Chicago: Mujhe yaad hai ke main das saal ki thi jab pehli baar mein ne Ramzan ke mahine mein roza rakhne ki koshish ki. Main ne sara din kuch nahi khaya piya aur khane ki mez par bethi apni ammi ko khana pakate dekhti rahi jaise khana tayyar hota dekhne se shayad waqt jadui tor par tezi se guzar jaye ga. Main ne socha chup karke ek aalu bhara samosa utha kar mez ke neeche karloon aur apni behtreen saheli ko jhoot mot aisa karne ka ishara bhi kiya. Woh saheli ek Catholics christian thi aur mera pehla roza mere saath iftar karne aayi thi. Main bari ho rahi thi lekin meri samajh mein yeh kabhi nahi aya tha ke roza rakhne ka kya maqsad hai. Main jaanti thi ke roza rakh kar hum khud ko ghareebon ki jagah rakh kar un ki takaleef samajhne ki koshish karte hain aur yeh ke roze se hamein yeh ehsaas hota hai ke doosron ko dene ki kitni ahmiyat hai. Lekin mera sawal joun ka tooun tha ke aakhir Chicago mein pali barhi mujh jaisi nojawan aur mutajassas muslim larki ke liye mah-e-Ramzan ki kya ahmiyat hai. Jab main zara bari hui to mere zehan mein mazeed bare sawalat sar uthane lage jin ka mere waliden ke paas koi jawab nahi tha. Main apne bachpan ke aqeede se door hat gayi. Roza rakhna jaise ek duniyawi sa mamool ban gaya aur yeh mera tezi se ghayab hote hue apne musalman tashakhas ke saath wahi rabita tha. Kai saal baad jab main college mein dakhil hui to saal-e-awwal mein meri mulaqat Melissa se hui. Melissa ne haal hi mein Islam qubool kiya tha. Mujhe jald hi yeh ehsaas hua ke Islam qubool karne ke mahaz do hafto baad Melissa Islam ke baare mein us se bohot zyada janti hai jitna maine 18 saal mein seekha tha. Agale chand mahinon mein mujhe ek aisa aqeeda mila jis ne mujhe un tamam mozuaat ka jaiza lene mein madad di jin ke baare mein mujhe hamesha tajassus rehta tha aur bulogat ki peshidgiyon ko samajhne mein bhi meri rehnumai ki. Islam mein mujhe samaji insaf ke saath apni mohabbat aur lagan aur tamam aqaid ko mazeed gehrai mein jakar samajhne ki piyas bhi dikhayi di. Do saal baad maine Chicago mein mali munf'at ke lalch ke baghair chalne wale idaray Bain al-Aqaid Youth Core ke saath kaam shuru kiya. Yeh idara nojawan tabqay mein mazhab par aisi guftagu ki hosla afzai karta hai jiska maqsad ek aalami community tameer karne ke liye tamam aqaid ke darmiyan mushtarakah aqdar ki bunyad par talluqat ko farogh dena hai. Interfaith Youth Core ke saath kaam karte mujhe abhi ek mahina hi hua tha ke Ramzan ki aamad se qabal Shakago mein nojawanon ke kuch groupon se mujhe is muqaddas mahine ki ahmiyat par baat karne ka moqa mila. Guftagu ke doran un ke purjosh chehre dekh kar mujhe aisa laga jaise mera bachpan mere samne an khara hua ho. Tajassus se bhare un ke sawalon mein mujhe apna bachpan sunai de raha tha. Main unhi sawalon ke jawab de rahi thi jo maine samoson ke saath apna pehla roza kholte hue puchhe the. Lekin ek ba'amal musalman ke taur par agla mah-e-Ramzan mere liye ek challenge tha. Main khoraak aur paani se parhez se barh kar kuch karna chahti thi lekin samajh na parhi thi ke kya karna chahiye. Main ne apni is pareshani ka zikar apni usi behtareen saheli se kiya jis ke saath beth kar ek saal pehle maine apna pehla roza kholne ka intezar kiya tha. Us ne mujh se pucha "Yeh batao ke Muhammad (S.A.W) Ramzan mein kya kya karte the?" Mere paas us sawal ka koiJawab nahi tha. Tab main ne Nabi Akram ke baray mein parhna shuru kiya aur un ki hayaat-e tayyiba ka mutala karke apni tishnagi door karne ka samaan kiya. Mujhe pata chala ke yehi woh mahina hai jis mein musalmano ki muqaddas kitab Quran nazil ki gayi thi. Main ne yeh bhi jana ke Nabi Akramﷺ Ramzan ul Mubarak mein saara din logon ki khidmat aur raat ibadat mein guzarte the. Main ne jana ke unhone musalmano ko yeh hidayat bhi di thi ke woh roze ki halat mein sirf khaane peene se nahi balkay ghusse aur larai jhagre se bhi door rahein. Unhone hamein sikhaaya ke acha mehman kaise banta hai, apne aas paas rehne walon ke saath rahmdili ka mazahera kaise kiya jata hai aur bhalaai aur insaaf ke kaamon mein kis tarah shamil hota hai. Agarche mera seekhne ka amal kabhi khatam nahi hoga lekin iss saal jab ek baar phir hamari zindagiyon, gharoon aur masajid ka mehmaan, mah-e-Ramzan apni nematein le kar aaya to main yeh jaan chuki thi ke apni kaitheolik dost se le kar apne yahoodi rafqaaye kaar aur musalman behnon aur bhaiyon tak saari community ke saath mil kar khidmat, ibadat aur bartao ke aitbaar se iss mahine ko kaise manaana hai. * Jinan Muhajir Baynul Aqaid Youth Corps mein Out-Reach Education and Training Program ki program associates hain. Yeh mazmoon Common Ground News Service (CGNews) ne taqseem kiya hai.