Fifth Day of Ramadan: Between Office Duties, Sacred Prayers, and Quiet Moments of Peace

It is the fifth day of Ramadan, and I had to get up very early, around 5 AM, to finish my pre-dawn meal called Sehri within the prescribed time. As soon as I woke up, I went straight to perform ablution to purify myself and prepare for offering the morning prayers at the mosque. I quickly finished my meal and then went to the mosque for Fajr prayers.

These days are sacred, and according to Islamic tenets, they bring immense rewards for every good deed. Fasting throughout the day is one of the most important acts of worship during this blessed month, along with regular prayers, charity, and other religious activities. The obligatory morning prayers concluded around 6:30 AM, after which I returned home and went back to bed for some more rest.

Since it was Monday, I had to attend office. I woke up again around 9 AM, refreshed myself, got ready, and left for work. As I am deputed for special duty at the district headquarters, I need to reach there on time. I took a shortcut route that takes only about 20 minutes. I completed my office work during the day and returned home in the afternoon.

As part of our routine these days, I accompanied my friend to the nearest town for prayers at the grand mosque located beside the revered shrine of Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani. The shrine is one of the most popular spiritual sites in the Valley and across India, where people from different faiths come to seek blessings. The clouds hovering above the grand mosque were breathtakingly beautiful, and I stood outside for some time, admiring the view and reflecting on the sacredness of this month. It brought a deep sense of peace to my heart.

We also fed the pigeons gathered there in large flocks. Feeding birds is considered an act of charity, and it felt fulfilling to contribute in this small way. After offering the afternoon prayers in congregation with a large number of people who had come from different places, we returned home through the same shortcut route, which is about 6–7 kilometers long.

We reached home close to the time of breaking the fast. After Iftar, we had an early dinner, which has become our routine during Ramadan. Having dinner early helps ensure that we can comfortably have Sehri the next morning without feeling too full.

Later, I went to the market to buy some necessary items and also brought milk from my uncle’s home. After offering the special Ramadan prayers, Taraweeh, I returned home around 10 PM and went straight to bed so that I could wake up early again for the next day of fasting.