FOCUS
KUALA LUMPUR: The other day at work, a colleague happily informed me that we would all be treated to ‘bubur lambuk’ (a special porridge that is usually served during Ramadan) during the breaking of fast.
“I heard we are getting ‘nasi briyani’ tomorrow,” she added, smiling broadly.
These contributions of food are much welcomed during the fasting month. The female staff members, especially, are grateful as they have some food to break their fast with after returning home from work. It is not easy to grapple with the daily peak-hour traffic congestion to get home on time to prepare a meal for the breaking of fast, my colleague Sumaya told me.
“When I get stuck in a jam, I end up breaking fast in the car. Thank goodness for the food packets that are given to us in the office,” she said.
Traffic congestion is the norm in Kuala Lumpur. During Ramadan, the situation gets worse as Muslim employees in both the public and private sectors rush home to break fast with their families.
Meanwhile, practically every day since the start of the auspicious month, my Muslim colleagues and I have been treated to ‘buka puasa’ meals sponsored by private firms and our own bosses.
We have been getting different types of food – tomato rice, ‘bubur lambuk’, ‘bakso’, honey chicken ‘nasi briyani’ and ‘nasi Arab’. In fact, on some days, we received two or three types of “goodies”.
While some sponsors handed out food packages, others served lavish buffets to the staff working on the evening and night shifts.
Yes, one of the things that make Ramadan so joyful is the way fellow Muslims go about performing good deeds and offering alms to others in the form of meals for ‘iftar’ (the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan).
As said by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), “Whoever gives iftar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 807; Ibn Maajah, 1746.)
So, not surprisingly, many Muslims endeavour to treat their colleagues, family members, relatives and, of course, needy communities to iftar meals.
Orphans, single mothers and the poor look forward to Ramadan as this is the time when they get invited to iftar functions, some of which are held in hotels. They also get some cash and new clothes to wear for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
While most large organisations and companies have special allocations to carry out such programmes during the holy month, how do individuals with far less financial resources perform their charitable deeds.
To tell the truth, alms can be offered in ways that do not necessarily involve cash or even goods. Expending one’s energy to help others or sharing one’s ideas with others are also acts of charity.
My friend Nadia Baharom, 36, gives alms to the needy during Ramadan in her own, small way. Daily, she would set aside RM17 to RM27 to buy ‘kuih’ or bananas from the stalls near her office in Bangsar, which she would distribute to any surau or mosque on her way home in Pantai Dalam.
“For just RM25, for example, I can get about 50 pieces of ‘kuih koci’. My concept of giving alms is very simple. I give what I can afford.
“Maybe after this, I will donate serviettes. Each packet of those pink-coloured serviettes cost only RM2.50 and it can be used by 10 people after an iftar meal.
“Many don’t realise that even these serviettes can be given away as alms as they are useful when serving meals. People shouldn’t think that they can only offer alms when they have a lot of money,” said Nadia.
Meanwhile, an “Instafamous” cooking community has taken shape on Instagram and their members generously share their iftar recipes and ideas with netizens. See, this is also a form of almsgiving.
The interesting thing this about this community is that the members are all ordinary people and are not celebrities or chefs. They are driven by their passion for cooking and are only too willing to share their recipes with others. As a matter of fact, their cooking videos are eagerly anticipated by their Instagram followers.
Among the Instagram “chefs” who have become popular and have a huge following of fans are Khairul Amin Kamarulzaman, Yatie Kitchen (her real name is Nurhayati Zainol Abidin) and Syaf Kun.
The presence of this Instafamous cooking community has made it easier for housewives to cook up a storm and offer varied menus to their families.
“Many people have told me that I can make money out of the recipes I share (on my Instagram account). I, however, feel that by sharing my knowledge with others, I will receive my reward continuously, even after death,” Nurhayati told me when I interviewed her sometime back.
No matter how small your contribution is, remember it is better to give than to receive.
(The views expressed in this commentary are the writer’s own.)
