BY MUMTAZ MOOSA SALEY

29:04:2021

Ramadan is when womenfolk spend extra time in the kitchen, sometimes from early morning until late at night. With kitchen work comes dishes. For some odd reason, Ramadan is also the time when many ladies tend to pack cupboards.

Each year, I think of one of my teachers who would remind us to tell our mothers to ease up on the cooking and the dishes. She reminded us that we should spend the last few days of Ramadan to reflect and help ease the burden of the helpers in our homes.

I never understood this advice until today when I decided to cook and planned my meal to use the least amount of dishes possible. While doing this, my teacher’s words echoed in my mind.

It’s time we take a step back and realise that helpers are humans and not some super robots. There will be days that the helper is not wiping correctly, or maybe she burnt an item. It is those days we need to check our Akhlaq and how we react.

During this time, it’s also a great reminder that life happens, so if your new scarf got burnt, accept that it was meant to be and let it go. As humans, we would not like our boss or mother-in-law to shout and scream at us every time we make a mistake or if we were slower today due to backache. We need to extend the same thinking to our helpers at home.

So ladies, let’s protect the last days of this blessed month by spending less time cooking up a feast and more time seeking the pleasure of our Creator. It is a win-win for all.