When I was still in first year, a couple of my classes ended late. This meant that during Ramadan, I had to break my fast in class or on the bus. Once, however, I completely forgot to take any food or drinks with me, nor did I have any money. As I was waiting on the subway platform for my bus, it dawned on me that it was Maghrib time. Just a few seconds after that, a young man approached me and asked me if I was Muslim. I laughed at his question, given that I’m a hijabi and said that yes, I was. He then asked me if I was fasting and again I told him that I was. He told me that it was time to open the fast and he hadn’t seen me eat or drink anything. After I told him that I forgot to bring anything with me, he immediately offered me his iftar, which he had just purchased from the subway coffee store. He had chocolate milk and a croissant and generously told me to pick whichever one I wanted.


The young man, like myself, had been fasting for the entire day. For someone who was obviously hungry, he didn’t even think twice before offering me his iftar. To me, this is the true essence of Ramadan. Although most of us spend the day waiting for iftar so that we could devour pakoray, samosas, fruit chaat and just about everything else in sight, Ramadan is about giving up these indulgences. This is a time when we’re essentially supposed to train ourselves for the rest of the year. This means more than giving up food; it means perfecting our characters and bringing ourselves closer to Allah subhana wa ta’ala through our actions.

Even little acts of kindness like this can go a long way. Along with praying and fasting, may we all make the most of this Ramadan inshaAllah through our actions and act charitably towards one another.