Last night I made it out to my first tarawih prayers of 2023, which is always a sort of small miracle for me. We (along with a group of families), host iftar at our masjid one night of Ramadan, and last night was our night. So, I got my son’s caregiver on board (he’s autistic and needs caregiving support) to come for the evening, and the rest of us headed to the masjid.

Most of my Ramadan nights are spent at home with my son. I don’t see the point of hiring a nightly caregiver to be with him just so I can go to tarawih (especially when I can pray it at home), and I know that the care and support I give him and the rest of my family is also part of of my ibadah (worship) for the sake of Allah (S).

For those of us pulled in many directions this holy month – between our responsibilities towards our children, elders, family, work, volunteer work and otherwise – what we do each Ramadan is another step in our growing relationship with Allah (S) and our surrounding communities. I spent so many Ramadans in strife and turmoil through challenging years for my son, which subsequently brought me to a place of beseeching, constant questioning and difficulties trusting in Allah’s (S) process.

And then it all kind of settled. My heart settled (it’s not at peace, but it’s definitely more peaceful), life settled, my husband and my push-pull tensions as we tried to navigate Ramadan settled. And, it’s not that things got easier; it’s that we – through years of striving, struggles and hard work – became more trusting and content in Allah’s (S) will and plan for our son and our family.

Well, that’s how I feel this year, Alhamdullilah. I find this to be a Ramadan of letting go of expectations and welcoming of whatever is, whatever paths we are on to grow closer to Allah (S) and enjoin good for His sake. These are the perpetuating themes we are all experiencing here at HH and as a team, topics we are exploring with you through our blog posts and our annual Ramadan Haute Hijab halaqas.

Were you able to watch/listen to Melanie’s halaqa with Ustadha Dunia Shuaib (“Making the Most of Ramadan, No Matter What Your State”) and the one with Sr. Asmaa Hussein (“Trusting Allah (S) When All Doors Seem to be Closing & the Weight Feels Unbearable”). The latter especially hit me in my feels, as this has been a nearly two-decades and counting struggle for me. There are two more to come, featuring The Village Auntie, Angelica Ali, and Sr. Hazel Gomez.

These halaqas are a balm for our souls and such beautiful motivation to continue to strengthen our relationship with Allah (S). We hope you benefit from them!

On The Haute Take this month, we’re continuing our Ramadan coverage with the second and third part of our series focused on charity work and our partnership with IRUSA to support continuing earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria. Often after a natural disaster occurs, attention and donations wane as the weeks pass. But that’s when relief efforts move past immediate response to mid- and long-term projects that focus on the work of rebuilding lives through sustainable measures. This is when support is needed more than ever. We will be sharing how these efforts are unfolding as well as some behind-the-scenes stories of what it takes for a charity organization like IRUSA to do this work on a long-term basis.

And, in continuing efforts to bring you stories about how we can perform various parts of our faith at home (as it can be difficult to get to the masjid at times), we’ll be bringing you stories about how to do qiyam and qiyam-ul-layl at home and how to make du’a. So many of us get muddled up in our thoughts sometimes and feel like we don’t properly know how to make du’a or how to make heartfelt du’as that reach Allah (S).

Also, don’t forget to visit our Ramadan Vault (password: samosa), to shop beautiful, limited-edition hijabs, including ones that had previously sold out. You’ll never know what you’ll find in the Ramadan Vault! Check out our Ramadan flash deals as well!

We pray, as we enter the second ten days of Ramadan, that your fasting and ibadah are going smoothly, that you are able to let go of whatever it is you can let go of to focus more on your connection with Allah (S) and streamline your life in ways that can be continued beyond this fasting month.

As always, keep us in your du’as. You are in ours. And start anything you do with Bismillah.

Editorially yours,

Dilshad