Ramadan Story

RAMADAN STORIES

I tell one story to the younger children and one to the older children

The Sweetest Sound A Ramadan Story for 1st/2nd Grade

This story comes from Persia, an area now known as the countries of Afghanistan and Iran. Please go to the source of this story and create your own version, then tell your story as a way of shedding light on this ancient culture.

Once there was a King of Persia who liked to ask riddles. He particularly liked to ask his four advisors riddles. Sometimes the King knew the answer. Other times he didnt. The King asked those riddles to hear what his advisors would say.

One day, just before the beginning of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, the King of Persia asked his four advisors, "What is the sweetest sound?"

The first advisor immediately said, "Oh, your Majesty, that is such a simple riddle. The sweetest sound is the sound of a flute."

The second advisor disagreed. "Yes, the sound of a flute is sweet. But the sweetest sound is the sound of a harp."

The third advisor shook his head and declared, "The flute and the harp do make sweet sounds. However, I have heard a violin. And that is, by far, the sweetest sound."

The King looked at his fourth advisor who merely smiled. The King nodded at him, saying, "Hmm, it looks as if my fourth advisor is not yet ready to give his answer. I will wait until he is ready."

Days passed. The month of Ramadan started. The King of Persia stopped asking riddles and spent more time in prayer, as is the custom during Ramadan.

You see, during the month of Ramadan, all Muslim adults refrained from eating and drinking between daybreak and sunset. This fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The fasting serves many purposes. First, the time and energy normally spent preparing food and eating can be spent contemplating and praying. Second, the fasting reminds people of the poor and how it feels to be hungry. Charity is another of the Five Pillars of Islam. Third, fasting helps teach people self-control. If they can avoid things which are good for them, think of how much easier it will be to avoid things which are bad for them.

After sunset each day, the fast is broken by a meal, called the Iftar. Often people invite friends over for the Iftar.

So it was not unusual when the fourth advisor invited the King and the other three advisors over for the Iftar one evening. When the King and the three other advisors arrived, they were quite surprised. The fourth advisor ushered them into the dining room, but there were no platters of food on the table, just empty plates and silverware. Nor could they smell any cooking smells from the kitchen. They looked at each other questioningly.

Just then, a man came in playing the flute. It was a sweet sound. He was followed by a man playing the harp, then by another playing the violin. Finally, the three musicians played together, beautiful, intricate music, which was also somewhat loud. That was just as well, because all their stomachs were growling.

Finally, one of the lesser kitchen servants came in, carrying a simple pot and a ladle. As the ladle, brimming with stew, hit the first plate, the King smiled broadly and said, "Yes, yes, my fourth advisor. You are right. The sweetest sound is the sound of silverware hitting a plate when you are hungry. As the proverb says, the most delicious meal is the meal that you eat when you are hungry."

The Tired Musaharati Mother-Child Story

Original Ramadan Story by Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND

During Ramadan, as you might know, all Muslim people wake up before the sun comes up and eat a small meal called the Suhur, after that they pray and sleep and then they do not eat or drink until sunset. At this time they eat breakfast, or as it is called in Arabic, iftar.

Well, once upon a time there was a village of people that always fell asleep after their iftar.

(For younger kids dont iunclude the long detailed food list that they add to. Do this simple one instead only once: They would eat dates, then eat soup and rice with walnuts and almonds and golden raisins, then they would eat broasted chicken dripping in buttery sauce and vegetable in cream sauce and salads and puddings and cakes and candies. Then they would all fall asleep in their chairs and fall over THUD!)

They would eat dates then (have first child name a food) and then they would fall asleep in their chairs and fall over THUD!

They would sleep and sleep and sleep and the only thing that would wake them would be the morning sun. Then they would all yawn and say Oh no! We have missed the suhur, now what will we do? We will be so hungry all day!

So they would go about their business, teaching children, and building houses and sewing and cooking and other things and then when sunset came they would be so hungry and thirsty and the same thing would happen!

They would eat dates, (first child), (second child name a food)

Then they would all sit at the table and eat dates and (first child), (second child), (third child), etc(go on until each child has named a food and the list is quite long and hard to remember)

Finally they decided that this was ridiculous! Every day they were eating and falling asleep. We need someone to wake us up , they said.

Well, just next door was a village that never slept! They would eat their iftar and then they would drink some coffee and tea and they would not be able to sleep at all. They would stay awake all night counting sheep and drinking chamomile tea and trying to do anything to make them fall asleep! But nothing they did worked at all!

They would not have to wake up for Suhur because they were already awake and when the sunlight came they would say, Oh no! What will we do! We will be too tired to work today!

Well anyway, the people from the village of sleep came one day to the village of no-sleep and they asked if one of the people from the village of no-sleep would be kind enough to come over and wake them all up for suhur each day of Ramadan.

Well, the people in the village of no-sleep said fine, we have nothing to do all night anyway for we cannot sleep. So they agreed to help them.

The next day the Villagers in the village of no-sleep ate their Iftar of (say all the foods in order) and then sure enough they went THUD! Off the chairs they fell, sound asleep on the ground!

But this day was different for on this day they soon heard a knock on the door and a muffled voice yelling wake up! Wake up! But the voice was so faint they just continued sleeping.

But the poor man from the village of no-sleep was so tired from trying to wake everyone up that he went to sleep immediately upon returning to his village. Well! You can imagine the joy of the villagers in the town of no-sleep! They were so happy that their village mate had been able to sleep that night they all fought over the job of who would go to the town of sleep the next day and wake everyone up. In the end they made a schedule and everyone got their turn to go. But the villagers in the town of sleep were not happy because they had still slept through the morning.

So the next man from the village of no sleep tried his hand at the job. The next day he came to the doors and knocked AND rang the doorbell and then he yelled Wake up. Well, just like the day before he came home exaughsted, but still the people in the village of sleep slept!

So the third day another man tried. He came to the doors and knocked AND rang the doorbell AND Whistled then he yelled Wake up! Well, just like the day before he came home exaughsted, but still the people in the village of sleep slept!

So the fourth day another man tried. He came to the doors and knocked AND rang the doorbell AND whistled AND clanged a pot and yelled wake up but the villagers still slept. Well, just like the day before he came home exaughsted, but still the people in the village of sleep slept!

The fifth day a small boy of about 9 years old, said let me try, I think I can wake them up. The villagers all laughed at him but they knew they would soon be fired from this wonderful job that helped them sleep so they decided to give it a try. So the boy went to the village of sleep with his drum and he drummed loudly in the streets yelling Wake up! Wake up! and walking back and forth and back and forth.

Soon, all the people in the village of sleep were opening their windows and shouting hey! What is all that noise? We are trying to sleep! Then they realized what was happening and they laughed and smiled and were so happy!

From that day on the people of the village of no-sleep were famous across the land and to this day they travel all over Cairo and Malaysia and Indonesia and other countries with their drums waking people up for the morning Suhur.

But you know what their problem is now? They are so famous and busy now that they still do not sleep anymore because they are too busy waking other people up!