A Scent of Piety Written by Al Bints diary I wondered at the giggling coming from my room when I walked towards it from Tahir’s room where I went with my burning incense. On opening the door, I saw my sister Larai sitting at the writing table while my daughter Ummi was standing by her shoulder reading something on it. ‘Oh please Anti Bint, don’t you know we are all fasting, how can you go round burning incense, threatening to break our fast?’ Larai protested, raising a hand to block her nose. ‘Break your fast? How can my incense break your fast?’ I asked casually. ‘Surely you know how Bint, we’ve been hearing this since we were children, that perfume and incense go right down to your throat and break your fast, how can you forget so easily?’ She asked rushing over to my bedroom door to open it. ‘Please Ummi’ she said to my daughter, ‘collect your mother’s incense burner and take it down to the corridor where it will assail no one.’ Larai commanded. ‘Stop right there’ I countered before Ummi can carry out her command ‘this incense goes nowhere Larai. I am amazed that you still believe those old wives tales concerning the fast. For your information dear sister, when you fast you abstain from food drink and some unmentionable action. This abstention does not include inhaling incense or perfume. If it causes you discomfort to inhale them while fasting then by all means avoid them but not because they have the potential to break your fast. Just think, does it quench your thirst or feed your hunger to inhale incense, what nutritional satisfaction do you get from it?’ I demanded. ‘May be none, but we’ve always been led to believe that once it passes your throat your fast is nullified.’ She insisted. ‘That’s the interpretation by scholars who saw the fast as something physical, but fasting is actually more spiritual than physical. Why is it that when you eat or drink something unintentionally, having forgotten that you are fasting, your fast is still considered fine? Because the fast is spiritual, it is judged by your intention, not by the fact that something physically passed through your throat. So please Larai, I expect you to be the one enlightening others about these things not being at the receiving end of a lecture.‘ I reprimanded. ‘Ok,’ she responded reluctantly ‘can Ummi please take it out because I find inhaling it irritating to my system?’ ‘Yes why not. Ummi please take it to your room for a while before you transfer it to my sitting room.’ I instructed before turning round to ask Larai ‘And what are you doing with my to-do notebook?’ ‘While waiting for you to emerge from Tahir’s room I asked Ummi for something to read and before she could rummage through your magazine rack for something, I saw your Ramadan to-do plans. I told her to forget about finding me any reading material this is interesting and intriguing enough.’ Larai explained mischievously. ‘And does it never occur to you that a to-do list is a secret document?’ I asked angrily. ‘Not when it is my sister’s to-do list. Surely there can’t be any secrets between sisters?’ she continued diplomatically. ‘So there can’t be ko Larai? Admit it you are your same old prying and spying self, and I suppose marriage and childbearing didn’t change you. A leopard can’t really change its spots.’ I accused snatching my notebook from her. ‘Ok, there is no need to get all worked up over this. You left it open on to a certain page. And what really caught my attention was its headline Ramadan to-do list. I probably wouldn’t have opened it if it wasn’t already opened. But am sorry all the same, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?’ She asked, grabbing my right hand and putting on an apologetic look. ‘Ok, you are forgiven provided you resolve never to read anything in my notebook, uninvited.‘ I replied. ‘I do. Now why did you have to have a list called Tahir’s menu?’ Larai asked taking back the note-book from me.. ‘I thought we’ve agreed that my to-do book is no-go area, so why are you still dwelling on its contents?’ I demanded exasperatedly. ‘And so we have Big Sis dear, but since I have already read it. I want to be enlightened on what I’ve seen. Perhaps I may find it beneficial in my own humble abode.’ ‘Ok, Tahir believes in healthy eating, so a lot of what goes for iftar meal doesn’t appeal to him. That means I have to have a separate menu for him to avoid being labelled as someone who starves this household during Ramadan. After his dates, he goes for fruits, then some modest protein meal then vegetables, either cooked or fresh salad. After the Tarawih prayer, he takes a little carbohydrate meal with some more vegetables. And then he’s done till sahur time when he’ll go for a cup of tea with dates or with yoghurt or some piece of brown bread.’ I concluded. ‘And what disease is he fighting?’ she asked. ‘None, he is more like trying to prevent it through sensible eating as well as keeping to Imam Ghazali’s spiritual dictum. You know the great Muslim sage insists that one must not see breaking the fast as an opportunity to top up on all that you missed during the day. And that is one thing a lot of us are inclined to do through our multiple iftar dishes, Tahir tries to avoid it. He thinks it’s akin to gluttony.’ I explained. ‘I see, and what is this about an iftar wardrobe?’ Larai enquired still perusing the list. ‘Those are the new evening gowns I make annually in order to have something new and enticing to wear as we sit for iftar daily.’ I answered. ‘New and enticing? This is Ramadan we are talking about Bint, a month of worship and piety.’ She argued heatedly. ‘Yes, and this is Ramadan evening I’m talking about. After the fast had been broken and my hubby deserves someone pleasant to feast his eyes on.’ I replied. ‘Believe me Bint, you two are a mass of contradictions. One minute you are talking about an Imam Ghazali diet to avoid gluttony, the next you are talking about enticing evening dresses in the same holy season.’ Larai observed. ‘It might sound contradictory to you because like the belief that inhaling incense can break fast, your belief that one should not freshen up and look great for iftar dinner is another old wives tale. A woman should look pleasant for her husband all the time, it is actually a part of worship. Everything you do with the best of intentions earns you more reward during Ramadan. Striving hard to observe the day- long fast and then looking your best at iftar are not mutually exclusive. Get that into your thick skull.’ I taunted. ‘And what does children’s schedule stand for?’ She asked, still looking at the notebook. ‘But you ought to know this one. At least you’ve stayed with me some Ramadans before you got married. Anyway it’s about their adjusted TV schedule, less TV, more Quranic lessons with the teacher, recitation at dawn after the prayer, and listening to at least one hour of Tafsir daily. We usually play the tafsir CDs we have around, since having to leave home and seek a mosque can present a logistical challenge. So that’s it, anything more you want to pry about?’ I asked. ‘No, I suppose all I’ll need is to tear out this page and see how much I can implement before the holy season runs out.’ She replied. ‘Don’t tear my book’ I cautioned, reaching out to it. ‘It’s too late Bint and since you have it all etched in your heart. Why begrudge me this one page?’ and tearing it out easily, Larai took that piece of paper and walked out of my room.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 06:55:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015