 So my name is Nadeh Hassan, and I am the author of Ramadan Around the World, and a few other books. There is that book, which is The Most Powerful Night, and there's a book up there, which is Cities, All of Trees, and right there is Ramadan Around the World in Arabic. So Alhamdulillah, I'm an author of a few books, all available in the US and many other countries, over 25 countries around the world, alhamdulillah. So if you have this book at home, go ahead and grab it, so that way you can follow along as I do the story time. If you don't have it, that's completely fine. I will be showing the pages as I read them. And then it's also available in a lot of public libraries around the US. So if your library doesn't already have it, you can ask them, you can say, I love Ramadan Around the World. Can you please have this book in your library or any other Ramadan book? You can actually go up to a librarian and ask them to bring the book to the library. So if you're able to donate a copy that's great if not the library can buy their own copies and have it there for you. So don't be discouraged from approaching a librarian and letting them know if there's a book that you want that's not on the shelves. Okay, let's go ahead and begin. Ramadan is in a few days. So Alhamdulillah, this book is perfect at this time. So we will begin. I will be flipping through the pages and showing you various parts of the book as I go through. And let's go ahead and begin. In the name of Allah, Ramadan Around the World. Written by Neda Hassan and illustrated by Azra Mu'min. There's also a third course and his very importance for this book and that is the editor. So the editor is, her name is Minha. And it was really important because as a Muslim writer, I wanted to make sure that anything that we produce, anything that has a Muslim name on it for it to be done in the best way possible with excellence and Ahsan. That way is a great opportunity for Dawa. So Ramadan Around the World written by Neda Hassan. We have two very important ayahs here and one of them talks about the diversity of our ummah, how Allah created us all to look different. We come in different shapes and sizes and it's what makes our ummah absolutely beautiful is our differences. My favorite time of year is upon us. Welcome, welcome O month of mercy. Ramadan is here. Once a year Muslims around the world gather to celebrate Ramadan, near and far across oceans and atop mountains, Muslims celebrate by fasting from dawn to sunset, performing good deeds and being kind to one another. Ramadan teaches people to be thankful for the blessings they have. I visit Muslims across the world and join their celebrations. Come along with me. So the Ramadan moon is hopping from one country to another to visit Muslim children celebrating Ramadan and see how they celebrate Ramadan. I was gonna sneeze there. Oh look, in Dallas, Texas, Ali and Asya are making Sadaqajars. Each day in Ramadan, their mom gives them some money to drop inside the Sadaqajar. At the end of Ramadan, they will give all they have collected to those in need. They help their grandparents hang Ramadan lights outside the house and greet their neighbors with yummy crescent shaped sugar cookies covered with green star sprinkles. Oh, there's so much more to see. Come along with me. Do you guys hang decorations for Ramadan too? Yeah. Okay, next stop, the moon is going to Chayapas, Mexico. In Chayapas, Mexico, Jose and Maria help their mother make tortillas. They use a special recipe that has been passed down from their Mayan ancestors. Jose loves the soft texture of the dough called masa. He has autism and making tortillas is one of his favorite things to do. Maria presses the dough under the tortilla door to flatten it out. Maria and Jose love the smell of fresh homemade tortillas. Delicioso. Do you know anyone who speaks Spanish who's also Muslim or from Mexico? In Sao Paulo, Brazil, it is almost time for Iftar. Ibrahim is finishing up his street soccer game before he heads home to break his fast. Playing soccer during Ramadan makes Ibrahim thirsty, but he is focused on his game and does not let his team down. Before breaking his fast, he recites a short dua or prayer. Then he drinks water a few sips at a time. Water has never tasted so good. Ibrahim is thankful for every sip he drinks. Oh, there's so much more to see. Come along with me. Did you know that there are Muslims in Brazil? There are Muslims all over the world celebrating Ramadan at the exact same time of the year. Wow, I see beautiful designs. There's henna. We're going to Tuba, Senegal. In Tuba, Senegal, Bintu is getting her hands and feet painted with beautiful henna designs. She wears a colorful bobo, which is a wide sleeve traditional robe. Later, Bintu and her family head to the mosque together. Bintu loves going there to listen to the serene recitations of the Quran, the Muslim holy book. So all of these facts mentioned in the book are very true to each country. A lot of research went into this book to make sure that all the information that was in the book was very accurate for each country. Doom, doom, doom. Do you hear that? Where are we going next? We're going to Morocco, where Amira and Malik are waking up for Suhoor, the early morning meal. Every Ramadan, the Saharati walks through the streets. He plays a drum and sings rhyming tales to wake people up to eat before they begin their fast. Amira and Malik love waking up to the sound of the Saharati's drum. Oh, there's so much more to see. Come along with me. I actually saw them Saharati once. I was visiting Egypt and my aunt woke me up in the middle of the night before Suhoor and she said, come out, come out. The Saharati is walking through the street. He had a little drum that he was carrying on his shoulder and he would boom, boom, boom on the drum as he sang some rhyming tales to wake people up for Suhoor. It was incredible. There's some Saharati. It's crowded at Bilal's house in Glasgow, Scotland. He and his family gather around the table, the radio to hear news of the moonsighting that signals the start of Ramadan. Bilal is hearing impaired. His mom signs to him, Alhamdulillah. So Bilal can't hear very well. So his mom uses sign language to sign to him, Alhamdulillah. Thanks be to God, Ramadan is here. Bilal loves Ramadan. He spends the day giving out toys to children at the orphanage. So Muslims in Scotland actually gather around the radio to find out when Ramadan begins. And Ankar of Turkey, Zaynab and Adam are getting ready to go watch Karagos, a shadow puppet play in the street. Children gather to hear the stories and see the puppets. Has anyone seen the Karagos show before? Maybe you've visited Turkey or any other country that does Karagos. It's a very cool show. Neighbors also give them sweet treats, but Zaynab has diabetes and cannot eat all the sweets she gets. She picks one and sets the rest aside to enjoy over the next few days. Oh, there's so much more to see. Come along with me. And there's Zaynab and their bags. So they will go from home to home getting treats. Hurrah Ramadan. Next stop, we are going to Cairo, Egypt. Look at the streets in Cairo, Egypt. So they have these lanterns, paper lanterns and they decorate all the streets. This is a real street in Egypt. We had a picture and we used the picture to come up with the drawing and the illustrations. Here are my friends, Lana and Yusuf in Cairo, Egypt. During Ramadan, they joined their family and friends in decorating the streets with colorful foanies. Beautiful paper lanterns to mark the beginning of Ramadan. At Iftar time, Lana and Yusuf gathered with their family at the table to break their fast. So they would actually have a huge celebration the day they lit up all the lights and people would stand in their balconies and watch as all the foanies would light up the street. It was so beautiful. Next stop, we've got a few more stops. I think a total of about three more stops that the moon will be making. And this one is in Jerusalem, Palestine with Hamza and Ayan. Hamza and Ayan hold hands with their grandmother as they cross the street to buy knafa from the local bakery. They can't wait to share the sweet treat with their family. Each year, Hamza and Ayan look forward to the first day of Ramadan. They joined their neighbors to pray at Masjid al-Aqsa. The mosque is filled with laughter and joy as families offer well wishes for the arrival of Ramadan. Oh, there's so much more to see. Come along with me. Will someone be having knafa for Ramadan, for dessert? Not far from the Prophet's mosque in Medina, peace and blessings be upon him, Nurah and Omar smile and hold hands with their grandfather as they walk through the date souq. So the date souq is this huge souq market in Medina and there are dates, all different kinds of dates and it's absolutely incredible to go through. So Nurah and Omar are going through the state souq with their grandfather. White table calls have been placed in neat rows for people to sit down and break their fast together. Nurah and Omar join this communal table, drink some milk and enjoy sharing their dates with those around them before heading inside with their grandfather for the sunset prayer. Zoom, zoom, zoom. Do you hear that? Oh, there's no do you hear that in this thread. In Peshawar, Pakistan, Faisal stands on the balcony and watches his people in the street hurry home to break their fast. Shops close their doors to prepare for iftar. Faisal enjoys these few moments of the cool mountain breeze on his face before he heads inside for his favorite drink, Ruwafza or pink milk, made of a sweet red fruit syrup mixed with milk or water. Does anyone enjoy Ruwafza here? It is delicious. We've got two more stops to go. This one is going to be in Malaysia. In Penang, Malaysia, Amin is helping his mother prepare a creamy rice porridge called bubar lambuk to share at the local mosque. Everyone at the mosque thanks Amin and his mother for the hearty meal. Ramadan is a time of giving. Oh, there's so much more to see. Come along with me. Do you see some of the foods they have on the table in Malaysia and the decorations and their traditional clothing? Our umma, the diversity in our umma is absolutely beautiful, subhanallah. And Sydney, Australia, Gabriela looks forward to the annual Ramadan food festival. Now, if you've ever been to Australia during Ramadan, you cannot miss the food festival. It goes on all night after iftar, all the way up through Tarawih until Sahur. Food stalls line the sides of the street. They have some of the most delicious treats and sweets from every corner of the world. The festival is packed with men, women and children who greet each other with selam and exchange hugs and warm wishes. The festival is just minutes away from the mosque where Gabriela enjoys going for Tarawih, the nightly prayers in Ramadan. She grabs a small bite to eat before heading to the mosque to recite prayers with her dad. Do you see the food stalls lining up the street? And even if you go on Google and you Google food festival, Ramadan food festival in Australia, you'll get to see all the pictures and all the videos from that event. As Ramadan comes to an end, we welcome Aid al-Fitr, a celebration enjoyed by Muslims everywhere. After a month of fasting, practicing patience and thanksgiving, it is lovely to share our favorite foods and exchange gifts with family, friends and neighbors. So you see my friends, Ramadan is celebrated by Muslims all around the world, no matter where you are or how you celebrate, it is surely the most wonderful time of the year. See you next year, Ramadan. And that brings our book to an end. Alhamdulillah. Did you guys enjoy that? Is it extra special hearing it directly from the author? That's awesome. So I want to talk to you guys about writing and the importance of Muslims' writing and storytelling. And why it's important for us to tell our stories. It's because as we grow, as the generations grow, it's important that we pass on our stories. So the stories of our grandparents and the stories of our ancestors and the stories of Islam, because one of the most important tools of communication is actually the pen. It's writing and for children, you can get straight to the hearts of children through writing books. So I encourage you all that if you have an idea about writing, if you are a poet and you like to jot down some poetry, I really encourage you to pursue writing. And my information is on the website and on Instagram. If any of the parents would like to get in touch with me about the kids writing their own stories, please do. I would love to encourage as many children as possible to brave this journey of writing. Now, as far as the book, how did a book came about? Because everyone likes to ask, how did you come up with the idea of Ramadan around the world? I was actually never, I never thought that I would be a writer. This was never in my plans, subhanAllah, but Allah had a different plan for me. And I had my daughter one day ask me and she said, mama, when she was younger, she said, mama, do Muslims in Russia celebrate Ramadan? And I thought that was a really interesting question because I thought to myself, well, of course Muslims all around the world celebrate Ramadan. But I understood that as an idea for children, a lot of children might not understand this concept or would want to know more about how other Muslim children celebrate Ramadan around the world. And that's how Ramadan around the world came about. So I hope that you guys have enjoyed this story time. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, any details about the book, or about writing in general. Thank you guys so much for having me. Thank you so much. Bless you all for joining us. Thank you, Sister Neda, for the beautiful reading and the beautiful insights. And we hope to have many more writers in the community. Just thank you. InshaAllah. Ameen. Ameen. You all so much in Ramadan. Mubarak to you all. Assalamu alaikum.