The Holy month of Ramazan might be ending, but for Raya, every day matters because she enjoys both her suhoors and iftars with her parents. In Celebrations and Festivals’Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, you not only meet the young girl, but also learn how she spends her days during Ramazan and how she gets ready for Eid.

Written by Sara Khan and illustrated by Nadiyah Sultana, this colourful book lets you spend time with Raya and her family, who invite you on a journey that’s both spiritual and fun. She is the kind of friend who speaks her mind, celebrates everything and doesn’t shy from sharing new things. In fact, like a very good friend, she confesses in this book that she might be too young to fast, but that doesn’t stop her from doing at least 30 good deeds during the month.

So, what’s stopping you from celebrating Ramadan and welcoming Eidul Fitr like Raya? She tells her new friends, the readers, that although she likes to bake Ramazan cookies and drink milkshakes, she doesn’t snack during fasting hours because it might ruin others’ fasts. She also likes to lay the table for those who are fasting in her house, prepare the fruits and dates, and fill a jug with water. These are some good deeds everyone can do for those fasting in Ramazan.

With the help of illustrations, she explains that her parents have taught her to help those during this month who are less fortunate, by donating clothes we don’t wear and sharing food, whereas visiting the mosque for Taraweeh prayers and volunteering for a local soup kitchen will definitely make you feel better in these 30 days.

The narration is easy to understand, so you can share it with your friends and family, and encourage them to do good deeds so they can also have the opportunity to get closer to Allah. The Eid plans she lists in this book are also doable as they involve buying new clothes, applying henna on the hands and giving money to the poor. Spending time with parents, aunts, uncles and cousins makes every Eid magical, where Raya gets to play games, open presents and eat delicious food.

This bright and engaging picture book offers fun activities that parents and children can do together in the lead-up to the celebration, such as making a pop-up card and cookies. The fun facts at the end include the workings of the lunar calendar, a sketch of the prominent mosques of the Muslim world and a colourful quiz, giving you and your friends an opportunity to learn more about Allah and Islam.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 19th, 2026

The last three years have been very challenging for me, as I faced the biggest loss of my life. The things I used to love, the dreams I had and the confidence I had in myself, all seemed to end. I used to think that I would not be able to survive this loss and that sooner or later I would give up.

But I was wrong. Not only did I survive, but I also turned that loss into my biggest strength. I learnt how to live with the loss, and today I am proud that I did not give up on myself. Instead, I made myself stronger and capable of making my family happy and proud of me.

My name is Raiha. Three years ago, I lost my father in a car accident. That day was the darkest day of my life, and I don’t think any other day will ever be worse than that. The moment I heard the news of my father’s death, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It felt like a cruel joke.

How could my father leave me alone? What about the plans we had? What about the dreams he had for me?

Then all the time we had spent together started flashing before my eyes, like an infinite number of stars scattered across the sky. That was the day I almost gave up on my dreams. Why should I keep chasing dreams when the person who had always chased them with me was no longer there? So, I let them go.

My father’s dream for me was to become a doctor. I was only a few steps away from achieving that dream when he left me. So what was the point of continuing? That year, I not only gave up my dream but also lost hope, love and my smile. I isolated myself in my room. I stopped talking to my family and friends because I was completely broken by that loss — until my teacher came to meet me at our house.

Miss Hina was one of my college teachers. She was very dear to me and she loved me like a mother because she was also an old friend of my mother. When all my hopes were lost, she came like a ray of light.

She told me that although my father had left this world too early, his hopes were still alive, breathing within me. At that moment, I realised that my family still needed me, my mother and my siblings. I also realised that I still had to fulfil my father’s wish of me becoming a doctor. He would see me in a white coat through my eyes.

I made up my mind to work hard and now I am officially a doctor. I still feel the void of losing my father, but I am grateful that I did not give up, even though I almost squandered one precious year. The realisation dawned on me just in time. Now I feel relieved that I have lived up to my father’s dream and that I can see my family happy and proud of me.

This world is full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, loss and gain. But the one who can withstand difficulties with strength is the one who truly grows, because after every hardship there is ease. We must believe in these words and transform our difficulties into strength and motivation.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 19th, 2026

It was early one Saturday morning, and my mother had forced me to go to school to take part in the upcoming mathematics competition. I lazily stepped out of bed and unwillingly got ready for school.

“The school bus doesn’t come on Saturdays, dear, and your father has already gone to work, so you will have to walk to school,” my mum said, almost shouting from the kitchen.

“Great news! Now I have to leave for school 30 minutes early!” I grumbled.

After getting ready, I left for school reluctantly. I yawned as I walked along the footpath. It was a chilly, misty morning. I didn’t realise how long I had been walking because my eyes were so heavy. I had stayed up very late the night before, doom-scrolling.

I didn’t even notice when I tripped over a rock and almost fell. That was when I realised I had been walking in the wrong direction! I had never been there before. The footpath was unpaved, the bushes were untrimmed and there were bugs, and I guess all kinds of insects, everywhere. I looked around and realised I wasn’t the only one on the path.

There was a woman some distance away from me. She was wearing a long, grungy red dress and walking strangely. She seemed to be limping and her hair was messy. I tried not to think much of it, but inside, it terrified me. Something felt wrong.

She suddenly turned and looked at me. She had an ugly, evil smile that made my blood run cold. I tried to take a different path, but there wasn’t one. There was just me and the woman, no one else. Besides, this was not the road to my school!

I ran back. While running, my heart was pounding so fast that I felt it would burst out of my chest. I looked back and saw that she was running after me with the same eerie smile.

I ran faster. In the distance, I saw a signal and a few people standing there. I ran even faster. Then I looked back again and saw that there was no one following me. As I breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards the signal, she was suddenly right there in front of me. I screamed and fainted!

A few minutes later, someone woke me up. I was lying on the footpath and a kind old lady was asking me questions which I couldn’t understand at first.

After a few moments of trying to gather myself, I looked around, but there was no trace of the woman in the red dress.

I thanked the old lady and the people around me, and sprinted to school.

A lot had happened that day. I tried to convince myself that it had all been just a bad dream. I couldn’t focus on the maths quiz or anything, to be honest.

The horror stayed inside me.

I wanted to share it with someone — but who would have believed me?

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 19th, 2026