The diary game: . A Productive Ramadan Day: Prayers, Grafting, and Family Iftar

It was day 20 of Ramadan, and I had to get up very early in the morning at around 4:45 AM. Straight away after waking up, I purified myself to be ready for the morning prayers, which are offered only after having the pre-dawn meal called Sehari, an important part of fasting. Being accustomed to this new routine of life, having such an early meal no longer feels unusual. In fact, the body now seems to have adjusted to it, and I start feeling hungry at this time of the night.

After finishing the meal, I went to offer the morning prayers. As soon as the prayers were over, I returned home and went straight to bed to get some more rest. At around 9 AM, I woke up again, quickly got fresh, and then headed towards my office. Going to the office during these Ramadan days sometimes feels a bit difficult, but since we are paid for our work, we must remain obedient and punctual in performing our duties.

Later in the day, I returned home. In the meantime, I had offered the afternoon prayers at the office, where one room in the building has been designated as a makeshift mosque for this month. After reaching home, I had to spray horticultural mineral oil on the apple trees. For this task, I took my mother along with me so she could help with any minor work that might arise and make the task easier and quicker.

I finished spraying the mineral oil and then moved on to grafting some varieties of plum. For that, I went back home and entered the kitchen garden where I needed to plant those grafts. For me, this was something new, as it was the first time I was grafting. I had just learned the technique from a man who had been hired a few days earlier when we grafted some apple trees with a new high-yield variety.

This grafting work was quite enjoyable for me because, as I mentioned, it was a new and exciting experience. I am very curious about the successful growth of these grafts and hopeful that I will succeed, as it will help me acquire another useful skill for the future.

After spending some good time in the garden, it was almost time to break the fast in the evening. I had to arrange a few things, so I went to the market to buy some fruits and other eatables to serve the family at the time of Iftar. Eventually, the time for breaking the fast arrived, and we all sat together in the dining room. We broke our fast while making supplications and thanking Almighty Allah for everything He has blessed us with.

Soon after, it was time to offer the evening prayers. Upon returning, we had our dinner, and after resting for a while, we went to the nearby mosque for Tarawih prayers. Later at night, when we returned home, I headed to my room to read some history first and then went to bed early so that I could wake up again the next morning.