Ramadan in Gaza.. When Certainty Blends with Pain in the Hearts of the Patient

SadaNews - Report: Hala Abu Lmadi

Welcoming the Guest: Calm Amidst Tough Days

The holy month of Ramadan has arrived in the Gaza Strip this year, finding it a never-ending tale of resilience; the month did not come with homes in their usual state, nor families complete, but it came with certainty in the hearts that did not waver.

For Gazans today, Ramadan is not just fasting from food; it is a station for gathering strength, and a space of tranquility they seek amidst their difficult days.

Iman Al-Jojo: An Incomplete Table and a Grief that Never Leaves the Heart

Ms. Iman Al-Jojo, tears never leaving her eyes with the arrival of Ramadan, said: "This year, Ramadan came to awaken a wound in my heart that will not heal, as in every corner of the place, I see the image of my martyr son, and in every moment, his shadow passes before me as if he never left. Ramadan, which used to bring us together with his laughter and voice, today goes by heavily, for the seat he used to fill is now empty, and the lump in my throat never leaves every time I look at his vacant place."

Al-Jojo expressed the pain of waiting during iftar, noting that every day as the time for the call to prayer approaches, she imagines him sitting among them at the table, and she almost calls him by name to join them for food, were it not for the bitter reality of his departure. She confirmed that the family table this year is "incomplete and broken," and the taste of iftar has lost its flavor in the absence of a piece of her soul.

The Creed of Patience: Gratitude in Times of Trial

Iman explained that despite the pain gripping her heart, she derives her strength from her deep faith, believing that her beloved child is a martyr with God. She indicated that her patience is an "act of worship"; she praises God at all times and relies on prayer to endure the bitterness of life without him, affirming that her only consolation is her certainty that they will meet in the gardens of bliss and that her Ramadan this year is the "Ramadan of the patient and the faithful," who raise their hands in supplication to God to bind their hearts and bless them with the grace of this month over their wounds.

The Pulse of Life: Decorations and Tarawih Prayers Amidst the Rubble

Despite the rubble, people tried to create a spiritual atmosphere that restores balance to the soul; young men worked hard to decorate some streets and narrow pathways between the tents with simple decorations and modest lighting, announcing that Gaza still has a heartbeat of life.

With the sunset on the first day, the minarets resonated - from above the ruins - with the call to Tarawih prayers, as worshippers gathered in public squares under the sky. They stood in reverence for their "first Tarawih", as the most eloquent response to the machinery of destruction, affirming that Ramadan is "the guest of hearts" before it is the guest of homes, and that these prayers are a message of reassurance that the tranquility that descends in the prayer niches is stronger than all the clamor of war.

Fasting with Confidence in Relief

Ramadan moves forward in Gaza, and people are in a state of "beautiful waiting" for God’s relief. It is not just a month of worship, but a test of will and proof to the world that this people is capable of reclaiming its spirit and life every time; Gaza today fasts with the confidence in relief and breaks its fast on the hope of return and freedom, making its Ramadan a distinctive mark in the history of human patience.