Hannah and the Ramadan Gift
Ramadan is one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. It is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and togetherness. For young Hannah, Ramadan also meant receiving a gift from her beloved grandparents.
Hannah was excited for Ramadan to begin, like every year. As an 8-year-old girl growing up in a close-knit Muslim community, she loved taking part in the festivities and traditions of this special month with her family. Watching her parents and grandparents fast during the long, hot days instilled a deep sense of spirituality and connection to her faith.
Every Ramadan, Hannah’s grandparents would visit from out of town to spend the holy month with their daughter’s family. Grandma and Grandpa looked forward to this annual trip just as much as Hannah did. For her, it meant hearing bedtime stories, baking cookies together, and receiving a small gift wrapped in colorful paper on the 15th night of Ramadan.
This particular Ramadan was no different. Grandma and Grandpa arrived a few days before the start of the month to help with preparations. The house was filled with the delicious smells of homemade treats and meals being made in large quantities to break the daily fasts as the sun went down.
Hannah helped her mother, grandmother, and aunts in the kitchen, learning new recipes and techniques. She happily sets the table for Iftar each evening, delighted to see her father and grandfather arrive exhausted but smiling after a long day of fasting and prayers at the local mosque.
On the 15th night, after having a special Iftar feast including all of Hannah’s favorite dishes, it was finally time for the gift. Grandpa called Hannah over with a twinkle in his eye. He handed her a box wrapped in shimmering gold paper with colored stripes, just like the previous years.
Hannah tore open the wrapping excitedly to find a beautiful wooden music box inside. It was intricately carved with floral designs and had a small ballerina figurine that spun slowly when the lid was opened. She gasped in delight as the soft melody began to play.
“Do you like it?” asked Grandpa with a smile, already knowing the answer. Hannah nodded eagerly and gave him a big hug.
“I knew you’d love it. This music box has been in our family for many years, passed down from grandmother to grandmother. Now it’s your turn to treasure it.” Grandma told Hannah as she admired the delicate craftsmanship.
Hannah was overjoyed to receive such a precious family heirloom. She couldn’t wait to show her friends and play with it before bed every night. The rest of Ramadan passed by in a joyous blur of prayers, feasting, and spending quality time with loved ones. All too soon, it was time for Grandma and Grandpa’s departure.
Hannah felt sad saying goodbye, but her new music box reminded her that a piece of her grandparents would always be with her, even when they were away. She made them promise to visit again next Ramadan, which they gladly did. Receiving this special gift became a yearly tradition that Hannah looked forward to as the Islamic months went by.
It had now been 10 years since that first Ramadan music box gift. Hannah was 18 and had just finished her first year of university studying psychology. She was excited yet nervous to return home for the summer break and spend Ramadan with her family once more. So much has changed in the past decade, but some traditions have remained steadfast.
When Hannah walked through the front door of her childhood home, she was enveloped in a warm embrace by her beaming mother. Her father proudly handed her a cup of steaming chai. But something seemed amiss. Where were Grandma and Grandpa, who always arrived before Ramadan began?
Hannah soon learned from her somber parents that her beloved grandparents had passed away peacefully in their sleep during the past winter, holding each other’s hands to the end as they had done for 60 blessed years of marriage. She broke down in tears at the loss of the two people who had been constants in her life since she was a little girl.
The first few nights of Ramadan were especially hard without their soothing company and wise words of advice. Hannah went up to her old bedroom and opened the drawer of her childhood desk, unearthing a small wooden box from under piles of notebooks and trinkets. Inside lay the beautiful music box, still playing as beautifully as the day she first received it.
Memories of past Ramadans spent laughing in the kitchen, praying together at the mosque, and opening gifts on the 15th night came flooding back. Though Grandma and Grandpa were in a better place now, their love and light would continue shining through this memento and the legacy they left behind in their large, loving family.
Hannah felt at peace knowing that a part of her beloved grandparents would live on, not just in her heart but through this treasured family heirloom handed down through the generations. She wound the music box carefully before placing it on her desk, closing her eyes as the gentle tune drifted through the air, carrying with it all the warmth and memories of Ramadan’s past, present, and future.
The next evening at Iftar, Hannah stepped up to say a few words of remembrance for her grandparents as tears welled up in her eyes. She told fond stories of their adventures together that drew laughter from all. Her parents smiled, taking solace in the fact that though the physical bodies of their parents were gone, their souls and joyful spirits would live on through loving memories such as these shared year after year, especially during Ramadan, the month that brought their family together.
The Ramadan gift tradition may have ended with Hannah’s grandparents passing, but the values of family, faith, and remembrance they instilled would be kept alive. As long as their legacy continued to touch new generations, a part of Grandma and Grandpa would remain. And through it all, Hannah knew she would always have the comforting melody of her precious music box to turn to, carrying with it all the richness and simplicity of Ramadan nights past when love transcended borders of time and space.