Dear women, I salute you from the bottom of my heart. I testify that
you are our mothers, wives, sisters and best friends. I wish to
confess that you are our home makers, home movers and home
shakers. I agree completely , dear women, that you build us and oil
our wheels. It is true that you fill our emptiness and cover our
unclothedness with your selflessness and commitment. This much I
have seen more vibrantly, during this holy month of Ramadan.
Everyday I watch with keen interest, the incredible energy, dexterity
and tirelessness exhibited everywhere I go.....just to please their
men, to help them, to make them happy. I see women struggle with
pots and frying pans in the kitchen. I have seen them fight the
flowing sweat and tears engineered by smoke as they prepare one
variety after another, of special delicacies to kill the hunger, taste
and thirst of their men. Some of them discharge all these tasks in
the open, under the scorching sun and at other times, at the mercy
of rain....all these for their men, children, parents and friends. The
men dish out orders of the variety of meals to be prepared, they seat
or even sleep in the cosy embrace of their rooms. The women obey
without complaints. Yet, both men and women are fasting. Often
times, this hot journey of selfless service to us begins around 2pm
and continues until the break of fast at 720pm. Food ready, the
women still make more energy and patience to set the table in exotic
colours of different varieties of food for the men to eat and enjoy.
This is not easy. O God, bless women wherever they are. Strengthen
them , O Lord. Increase them in patience and courage. Improve
them, Allah, in faith, in health and wisdom. Women are incredible
and the secret of this special nature of women is known only to God
who created them. What will the world be without women? What will
men do without women? No man is worth his name until he can
appreciate the selflessness of a woman, protect her for her softness
and vulnerability, tolerate her for her short comings and honour her
for the wonderful way God has made and favoured her.