writing concise CV is one of the hardest tasks ever.
HR Managers and recruiting officers have thousands of CVs to go through. Therefore, your CV can be disqualified simply because of small mistakes here and there and maybe, just maybe, that is why you are not getting call backs from potential employers.
Here’s how to come up with the perfect CV:
1. Unnecessary personal information
Anything besides your name, email address and contact information should not be included on your CV. Details such as your tribe, age, height, weight and religion are minor details that no one cares about.
2. Education Background
If you are a university graduate or have a college diploma then you do not need to include all your other education details. Your university degree is your highest level of education and that’s all that matters. If you are yet to graduate, you can include both the secondary school and the university where you’re currently enrolled and for which course.
3. Grades
Related number 2, if you got D in ur final exams or a GPA of 1.88, why! oh why would you include that in your resume? No offense but no one will hire a dimwit. Remove that shame on your resume and show the employer that you’re smart beyond your grades at the interview.
4. Work experience
There’s no need to include all of your work experience, such as a 3-day job you did at the mall and the likes. Include only what’s related to the particular job you are applying for. Remember, no employer has time to go through a 4-5 page CV the shorter the better. Do not bore the employer with unnecessary details. Your CV will be shoved in the dustbin.
5. Hobbies
Even if you have a mixtape out, keep unnecessary hobbies to yourself. Only include hobbies that are related to the job you are applying for. If for example you are applying for a Customer Care job, you can state socializing and making new friends as one of your hobbies.
6. Salary details
Unless you have specifically been requested to include salary details on the CV, leave them out. That’s the last thing you negotiate on, when and if you get the job.
7. Email address
If you still use the embarrassing email address you created when you were 16 years old, it’s time to change it up. Create a formal email address, bearing your official name. You can do it on Gmail or Yahoo. It’s free! No employer will hire someone with an email address like empresstheee1sexy[at]gmail.com. Nah!
8. Saving the CV
Do not save your CV as CV or Resume or doc or whatever. Save it as your name, unless advised otherwise by the hiring company. Also, do not include the word CV, Resume or the date at the top of your CV.
9. Photograph
This is a debatable point. Some people argue that it’s good to include your photo, others are of the opinion that you should leave it out. Some companies prefer that you not to include a photograph so they can safely adhere to the Equal Employment Opportunity legislation. Hey, unless it’s a modelling, acting, flight attendant or any other job that requires applicants to attach their photographs, then it’s probably better to leave it out.
10. Career objective
Rather than writing a summary of what you want, tell the employer what you’re capable of and if hired, what you will bring to the table.
Lastly, remember to keep it short, error free, simple and at maximum, 2 pages!
Read More »
Report of Industrial Development Centre
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE OSOGBO
LEATHER
DEPARTMENT.
The leather department is one of the department in the Industrial Development Centre (IDC) where shoes, bags, belt, palm sandals etc are been produced and then taken to the market for sale. The Head of this department (HOD) is Mr S.O OGUNNAYA and his colleague is Mr S.O OGUNSADE. They make use of hid an skin in producing various product listed above, they have six departments in leather it include the following among others;
1. Designing department: They make different design on the product produce in the department
2. Clicking department: They cut patterns into leather
3. Lasting and making department: They last the upper unto the last
4. Finishing and showroom department: They die the upper
5. Closing department: This where the product will be turn to finish goods.
6. Science and material: They select a suitable material in each designing
Before we can get or use the leather we need to kill the animal and then it go through some processes, we have two types of leather namely
1. Hid leather: These are get from large animals e.g elephant, lion
2. Skin leather: These are get from small animals.
MATERIALS.
Leather, hid, synthetic material i.e man made material, sole, hill, shank, top hill, hill sole, eyelet. Without the last we cannot make any shoe, then we three types of last namely
1. Plastic last
2. Wooden last
3. Iron last.
MACHINES.
There are various machines in leather department which make their work effective and faster, the machines include the following;
1. Insole molding machine: This machine is use to mode the insole
2. Splitting machine: This machine is use to divide the hid leather
3. Pattern grading machine: This machine is use to enlarge and reduce the size of the product
DEPARTMENT OF WOOD TECHNOLOGY.
The head of department (HOD) MR FADIRAN
This one of the department in the industrial development centre (IDC) where they specialize on wood making materials and their major material use here is simply wood even their final product is wood but in different shapes and sizes.
This department is also broken down into three (3) further departments namely
1. Machine section
2. Assembly section
3. Finishing section
MACHINE DEPARTMENT.
This department is made up of various machine which is use to carry out their function for the effective and efficient work to be done by the department, among the machines include the following;
1. Pressing machine: This machine is use to press plywood together and some assembling capable of doing
2. Circular saw machine: This machine is use for cross cutting
3. Falk lift: This machine is use to move, lift and carry heavy materials
4. Panel lifter: This machine is use for lifting and carrying goods
5. Edging machine: This machine is use for straightening wood
6. Dust harvester: This machine is use to absurd dust
7. Boring machine or bowling : This machine is use to make hole on wood.
8. Radial arm saw: This machine is use for cross cutting long wood into two
9. Springy molding machine
ASSEMBLY DEPARTMENT.
1. Sam paper machine: This machine is use for smoothen woods
2. Robot machine: This machine is use to write name on the wood
3. Drilling machine: This machine is use to create hole in the wood
4. Assembly machine: This machine is use to assemble woods.
5. Bosch molding
FINISHING DEPARTMENT
1. Burnt wood machine: This machine is use for spraying woods.
2. Staining machine: This machine is use to stain our goods produced.
METAL WORKSHOP (Mrs Ogunrinde-HOD)
This Department is concerned with the various use of metals to generate and create the required and needed metal products, its concerned with the best possible use of metal.
We were taken around workshop by Mr Sunday (the coordinator of the department).
There are two sections in this department namely;
i. Metal fabrication.
ii. Manufacturing of doors.
MACHINES
We also have two sections of machine in this departments as well which are;
I. Filter machine sections.
II. Machine parts and accessories for automobiles.
I. Centre laid machine: it contains the rotation of a work piece against a geometricalsingle point tool.
II. Drilling Machine: used to generate hole in engineering component.
III. Shaping machine: used to make flat and angular surfaces.
IV. Power Hacksaw: used in cutting metals into pieces.
V. Milling Machine: this is used to make flat and angular surfaces for engineering component.
VI. Surface grinder machine: used to smooth the surface of metals.
VII. Cylindrical grinder: this machine is used to generate cylindrical surface.
VIII. Ship Metal Rolling Machine: for producing metal bucket.
IX. Nibbling Machine: for cutting off undesired particles.
METAL FABRICATION DEPARTMENT
M.B LAWAL
In this department, metal is being meshed and mode into different models through the use of modeling funnel.
MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT USED
I. Blower:- for blowing of air to hot irons
II. Burner:- for burning or raw materials
III. Twist funnel:- for melting aluminum materials used in making spanner, partter.
MATERIALS
I. Black oil or diesel
II. Aluminum
III. Iron
FOOD AND CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT
(Mr josephAkpan U. -HOD)
In this department people are trained in the production of household items such as; liquid soap, hair cream, hair treatment cream, baby jelly cream (medicated), toilet soap (medicated and antiseptic), laundry soap (tablet). And also train people in the production of food items such as; ice cream, fruit juice, tomato paste, beans flour etc.
MACHINE AND EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE LAUNDRY SOAP
Soap mixer (manual or automated)
Soap mould
Cutting table
Stampetc
RAW MATERIALS REQUIRED TO MAKE LAUNDRY SOAP
Costic soda, palm kernel oil, soda harsh, sodium sulphate, sodium silicate, Cmc (cabolsnmiltycabulous, sophonic acid, colour and perfume.
PREPARATION
Any material that’s in powder form must be added with water before you mix.
The materials are poured into the soap mixer machine for mixing into liquid form and then transferred into a soap mould and wen its solid and dried cut on a cutting table into various sizes and shapes.
MACHINE AND EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE HAIR CREAM AND BABY JELLY
Stainless mixer
RAW MATERIALS REQUIRED TO MAKE HAIRCREAM
Petroleum jelly, colour, perfume, stearic acid, petroleum wax, and other medicament/industrial sulphur
RAW MATERIALS REQUIRED TO MAKE BABY JELLY
Petroleum jelly, paraffin wax, paraffin oil, colour, perfume, lanoline.
PREPARATION AND PROCESS TO MAKE HAIRCREAM AND BABY JELLY
Measure and pour materials into the STAINLESS MIXER apply heat and stir,the materials need to be melted and poured into a can.
HOW TO MAKE LIQUID SOAP
MATERIALS NEEDED: Costic soda, nitrozon, sophonic acid, perfume and colour.
PROCESS: Put the materials into a plastic mixer then you mix and pour.
CERAMICS DEPARTMENT
(Mrs DaramolaAdekanbi - HOD).
A ceramic is an inorganic, non-metallic solid material comprising metal, non-metal or metalloid atoms primarily held in ionic and covalent bonds.
TYPES OF CLAY
Primary clay: this is an ordinary clay in its natural extracted form, that has not gone through any form of processing. Primary clay form as residual deposits in soil and remain at the site of formation.
Secondary clay: are clays that have transported from their original location by water erosion and deposited in new sedimentary deposit.
MACHINES USED IN CERAMICS PRODUCTION
· Wheeling machine: used in moulding clay into desired design and forms
· P O P: pop moulds make it possible to repeat patterns and forms for a variety of reasons
· Kiln machine: kiln machine is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient for to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical.
METHODS OF PRODUCTION AND PROCEDURES OF MAKING CERAMICS
The various method for making ceramics include
1. Throwing method: in this method we make use of throwing wheel to create desired designs.
2. Casting method: in this method we make use of mould (p.o.p) to produce the ware.
3. Pressing method: in this system of production of ceramic we also mould as well, but we make use of hard layer.
4. Hand modelling method: in this method we use hand to mould and create desired designs.
5.
Jiggering
method: in this method we make use of machines, jigger jollying machine to
produce the desire pattern and designs.
The Spirit Of Ramadan
QUITE INTERESTING, DON'T MISS OUT ANY WORD!!!!
THE SPIRIT OF RAMADAN
Asad opened the refrigerator door and peered inside. His eyes fell on a huge chocolate cake and some sandwiches, the leftovers from yesterday’s tea.
“Oh God! Why am I being punished like this?” He groaned silently.
It was the first day of Ramadan and Asad was fasting. He had just returned from school and was feeling ravenous. After dropping his heavy backpack on the bedroom floor, he made a beeline for his favorite spot in the house, the kitchen. But fasting meant no food for at least four more hours. He would have to wait till sunset to break the first fast of the month.
Just for a second, Asad felt sorely tempted.
“Who would know if I eat a slice of the cake?” he mused. His parents weren’t home, his grandparents were resting and his baby sister, Fatima was too young to tell tales.
“Somebody would know, “a little voice argued inside his heart. “He, who knows everything, since He is our Creator.”
Asad slammed the fridge door shut in frustration. He was fourteen and felt ashamed of his momentary weakness. He went to the living room where a maid was spooning Cerelac into Fatima’s little mouth. Fatima gurgled and grinned at her older brother who bent down to give her a hug. Asad looked at the pale yellow concoction that was smeared across her face and swallowed hard. Even Cerelac smelled good at this hour.
He flopped down on the sofa in disgust and switched on the television.
“Maybe a nice program will take my mind off food for a while,” he thought, aggressively pressing down the channel buttons on the remote control.
He paused at BBC channel where a cute anchorperson was presenting a report. Asad stared at her for a while without registering the news but then some live images made his attention snap back at the report. Rachel Hayward was talking about intense, widespread poverty and famine in Africa where millions of children perished each year due to hunger and malnutrition.
Asad stared at the disturbing pictures of dark brown skeletal children with distended stomachs. Flies hovered around their faces and their naked bodies, as mothers listlessly tried to wave them away. Their misery was writ large on their faces and their empty eyes bore testimony to man’s inured ways.
Asad thought with a guilty pang about the uneaten pizza he had thrown away in a fit of temper last night. He had ordered his favorite Chicken Supreme but the delivery boy had brought some other pizza and would not take it back. Asad had paid for it and just to show the impertinent delivery guy what he thought of his services, had tossed the pizza into the trash can outside his house. It had felt so good at that time but now he felt like a total jerk.
He remembered how his grandmother always chided him when he left rice uneaten on his plate that was later scrapped off by the servant and dumped in trashcan. He remembered the lavish meals he and his friends ordered in college canteen and then discarded because they could not eat a bite more. If excess, extravagance and waste were crimes, then he was guilty of each one of them.
He changed the channels once again and put on MTV. He had a huge crush on Beyonce but after witnessing the BBC report, the music seemed too loud, too cheerful and even obscene. He switched the television off.
“What is wrong with me today?” He thought uneasily. “It must be the lack of food that is making me so restless.” He glanced at the stately golden clock adorning the living room wall. Only twenty minutes had passed and he still had more than three and a half hours to kill.
“I’ll go to Bilal’s house.” He decided, thinking about his friend’s house across the street. “Maybe a few rounds of computer games will improve my mood.”
When he stepped out of his house, he saw was a couple of dirty, bedraggled children foraging through the trash can. The older kid, who seemed about 5 yrs old, dragged a piece of dried chapatti out of the refuse heap and brushed away blackened mango peels from it. He broke it in two and offered the other half to his younger sister. Asad stood rooted to the spot in horror.
“Hey. Don’t eat that. It’s terribly dirty and probably mouldy too,” he shouted but the duo quickly crammed the hard chapatti into their hungry mouths and scampered off.
“Why had I never noticed such things before?” he wondered.
Asad had never been hungry in his entire life so poverty, deprivation, and hunger were concepts that he had never thought about.If the home cooked meal was not to his liking, he always ordered his favorite foods from upscale restaurants and had them delivered home. He had a credit card, a gift from his father on his fourteenth birthday and he used it for lavish meals whenever he wished.
Now hunger due to the obligatory fast was forcing him to look at the plight of the less fortunate and the more he saw, the more disturbed he felt.
He crossed the street and saw a construction crew at work. Bilals’ father was having a wing added to his already imposing residence. Asad paused to admire the skill of an old carpenter who was busy smoothing a rectangular block of wood. Wood shavings littered the floor around him.
“Are you fasting, babaji?” He asked respectfully.
The old man looked up and wiped the perspiration from his brow.
“Aye, son. Work is no excuse for not fasting,” he replied.
Asad could not imagine fasting and then working in the relentless summer afternoon heat. He looked around at the laborers, mason, and brick layers working in a rhythmic method.
“What do you eat for iftaar?” he asked out of curiosity, referring to the evening meal. He imagined the lavish food that got prepared in their kitchen everyday. It took their chef at least two hours to put together an afternoon tea.
The old man smiled,” Whatever Allah provides for us, son. He is Merciful and Most Gracious.”
“Does Mr. Haroon provide you with meals?” Asad persisted. He knew Bilal’s father was rather tight fisted. He would have insisted that the men put in whole shifts instead of cutting down their working hours in deference to Ramadan.
“What do rich men know about empty stomachs, my son,” the old carpenter replied, moving his plane over the wood in a smooth, fluid motion.
With bile rising in his throat, Asad turned back towards his house. His mind was in turmoil and his heart ached. In the living room he paced restlessly and then saw some CDs that his grandfather was fond of listening. He put on one in the magnificent stereo system that his father had recently purchased. It was recitation of the Holy Quran. As the soul stirring voice of Qari Saad Al Ghamdi reciting Surah al Baqarah filled the room, Asad felt waves of serenity hitting him. He felt engulfed in peace and tears shimmered in his eyes.
“Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah and do not follow up their spending by stressing their benevolence and causing hurt, will find their reward secure with their Lord. They have no cause for fear and grief. ”
Asad spent some time listening and absorbing the message from Allah. Then he took a bath and said his prayers. His parents came home and the smell of iftaar being prepared filled the house.
As the entire family gathered for breaking the fast, Asad looked at the dining table laden with a variety of food ___ sandwiches, cake, fruit cocktail, tempura, triangular samosay, fried chicken pieces, dates and a variety of other dishes.
“Mom, do we need to cook so much food for one meal that no one can possibly finish?”
“What’s on your mind, son?” his father asked, surprised by his son’s unusual question.
“Dad, Mom’s on a diet, grandparents can’t eat fried and salty food as per doctor’s orders and Fatima can’t eat solid food. That leaves you and me to finish at least eight dishes. It’s pure waste.”
“Asad, what is wrong, son?” His mother asked concerned about her son’s state of mind.
“Mom there are people out there dying of hunger. There are people who have a handful of dried dates to eat and yet work all day on rich people’s mansions and then thank God for His blessings.”
“Asad, we do pay zakat and charity to help those in need. I am very happy that you are being so thoughtful and caring, but we cannot eradicate poverty on our own,” his father reasoned.
“Yes, but maybe this Ramadan we can share our food with those whose needs are greater than ours, father. May I?” Asad asked with a tilt of his head towards the food.
The grown ups looked bemused but Asad felt a gleam of pride in their eyes. He went outside and invited the laborers for iftaar. At first hesitantly and then with joy and gratitude they accepted his offer.
Asad’s servants laid out linen on the green grass of their beautifully manicured lawn and the men took off their shoes and sat cross legged waiting for the Maghrib azaan which would signal the time to break the fast.
As Asad passed out fresh dates and fruit to about two dozen men in the garden, the old carpenter said smilingly, “Didn’t I tell you that Allah is the best Provider and we eat out of His provisions.”
For the first time in the day, Asad laughed aloud in joy.
“Thank you for teaching me the true spirit of Ramadan, babaji . It is not about mindlessly abstaining from food and drink all day but understanding the needs of others and pleasing Allah to gain His blessings that Ramadan is all about. Sharing and caring, that’s the true spirit of this holy month.”
“Aye, and praying too. Now help this old man get up so that I can say my prayers, young man.”
Happy and satiated, they all went to the local mosque to offer their prayers and thank Allah for all His blessings.
By Gulrukh Tausif
Read More »
THE SPIRIT OF RAMADAN
Asad opened the refrigerator door and peered inside. His eyes fell on a huge chocolate cake and some sandwiches, the leftovers from yesterday’s tea.
“Oh God! Why am I being punished like this?” He groaned silently.
It was the first day of Ramadan and Asad was fasting. He had just returned from school and was feeling ravenous. After dropping his heavy backpack on the bedroom floor, he made a beeline for his favorite spot in the house, the kitchen. But fasting meant no food for at least four more hours. He would have to wait till sunset to break the first fast of the month.
Just for a second, Asad felt sorely tempted.
“Who would know if I eat a slice of the cake?” he mused. His parents weren’t home, his grandparents were resting and his baby sister, Fatima was too young to tell tales.
“Somebody would know, “a little voice argued inside his heart. “He, who knows everything, since He is our Creator.”
Asad slammed the fridge door shut in frustration. He was fourteen and felt ashamed of his momentary weakness. He went to the living room where a maid was spooning Cerelac into Fatima’s little mouth. Fatima gurgled and grinned at her older brother who bent down to give her a hug. Asad looked at the pale yellow concoction that was smeared across her face and swallowed hard. Even Cerelac smelled good at this hour.
He flopped down on the sofa in disgust and switched on the television.
“Maybe a nice program will take my mind off food for a while,” he thought, aggressively pressing down the channel buttons on the remote control.
He paused at BBC channel where a cute anchorperson was presenting a report. Asad stared at her for a while without registering the news but then some live images made his attention snap back at the report. Rachel Hayward was talking about intense, widespread poverty and famine in Africa where millions of children perished each year due to hunger and malnutrition.
Asad stared at the disturbing pictures of dark brown skeletal children with distended stomachs. Flies hovered around their faces and their naked bodies, as mothers listlessly tried to wave them away. Their misery was writ large on their faces and their empty eyes bore testimony to man’s inured ways.
Asad thought with a guilty pang about the uneaten pizza he had thrown away in a fit of temper last night. He had ordered his favorite Chicken Supreme but the delivery boy had brought some other pizza and would not take it back. Asad had paid for it and just to show the impertinent delivery guy what he thought of his services, had tossed the pizza into the trash can outside his house. It had felt so good at that time but now he felt like a total jerk.
He remembered how his grandmother always chided him when he left rice uneaten on his plate that was later scrapped off by the servant and dumped in trashcan. He remembered the lavish meals he and his friends ordered in college canteen and then discarded because they could not eat a bite more. If excess, extravagance and waste were crimes, then he was guilty of each one of them.
He changed the channels once again and put on MTV. He had a huge crush on Beyonce but after witnessing the BBC report, the music seemed too loud, too cheerful and even obscene. He switched the television off.
“What is wrong with me today?” He thought uneasily. “It must be the lack of food that is making me so restless.” He glanced at the stately golden clock adorning the living room wall. Only twenty minutes had passed and he still had more than three and a half hours to kill.
“I’ll go to Bilal’s house.” He decided, thinking about his friend’s house across the street. “Maybe a few rounds of computer games will improve my mood.”
When he stepped out of his house, he saw was a couple of dirty, bedraggled children foraging through the trash can. The older kid, who seemed about 5 yrs old, dragged a piece of dried chapatti out of the refuse heap and brushed away blackened mango peels from it. He broke it in two and offered the other half to his younger sister. Asad stood rooted to the spot in horror.
“Hey. Don’t eat that. It’s terribly dirty and probably mouldy too,” he shouted but the duo quickly crammed the hard chapatti into their hungry mouths and scampered off.
“Why had I never noticed such things before?” he wondered.
Asad had never been hungry in his entire life so poverty, deprivation, and hunger were concepts that he had never thought about.If the home cooked meal was not to his liking, he always ordered his favorite foods from upscale restaurants and had them delivered home. He had a credit card, a gift from his father on his fourteenth birthday and he used it for lavish meals whenever he wished.
Now hunger due to the obligatory fast was forcing him to look at the plight of the less fortunate and the more he saw, the more disturbed he felt.
He crossed the street and saw a construction crew at work. Bilals’ father was having a wing added to his already imposing residence. Asad paused to admire the skill of an old carpenter who was busy smoothing a rectangular block of wood. Wood shavings littered the floor around him.
“Are you fasting, babaji?” He asked respectfully.
The old man looked up and wiped the perspiration from his brow.
“Aye, son. Work is no excuse for not fasting,” he replied.
Asad could not imagine fasting and then working in the relentless summer afternoon heat. He looked around at the laborers, mason, and brick layers working in a rhythmic method.
“What do you eat for iftaar?” he asked out of curiosity, referring to the evening meal. He imagined the lavish food that got prepared in their kitchen everyday. It took their chef at least two hours to put together an afternoon tea.
The old man smiled,” Whatever Allah provides for us, son. He is Merciful and Most Gracious.”
“Does Mr. Haroon provide you with meals?” Asad persisted. He knew Bilal’s father was rather tight fisted. He would have insisted that the men put in whole shifts instead of cutting down their working hours in deference to Ramadan.
“What do rich men know about empty stomachs, my son,” the old carpenter replied, moving his plane over the wood in a smooth, fluid motion.
With bile rising in his throat, Asad turned back towards his house. His mind was in turmoil and his heart ached. In the living room he paced restlessly and then saw some CDs that his grandfather was fond of listening. He put on one in the magnificent stereo system that his father had recently purchased. It was recitation of the Holy Quran. As the soul stirring voice of Qari Saad Al Ghamdi reciting Surah al Baqarah filled the room, Asad felt waves of serenity hitting him. He felt engulfed in peace and tears shimmered in his eyes.
“Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah and do not follow up their spending by stressing their benevolence and causing hurt, will find their reward secure with their Lord. They have no cause for fear and grief. ”
Asad spent some time listening and absorbing the message from Allah. Then he took a bath and said his prayers. His parents came home and the smell of iftaar being prepared filled the house.
As the entire family gathered for breaking the fast, Asad looked at the dining table laden with a variety of food ___ sandwiches, cake, fruit cocktail, tempura, triangular samosay, fried chicken pieces, dates and a variety of other dishes.
“Mom, do we need to cook so much food for one meal that no one can possibly finish?”
“What’s on your mind, son?” his father asked, surprised by his son’s unusual question.
“Dad, Mom’s on a diet, grandparents can’t eat fried and salty food as per doctor’s orders and Fatima can’t eat solid food. That leaves you and me to finish at least eight dishes. It’s pure waste.”
“Asad, what is wrong, son?” His mother asked concerned about her son’s state of mind.
“Mom there are people out there dying of hunger. There are people who have a handful of dried dates to eat and yet work all day on rich people’s mansions and then thank God for His blessings.”
“Asad, we do pay zakat and charity to help those in need. I am very happy that you are being so thoughtful and caring, but we cannot eradicate poverty on our own,” his father reasoned.
“Yes, but maybe this Ramadan we can share our food with those whose needs are greater than ours, father. May I?” Asad asked with a tilt of his head towards the food.
The grown ups looked bemused but Asad felt a gleam of pride in their eyes. He went outside and invited the laborers for iftaar. At first hesitantly and then with joy and gratitude they accepted his offer.
Asad’s servants laid out linen on the green grass of their beautifully manicured lawn and the men took off their shoes and sat cross legged waiting for the Maghrib azaan which would signal the time to break the fast.
As Asad passed out fresh dates and fruit to about two dozen men in the garden, the old carpenter said smilingly, “Didn’t I tell you that Allah is the best Provider and we eat out of His provisions.”
For the first time in the day, Asad laughed aloud in joy.
“Thank you for teaching me the true spirit of Ramadan, babaji . It is not about mindlessly abstaining from food and drink all day but understanding the needs of others and pleasing Allah to gain His blessings that Ramadan is all about. Sharing and caring, that’s the true spirit of this holy month.”
“Aye, and praying too. Now help this old man get up so that I can say my prayers, young man.”
Happy and satiated, they all went to the local mosque to offer their prayers and thank Allah for all His blessings.
By Gulrukh Tausif
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