3 decades back, a first-time expectant mother in her last trimester arrived at the blessed month of Ramadan. Question to ask herself. Should I fast this Ramadan? Will I be able to? Hope it doesn't harm the baby?
I think about it now and realize what kind of thoughts would my mother have gone through at the time. After all thoughts, she went through with it and enjoyed the full blessings of Ramadan by fasting all through. Special prayers, getting close to the Quran and doing good deeds.
Doctors say that in the final trimester, the child has an established identity already and can listen and possibly even retain some of what he listens to. Imagine what kind of a lucky chap I was to be listening to The Holy Quran even before entering this world of challenges and tests.
Seeing my wife go through 2 child-births, I can realize what a challenge it would have been for my mother to not miss out on any of the blessings and potential opportunities of gaining the pleasure of Allah in Ramadan. With energy and vigor no different than anyone else, she obviously realized this was for the better for her and for me.
Closer to EID, still around 20 days to go in my expected arrival, she had to enjoy the fun of her first "Chand Raat" (night before EID after moon-sighting) as a wife and a to-be mother, where my father took her out to get choorian (bangles) which is an old tradition and she also put on Mehndi in preparation for the joyous occasion. Little did she know that she had made Allah so happy and me so restless that my flight schedule for entry into the world had been brought forward. Allah had decided that this family deserves an EID with an EID gift from the heavens.
I kicked and turned since I couldn't email or SMS in those days to let my mom know that I can't wait anymore. It's time. What followed as they say is history. The rush to the hospital, the tense moments and the anxiousness that every to-be parent deals with and the arrival. I can never get tired of listening to the story of how I came into this world.
Yes folks, UTP was born exactly on the EID day after Ramadan, 30 years back.
My grandpa, held me in his hands and suggested that I be named EID Mohammad. The chants of naming me EIDU went on within the family. Thank Allah, my parents didn't listen to that. I can rewind my whole life and replace my name from Umar to EID Muhammad in every little situation that I cherish so much and well it just doesn't feel right.
I am happy with how I was named after the 2nd Caliph (RA). They say the name has some kind of effect on the developing personality. I still cannot confirm if this is true as I am not even close to what my parents may have thought or expected but hopefully there is time, I so hope. I want to do a lot of revolutionary things going forward. May Allah help me and my family.
Ramadan Mubarak Readers and EID Mubarak. May Allah accept our prayers, our fasting and our deeds and help us improve our lives by applying what we learnt from The Holy Quran. Aameen.
Enjoy the day. We have earned it. Alhumdulillah.
