WITH Reema

Something about not eating helps Jaber senses a better version of herself, perhaps one of the many payoffs that come from observing Ramadan.

“You feel so good and at peace,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, you just feel peaceful and spiritual.”

A typical day during the month of Ramadan for Jaber, and many practicing Muslims, looks a little like this: wake up for suhoor — the meal before dawn, where one can eat something nutritious and consume lots of water before the first prayer of the day.

Four prayers follow during the day: afternoon, late afternoon, after sunset and nighttime. After sunset is when the breaking of the fast commences.

Jaber, like many Muslims with long work hours sometimes finds herself missing prayers — which she admits is something she’s “trying to work on.”

“Because of the scheduling and everything, I always have to make it up when I get home,” she said. “It is definitely tough to make sure that you pray on time, but it’s something you work on.”

Alternatively, Jaber works on incorporating her faith in other ways in her business. On the top floor of Hair by Reema is a space with three stations, where women with hijabs can show their hair and be granted privacy.

No men are on the top floor, and the feedback from Muslim clients is one of the most rewarding parts of offering that space.

Jaber said that women often have to resort to going to someone’s home, sometimes to a dingy part like the basement.

A piece of feedback that touched her heart was when a client said, “‘You brought us up, now we’re at the top,’” said Jaber. “That really stuck with me.”

“It’s something that made me feel happy, that she felt like, you put us up there, you put us at the top not at the bottom.”

Being able to provide that space for female clients has helped Jaber be in touch with who she is and helps her serve her community through faith.

But Ramadan is the leaping point where everything else follows: a month of self-reflection, and bettering yourself.

Striving to “be better” might just be the focal point of Ramadan for Jaber and many Muslims alike.

But the main point of Ramadan? Restrictions and considerations of the month should last— and be carried through for the remainder of the year.

What comes after should be the habits that you’ve helped yourself re-learn in your everyday life: being considerate and thinking of others doesn’t stop when Ramadan does.

Maintaining those values is what teaches Muslims to be good yearround. Those are the things Jaber aims to practice during the month, and holds on to them much longer after Ramadan is over.

“You’re supposed to try to better yourself, try not to swear, try not to be rude to people, try to give donations — feed the poor as much as you can,” she said.

“That’s what you’re supposed to do. Just be good, and stay away from all evil.”