Dear Muslim Parent let me ease your worries this Ramadan! 🙂 Right now my Instagram feed is bursting with promotions about Ramadan market/Ramadan art, Ramadan special dates, Ramadan journals, Ramadan chores to do. Amidst all of that was expectations of what parents are supposed to do during Ramadan and I have seen too many parents comment and say they are feeling overwhelmed. I hope this eases your worries. 👪 Dear Parent, the one who is going to juggle children at home during #taraweeh and get the dishes, cooking and housework done at the same time your courage, your hardwork and your dedication is exemplar. ✊ Your Jihad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who saves entire year to buy arts and crafts for their children. The one who spends hours decorating the house to welcome Ramadan and celebrate Eid. Your creativity is seen by your children and your family. You through actions are teaching them that Ramadan is a month of Ibadah and celebration of Quran as the best gift from #allah. Thank you for teaching our future generations that ibadah can be fun. ✊ Your Jihad this #ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who has to work 8 hours a day at home. The one who can only give weekends and just an hour to their children and family because there are greater responsibilities and dreams to be achieved. The one who has no time to read Quran but listens to it during work breaks and offers only 10 rakat taraweeh. Thank you for teaching your children and family that ibadah of Allah doesn't have to br perfect and it is the effort that counts and to stand in Taraweeh instead of completely giving it up. You are teaching them, even with very less time we can be productive and proactive with our ibadah. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who is continuing with daily schedule of their children of online classes, art projects and home work with a little added ibadah, the one whose children are small and not eager like other kids to keep a complete fast, the one who still encourages their child to keep quarter fast or fast for 2 hours a day. The parent who is trying their best to inculcate piety and importance of fasting and Ramadan from an early age. Thank you for teaching your kids that Ramadan is about making ibadah a part of your life and not about ending all other activities. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who is making a serious effort to encourage their child to fast. The parent who keep checks on them. Who reiterate to them the importance and seriousness of fasting. You are doing an excellent job. Your child will come to love fasting and seeing your sincere efforts Allah will make it easy for your children to keep their fasts. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who cooks, meal plans and makes delicious lavish food and the one who doesn't cook and sticks to bare minimum. Thank you for teaching your kids that yummy delicious food can be enjoyed in Ramadan and for teaching that Ramadan is about abstinence. Different strokes for different folks. Both your lessons to your family are valid and important. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who cannot donate a lot or the one who cannot proactively take part in masajid charity activities. The one who is struggling to make ends meet. Please never forget that you are teaching your children, charity begins at home. That serving ones own family takes precedence over communal obligations. That dhikr can be charity, kindness towards loved ones can be charity. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who is blessed with money, time and resources. The one who donates a lot. Who is constantly supporting orphanages and fundraisers with their family and children. The one who donates the most in every event. You are setting an example of generosity and going that extra mile for Muslim Ummah in need for your children. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who just had a new born and is overwhelmed with taking care of a new life, the one who cannot stand for qiyaam and tahajjud like they used to. The one who have to rush their recitation of #quran. The one who aches for sweetness of eeman that they used to experience when they were single and could have more time for quality ibadah. You taking care of your new born is ibadah. You serving your family is ibadah. The mother breatfeeding her baby is ibadah, the father missing taraweeh to assist his wife with the baby at home is ibadah. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! 👪 Dear Parent, the one who recently lost a child. The one whose brokenness and sorrow only Allah truly knows. The one who is in need of utmost mercy, healing and hope. Your tears, your heartache, your struggle of faith during this Ramadan is not lost. Allah is a witness to your ache. The fact that you are drained mentally and emotionally and are still fasting and doing ibadah. You are an example for us all. ✊ Your Jihaad this Ramadan is valid! Competition between families is not something any Muslim family should be aiming towards. Remember our focus is doing the best with the limited means that we have. Not everyone has the same amount of money, good physical health, good emotional and mental health, eeman and time. Every Muslim family is unique and precious. Please do not get overwhelmed and lost comparing yourself and your family during Ramadan with other families. No family is "doing more" than you. They are doing according to the resources they have and Allah blessed them with. Focus on quality and intentions this Ramadan. Don't get lost in social media projections of what a "perfect" Ramadan family should "look" like. No one's Ramadan is the same. Every household has different traditions and different ways of worshiping during Ramadan. 🤲Ya Allah I ask for you to keep my family and I safe. To bless us. To keep our love and ibadah strong this Ramadan. Allahumma ameen. If you have ever benefited from my updates please remember my family and I in your Ramadan duas 🙂 Love, Ismail. Ramadan Mubarak! You got this 💕