Guest feature: Salihah talks us through Ramadan

Ramadan is the most important month in the Islamic calendar. It’s a time for quiet reflection and self-discipline, it gives the opportunity to nourish the body, soul and mind.

The main reason we fast during Ramadan is to experience what real hunger feels like, but at the end of our fast we have iftar (a meal to break our fast) so we will truly never know what true hunger feels like and this is such an important reminder to be appreciative of the things we have.

I love how Ramadan encourages mindfulness and also brings a sense of togetherness for me and my family. On a typical day in my home, everyone would finish work at different times and we wouldn’t always get to have dinner together so I truly appreciate Ramadan for bringing us together for that.

One topic I did want to raise awareness on was the challenges Muslim women face around eating while having their periods during the month of Ramadan. This is quite prevalent in South Asian households. Being South Asian myself I realise this needs to change and there is a stigma around this when there shouldn’t be. There is also a high prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia in people of South Asian descent which just highlights how important it is to eat good, healthy meals both during your periods and all year round. A lot of women feel they cannot be open about their periods with male members of their family and this needs to change. Periods are normal.

Moving on, I would like to discuss an exciting holiday I always look forward to which is none other than; Eid!

Eid marks the end of Ramadan and is celebrated by Muslims worldwide. During Ramadan, I make it a priority to practice self-care – fasting or not this has always been very important to me. But I usually keep it natural in terms of wearing makeup and don’t usually get to dress up as much, so I always love going all out for Eid.

The day before Eid is always exciting for me. I usually have all my cousins over at my house, at first, we do face masks on each other then I do their Henna and we finish by doing each other’s nails. On the day of Eid, once I have worn my Eid outfit, I will follow this up with my favourite perfume, matching jewellery and I love doing a makeup look to match my outfit.

After all is said and done, the best part of this is that I get to finally spend my Eid with my family and this gives me the opportunity to reflect on Ramadan and all of the wonderful aspects of my life that I am blessed to have.

Written by @salihah_m_