us from Your Prophet Muhammad (s) intercession, and make awareness of You our most rewarding ware (possession) and do not render us in this our month from being of the people of waste and squandering, and quell our fears on the Day of Judgment with Your Mercy, O Most Merciful and peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, his family and his companions."

Happy Eid from Muslimah Writers Alliance!

The last iftar of Ramadan 2013: MWA's Aishah Schwartz

Lemon garlic chicken with ranch dressing & mashed carrot & potato with onion.

Dua for breaking the fast:

Transliteration:

Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa 'alayka tawakkaltu] wa ‘ala rizq-ika aftarthu

Source: Abu Dawud

An impromptu suhoor at Costa Coffee: a journal entry by MWA's Aishah Schwartz

Subhan'Allah...I was feeling somewhat dreadful the last couple of days, and I spent most of that time attempting to sleep it off. In fact, after iftar, I went to bed (again), and Al-hamdulillah, fell fast asleep. I woke up at 2AM and pushed myself out of bed with the thought, "whatever will I eat for suhoor?"

Aishah's favorite recitation of Surat Al - Qadr سورة القدر بصوت الشيخ مشارى العفاسى

This is my all-time favorite, over the moon version of the recitation of Surat Al - Qadr سورة القدر بصوت الشيخ مشارى العفاسى
It plays like a beautiful, catchy melody and sends a feeling through me that really makes you feel Ramadan in your heart and soul. At least that's how it made me feel. Check it out.

Aishah's prayer buddy: Mr. Sakinah, waiting for iftar!

This is Aishah's prayer buddy, Mr. Sakinah.

He seems to always know when it's about time for iftar...

And the "Gang" outside my flat knows when it is time for iftar, too!

MWA's Zabrina Abu Bakar shares a dua for the Night of Power

Dear all, with the help of my lovely Sis Mazalina Maram, she has helped me design this poster of duaa' to be recited during Night of Power.

InshaAllah please keep reciting this duaa' as much as you can throughout the day during this last 10 days of Ramadan.

And please share this poster freely...

Iftar at MWA member Jennifer Intante's house!

Vegetarian Lasagna Iftar at home. ‪#‎ramadan‬ ‪#‎organic‬ ‪#‎garden‬ ‪#‎vegetarian‬ ‪#‎italian‬ ‪#‎urban‬ #2013 ‪#‎foodporn‬ ‪#‎delish‬ ‪#‎glutenfree‬ #italian ‪#‎mediterranean‬ ‪#‎egyptian‬ ‪#‎dominican‬ ‪#‎foodie‬

Aishah's forgotten iftars and suhoors...Ramadan 2013

Scrambled egg sandwich and peaches.

Chicken Caesar salad and lentil soup.

Lentil soup with kidney beans and crackers.

Chicken Caesar salad and cheese pizza.

MWA asks: what is it about Ramadan and fasting that you particularly enjoy?

[If viewing from the "Home" page, be sure to click on the "Read More" link after the introductory text to read...the rest of the story!]

I'll kick-start the post, and as some of you may already know, I oftentimes lean toward a touch of humor, so this is something silly that popped into my head one evening in Ramadan as I started to peel the toppings off a pizza that just arrived for suhoor. One of the reasons I might particularly enjoy the fasting aspect of Ramadan is that: I have food issues to start with! lol

Food. It bothers me to spend money buying it. It bothers me to spend time putting it away. It bothers me spending time to prepare it. It REALLY bothers me having to clean up after preparing it! And it UBER bothers me that all of that money, time and effort are consumed within 5-10 minutes from the start of eating it! AND THEN!!! And then we flush it down the toilet!!!! WTH?!?!

In the first week I was trying to make iftar and suhoor a little more photo-op-ish (lol) (for the MWA Ramadan blog's photo section), but as Ramadan rolled along this month, iftar's began to slim down to a mug of tomato or lentil soup, a handful of jelly beans (what! no dates?!), a cup of coffee and a tall glass of water (or two) before jumping out the door to pray Isahah and taraweeh. For suhoor, now maybe I'll eat a little more since I went light on the iftar, but light is the pattern that seems to be working best for me going into the second half of Ramadan.

On the serious side, subhan'Allah...it seems I have enjoyed listening Quran more than ever, and I have particularly enjoyed visiting different masjids for taraweeh prayers.

Last, but not least, helping maintain the MWA Ramadan blog has really helped keep me focused on the essence of this Holy Month. Al-hamdulillah. And I'm so grateful for the contributions of MWA's members. Salute!

On Kinship and Quran: a journal entry by MWA's Aishah Schwartz

16th Century Quran.

I think it was like two years ago that I passed through a familiar local souvenir shop whose management has been somewhat of a heart-adopted family to me during my time here in Egypt. As with many friends these days (especially if they're not online in one way or another), we don't see or hear from each other often, but that doesn't diminish the sense of Muslim kinship we share when I make one of my impromptu visits to their shop.

Fasting Ramadan and Keeping the Momentum Going by MWA's Isahah Janette Grant

Thirty days of fasting from sun-up to sun-set takes discipline, dedication, faithfulness, and most importantly the grace of God. The initial excitement at the onset of Ramadan and the eagerness to begin a month of conscious dedication to Allah for the purification of the body, mind and soul can begin to wane, especially for new Muslims and young people fasting for the first time, once the half-way mark is reached.

Around day 15 or 16 of Ramadan there can be more of a difficulty in getting up for suhoor to eat before the fast begins in the early morning hours; it can become harder to keep one’s patience as hunger pangs develop and escalate during the middle of the day and it can be harder concentrating on salaat and the proper manners that the believers should exhibit when fasting.

Residents in Hurghada, Egypt gather for outdoor iftar - photo essay by MWA's Aishah Schwartz

This is a photo essay so click on the "Read More" link at the lower left corner of the first image.

Click on any image to view larger size.

 

Her mom insisted on the photo; maybe because our outfits were color coordinated.

MWA's Farah Kinani shares an iftar from Morocco

Moroccan Iftar

The table was amazingly decorated with a Chinese soup, Moroccan pancakes filled with either turkey and lettuce, or cheese and mortadel, so yummy.

Aishah! Whaddjya eat today? Ask Sakinah...

IFTAR: Hot dog sandwich, chicken noodle soup, pineapple orange juice and water

SUHOOR: Veggie Pizza & Sprite

Sakinah after Suhoor. That's one fat cat!

Okay, it's settled. I have a terrible diet. But look! I only ate the toppings on the pizza, not the bread!

Ramadan Kareem: live stream from Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Aishah's after taraweeh adventure at Senzo Mall - July 20, 2013

No joke. The first thing I saw when I walked in the front door.

MWA's Saba N. Taylor shares her southern-style July 20 iftar

Homemade mac 'n' cheese, fried fish (tilapia) and collard greens.

Alhamdulillah, I channeled my southern roots with this iftar :D

Homemade mac 'n' cheese, fried fish (tilapia) and collard greens.

I was going to make hot water cornbread but just wasn't feeling up to it.

Unfortunately, I could not partake in the fried fish as I am still recovering from dental surgery but I was happy to see my family really enjoy it. :)

Alhamdulillah for all of His blessings on me and my loved ones.