The Quiet Joys of Suhoor: A Time for Reflection and Connection

*beep beep – alarm ringing*

I wake up not knowing where I am but hit the snooze button. It was a late night. My eyes glance at the time on my phone and a sudden wave of panic washes over me, its Ramadan and suhoor ends in just 10 minutes.

I leap out of bed, tossing my comforter aside, and sprint toward the washroom hoping I don’t trip over the multiple items on my bedroom floor. Its Ramadan and somehow there’s just never enough time to do everything so cleaning my room has not made it to a priority just yet.

I make it to the washroom in one peace. I hastily squeeze toothpaste onto my toothbrush, the cool mint jolts me awake.

I run out of my room to go downstairs. I spot my cat, Tiger, waiting for his breakfast. His breakfast schedule has also been modified for the month of Ramadan. “Not yet Tiger, but promise I will feed you soon.”

Downstairs, I see my parents wrapping up their suhoor and I know this because my mom grabs two cups of tea. Caffeine is a must for them in the morning.

“You woke up late today” she remarks.

I glance over the breakfast table, scanning for leftovers I can grab in a hurry. A roti and some curry will have to do. I make a mental note: Tomorrow, I’ll prep my suhoor—chia seeds and yogurt sound easy enough. InshaAllah.

“Yes, I woke up late” I reply to my mom. “Still adjusting to the Ramadan schedule”.

I offer to clean up, and my mom gratefully hands over the task before heading off to pray.

I stand near my kitchen window and look out. Its still dark outside and as I wash the dishes, I wonder how do we get up so early to eat? I remind myself at least long gone are the days where we woke up at 3am. There’s something indescribable about getting up so early and moving around in the stillness of the night. I have always been a morning person, but this hits different. Even in exhaustion, there’s a certain beauty to it. Though, the nap after suhoor? That sounds pretty nice right about now.

My brother rushes downstairs, “I still have 5 minutes according to that Ramadan calendar which has Fajr reported the latest”.

We laugh before heading back to our rooms to pray.

I make wudu and sit on my prayer mat—light green, the same shade as Rawdah in Medinah. The place where Prophet Muhammad (SWT) is buried, said to be a piece of heaven on earth. Every time I am sitting on this prayer mat, I feel a connection—a quiet reminder of something greater.

I stand up to pray. There’s no rush. Its calmer – I don’t have the energy to rush my prayer this early. There’s that same feeling of stillness in the dark, a solace that’s hard to put into words.

Just then, I hear my cat entering into my room by pushing my door with his little paws.

“Oh my God, Tiger, your breakfast!”.

Ramadan mornings have a rhythm of their own. The frantic rush to eat before suhoor ends, the quiet moments of reflection, the exhaustion, the peace. Amid the chaos, there’s stillness. A kind of stillness that fills the soul.

I glance at the clock. I should stay awake—work starts in an hour.

But maybe just for a moment... I close my eyes.

Tomorrow, my suhoor will be prepped. InshaAllah.