 Thank you so much for joining us for MCC's new Muslim Ramadan stories series. Today, Alhamdulillah, we have Sister Amina with us and we're really happy that you're here with us. Thank you. Assalamu alaikum. Thank you for being willing to share your story with us. We really appreciate it. Let's start off with you telling a little bit about yourself, inshallah. Okay. My name is Amina. I'm born and raised. I was born and raised in the Bay Area right here, born, raised and still live here. I grew up in the Christian family, a Christian background. And actually, we grew up where my grandfather was the pastor of our city for the most part in our little neighborhood. So we were not your average Christians that you'll see. Normally, they go to church on Sundays. Normally, they go to church on Easter Sunday or Christmas Sunday. But we actually was going to church every weekend and we was actually in the choir. We went to Sunday school, prayer service on Wednesdays. So we were actually really involved into Christianity. So we didn't hear anything about Islam growing up. We didn't hear much about it. So it wasn't until I met my husband, who was Muslim. And he was the first Muslim that I actually met that I knew or it was introduced to Islam. So we were married six years before I even converted. Oh, so long. Yeah. So he was, but I remember him asking me a few questions, but it never really, he wasn't pressuring me or anything like that. He just asked me a couple of questions. And it's, you know, it kind of sat with me for a while. So I thought about it and then I started to investigate a little the questions. And one of the questions he asked was like, who was Jesus praying to? Now we all know in the Christian world that, excuse me, I'm a little nervous. I'm glad you're doing it. We all know that in Christianity that Jesus was the Son of God. That's how we kind of, you know, looked at him also. But we'd never been asked questions about, you know, who Jesus really was and what was he doing. So when he asked me that question, it kind of stuck with me like, he was praying to God. But the way he asked me was like it was something more there. So that's when I started to investigate and to look into Jesus and who he was and what Christianity said who he was. And then I started to look into Islam and what they had to say about Jesus. So then when I studied and I studied and I just couldn't get over, I was just reading and reading and reading. And it's upon a law, I accepted Islam, just with the questions that they, just with the answers that they have for my questions. Christianity didn't actually answer it for me. So upon a law, I took my shahada in November, 2013 became a Muslim, alhamdulillah. And of course my husband was surprised because I didn't want him to, when I was investigating I would kind of hit it from a little bit. So I just wanted to research it on my own so I wouldn't have, you know, no influence and nothing. So as I was researching and researching, then one day I came home and said, I think I'm ready to take my shahada. Masha'Allah. And he was like, really? So he was surprised. And I was like, yes, I'm ready to take my shahada. He was like, upon a law, upon a law. So he called his friend and they gave me my shahada. And the first place that I came, even before I accepted Islam, the first place I came was MCC because I wanted to get the experience and to ask questions. And I came here. And then one of the brothers referred me to Talif Collective for the reverts. And alhamdulillah, it's been on ever since. Alhamdulillah. Masha'Allah. Yes. So alhamdulillah, it sounds like you've had, Masha'Allah, a lot of Ramadan's on your belt so far. Do you remember how you felt going into your first Ramadan? Do you, what do you remember most from that first Ramadan? My first Ramadan, it was, it was pretty quiet. I just, my thing was, am I doing it right? What are we supposed to do? It was, since I'm the only Muslim in my family, like my family is the only Muslim, everyone else is still a Christian. We were kind of secluded a little, but it was quiet. I did a lot of reading, of course, because I'm so intrigued by Islam and I couldn't wait. I was super excited about Ramadan. I thought it was the big deal, but it was pretty quiet. And so we stayed for the most part at home and we did our iftars at home. And every now and then again, we'll go to the Masha'Allah and have iftar, big, big iftars, alhamdulillah. But the spirit, the atmosphere of Ramadan is, I can't explain it. I cannot explain the spirituality in it and just the blessing. Of course, I didn't know that until later on. The many, many blessings about the Shaitan being locked up, like subhanAllah. You know, so my first experience, my thing was, if I could do it right, am I doing it right? And then as I went on, I learned that it's much more than just giving up food and water. You know, it's more about what you see, what you're listening to, what you're saying, your attitude. So I've grown and Ramadan is just a beautiful, beautiful time for us Muslims. SubhanAllah, alhamdulillah. Well, what would you say has been the biggest struggle that you've faced during Ramadan? Struggle or struggles? Well, I guess trying to show my kids about Ramadan and why we do it. Because my eldest son, he is 23 now, but at 13, I think he was 13 when I took Masha'Allah, I believe. And he was fasting with us, but even the school, you know, he was fasting. So I was just telling him, trying to explain to him the benefits of fasting. And so I think it was a little bit of a struggle trying to get my children to understand, you know, what fasting is. And but for the most part, they outdid me. So my son was like, it's not that bad, you know, as far as giving up the food and water. And I hope I'm hungry if he is doing it well. Did you do anything special to get them on board or to kind of make them feel comfortable or explain? No, nothing special. I just kind of told him, my son, my oldest son, that this is what this is what we're doing. We don't eat, eat or drink during this while the sun is up or down, while the sun is up. And then when the sun is down, we can go ahead and eat. But the good thing is that we have more of a family time doing Ramadan because we cook together and they all is helping out, you know, in the kitchen. So that's one of the beautiful things about Ramadan that I believe is that family time in the kitchen. Masha'Allah, Masha'Allah, Alhamdulillah. Do you have a Ramadan moment, like a particular Ramadan moment or memory that's really special to you? I have a little bit of a funny one, but nothing super, super sentimental that I know of. But I remember it was around my first or second time fast and first, second Ramadan. And my brother, he called and was like, hey, since we all going to breakfast, do you want to come? And I'm like, it's Ramadan, so we can't eat. He was like, OK, we can just have coffee. And I was like, we can't eat our dream. And his voice changed. He was like, not even water, sis. And I was like, no, we can't drink water. And so I laughed. I laughed at that. I was just like, wow, he really felt it when I said we can't even have water. So now fast forward to today, I see that that's like a big meme now, not even water. I don't think I've seen that before. But there's a meme out there says not even water. And it's like a non-Muslim proverb for Ramadan. So when I see it, I always laugh at that. So how has it been with your family, your non-Muslim family? It sounds like they've been pretty understanding and during Ramadan, I guess they didn't push you. No, no, no. So because in the Christian world out here, most people are not actually where I could just speak for my family. They're not actually super religious. So when I said that I'm becoming a Muslim and I started doing it, it was like, OK. It wasn't like a pushback. Alhamdulillah. So they were very respectful of me becoming a Muslim. They're very respectful. And they actually like how I've become or who I've become. The change that I've taken, however they respect it, but however they don't know much about it. So that's what I'm trying to do this year, inshallah, is to try to educate them. But I just asked my cousin yesterday, I said, do you know anything about Islam? Like, what do you know? And he looked, he was like, I said, well, you have a cousin. That's a Muslim. And we are super close. You don't know anything. And upon the law, he didn't know anything. So I think that that's going to be my goal this year is just to educate them on it. You know, they choose what they want. But so that's where I'm at. Alhamdulillah. Trying to give da'wah to my family. Insha'Allah. Insha'Allah. I mean, a look guide, guide them and us all. I mean, OK. Amazing. So as a convert, we don't, we come into Islam. We come into Ramadan without our own Ramadan traditions that we've grown up with some people have certain foods that they grew up eating during Ramadan or whatever, family traditions or traditions. And so as converts, we don't have any. And we get to start our own. Alhamdulillah. Have you been able to start any Ramadan traditions for yourself? I have not actually. I try to stick strictly to I didn't know that I can actually bring it in. I never it never really occurred to me that I can actually bring in, you know, my own traditions a little bit into Ramadan. So this year I am going to decorate for the first time. Insha'Allah. Insha'Allah. I'm going to try to decorate and make it more of a festival because for the kids, it's no big deal. My daughter is five. My middle son is 15 and then my oldest son is 23. So for Ramadan, it's like, OK, we've got this fast again. But I want to try to bring in that joy, you know, that joyness that we have and that most kids who grew up in Islam, they have those memories. So I want to try to bring that in this year. Insha'Allah. Insha'Allah. OK. And Amina, you haven't you haven't touched on this yet, but you're a teacher and you're also Mashallah, a fitness enthusiast. So how has that aspect of your life affected how you you approach Ramadan? OK, for the fitness part, for me, I find it much easier not to work out for the most part doing Ramadan because of getting up so early for one and preparing the food. And it's a lot. It's really Ramadan goes by pretty fast. I don't know. But for my family, it goes by pretty fast. So far as the fitness aspect of it, I take my time and I kind of let back on that and try to get more in tune with reading, listening to lectures and and just trying to follow the Ramadan follow Ramadan and Islamic aspect of it wholeheartedly. But if someone did want to try to or to continue to work out, you have options to work out before we start fasting. So before you start the fast start, you can try to work out within 30 minutes before you break your fast, which for me, it doesn't work because I'm cooking for the most part. And then after we break our fast, right, that's when everyone lets loose in your food. So for me, it doesn't really work out. But there are ways that you can still stay healthy and have healthier options doing Ramadan is not the window to just give up on everything and eat all because, you know, it's really hard. When you have all the treats and the desserts and all of this food. So a lot of times we kind of go backwards a little bit doing Ramadan. Some people pick up weight, but there are options out there for my fitness time. I just stay off. I actually get off social media for a while for 30 days. And I just try to really capture that moment of Ramadan. Yes. And then as a teacher, I'm a first grade teacher at Islamic School. So I'm going to this year. Actually, this is my first year teaching at the school. I will be doing Ramadan activities with the kids all throughout the month, inshallah, and making up crafts. And I'm going to have them decorate their homes, inshallah. So this is going to be a fun month, a fun year for us, inshallah, inshallah, inshallah. OK, so this will, inshallah, be our second Ramadan during the pandemic. And can you tell us about how, you know, how you felt and how last Ramadan was? I mean, subhanallah, we have if we had to, you know, kind of basically isolate ourselves during Ramadan. So that was tough for a lot of people. How was your experience? Well, my experience, it didn't really affect me too much. But what we did, my daughter and I decided to build us a mini-mashed in the home, inshallah. And it was that right there was actually one of my best Ramadan's just to have that little space for us where we can go in. We had Juma, of course, on the computer because it was COVID. We had our little decoration. She had her little books and I had mine. We had the little lights up there. So I tried to make it, you know, as fun and try to stay in tune and interactive as possible. So this year, we're looking forward to having our little tent again, our little mini-mashed in the home again. So we've made in the most of it, inshallah, inshallah. I mean, it's the best we can do. Yes. Yes. OK. So my last question for you, Amina, what would 2021 Amina tell or offer? What kind of advice would 2021 Amina offer the Amina, brand new Amina who was about brand new Conrad Amina, who was about to embark on her first Ramadan? What advice would you give her? I would, my advice to myself would have been take it easy, take it easy, relax, because I was trying to make sure everything was OK. Am I doing it right? I'm not this. I would just say try to be more in tune spiritually. And for me, the best thing was to to put myself in my little bubble, because like I said, I'm learning throughout the years of being a Muslim is more than just giving up food and water. It's what you watch and is what you see. And so this the close end you are, the better off you are of having, inshallah, a successful Ramadan. So that would be my attention. And that would be my advice. I'm sorry. And for any new Muslim, you know, to just do your best. I have one thing that I've heard that have helped is I say, when you get when you do get that hunger feeling, that little pain, pick up the Quran and read a passage. I shall. And my show of that hunger will go away. It would just disappear. And for me, it have worked. It has worked. So that would be my advice, you know, just take it easy and do what you can and try to seclude yourself away from the outside world because it can distract you. And if you do, I will also say, Sahur is a blessing to have to because it is a blessing in it, but it keeps you it gets you started for the rest of your day. So I believe that Sahur trying to stay with a good group of people. Actually, if you have some family and friends that are fasting with you, I'm Humdulillah, it's a blessing. It is such a blessing to have that support, but just take it easy and do what you can. Masha Allah, it would help. Masha Allah, insha Allah. Just off the head, this was a beautiful you know, experience to learn more about your experiences. Masha Allah, thank you so much. Absolutely. And thank you to everyone who's been watching this video and we pray that everyone has a blessed Ramadan. As-salamu alaykum.