LOVE GOES BY MARRIAGE! ✔

Chapter 25: Ramadan Nights!

🌼 It is 2:00pm🕑 , and the hunger is starting to peak is it does every day🌅at this time⏳.

🌼 It is about the time⌚ I start counting down the hours⌛, minutes,🕠 and seconds🕛 until I will be on my way🚘 home🏠.

🌼 I am imagining♨ how sweet🍫 that lone date🍇 will taste👄 on my parched tongue👅, how the cool💦water will feel💫 as it rushes down my throat👄 and fills 💅 my empty stomach in an instant.

🌸 It is now 2:02pm🕑. Clearly these thoughts💭 are not helping to pass🎢 the time.

🌸 But eventually🌌 the clock 🕡 strikes 6:30pm and it is time⏳ to rush home🏠 to discover what delights🍝 my wife👸 has prepared for iftar.

🌸 Impatient🙆 and unable🏃 to wait the 15 minutes⌚ it takes to get home🏡, I call📱 from the car🚗 to find out what is on the stove💥 and to squeeze in my last minute request✔ for rice🍚 over roti🍪.

🌸 I get home🏡 to see my wife👸 busy cutting🔪 fruit🍉🍊 in the kitchen while stirring🍶 something in a large🍯 pot, pausing intermittently to glance 👀 over one of many scribbled📝🔏 recipes in a small spiral notepad📋.

🌸 In these moments😋, I envy my wife👸 for the spiritual🌌 rewards💰 she receives 📩 through this seemingly routine act of preparing a meal🍜.

🌸 By providing me the means🍣🍛 with which to break my fast, she obtains the rewards💰 for both of our fasts on a daily basis throughout the entire month.

🌸 In this manner, Allah has bestowed an immense honor👑 on any Muslim, male👕 or female👗, who spends the last hours⏳ of the fast, when the hunger😅 is most intense, standing over a hot stove💥, tantalizingly staring👀 at and inhaling an aromatic👃 blend of meat🍲, vegetables🍆, and spice🍝 while unable to indulge in even the slightest taste👅.

🌸 I peak my head🙆 in the kitchen🍴 to see if I can get a glimpse👀 at what awaits, only to have my wife👸 shoe me back towards 🙅 the living room😂, reminding me to make use of the blessed 💁time immediately prior to sunset for dua.

🌸 I would let most of these golden💎 opportunities go wasted⤵ if it were not for these not 💢 so subtle reminders🔄.

🌸 So instead of getting in her👸 way, I take my wife's advice💯 and spend the last few moments of the fast in silent prayer👐, hopeful Allah will hear👂 answer our prayers 💌 through the blessed act of fasting💤.

🌸 Finally, the time for iftar arrives🙌. My wife👸 places a colorful bowl 🍲 of lightly spiced fruit 🍉🍈🍇 in front of me👤, and we both dig 👇 in looking up👆 only to smile💑 at each other, not wanting🚯 to waste a precious moment 😊 that could be spent on chewing👄 another satisfying bite.

🌸 However, we hasten to finish this short culinary🍱 interlude so we can get to the main course🍔🍕🍟.

🌸 But first, we must lay out 📃 the prayer rug to say the dusk prayer🌃 together💑. I find this to be the prayer 👐 with the most impact in Ramadan.

🌸 I am standing🚶 before my Lord💞 and beside my wife👸 , having just indulged in a few morsels of food🍎 after a long day🌝 of hunger🔥and thirst💧, and I realize just how much there is to be thankful🙇🙏 for.

🌸 Unlike at other times during the year📆 where prayers👐 can end up being just a "going through the motions"🔄 type of exercise💪, this prayer offers 📝 an opportunity to give thanks🙏 for all the things📖 that we could so easily be deprived of, such as food 🍓 and companionship💑.