Ramadan Mubarak 2026

Finally we are here.

Not only because of the spiritual significance of this month and the blessings and mercy it delivers, but because of an idea born last Ramadan in 2025. Not long after the birth of my youngest child, I was feeling despondent over my future prospects of returning to work as a pharmacist. Life had shifted in ways I was still learning to navigate.

One night after completing taraweeh prayers and settling down to nurse my infant, I was inspired to write.

Abdullah the Bear existed in my mind well before that night I first drafted his story.

Through our regular routine of reading together and visiting our library, I'd often notice picture books of animals sometimes celebrating Christmas, or Easter and even Halloween. Abdullah the Bear was a manifestation of my wish for a picture book featuring a Muslim animal character. I wanted my children to find true representation in the type of books they enjoyed to read.

Just over a year later, Abdullah's story is now complete. The narrative is carefully proofed, illustrations infused with life, a website and Instagram presence curated and many submissions sent out into the world. The beauty of building dreams, is that you don't wait for things to fall into place or hope opportunities miraculously appear from thin air. Dreams are built, brick by brick, until the dream is no longer a relay of thoughts and possibilities. Dreams become the blueprint to our reality.