DUBAI – Over the past decade, Indian non-Muslim woman Sarbani Ghoshal has been fasting every Ramadan, saying she is blessed with miracles during the holy month.

“My children really love this month. They wait for iftar time. Ramadan brings a lot of peace and togetherness in my life,” Sarbani told Khaleej Times on Thursday.

Sarbani began fasting Ramadan after making a vow to fast the holy month if her husband got the accommodation he wanted in Dubai.

She recalls that she was out on her routine walk when she heard the call for prayer ( Azaan) and wordlessly whispered to herself, “If I get the accommodation, I shall fast during Ramadan.”

As she headed back home, she came across one of her neighbors in the elevator.

“She informed me that the flat had been sanctioned to us and we could shift immediately. I was shocked beyond measure. It was nothing short of a miracle,” Sarbani added.

Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, started on Wednesday, May 16.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to be closer to Allah through prayers, self-restraint, and good deeds.

From 2008 on, Sarbani has been fasting Ramadan, which filled her with a sense of patience.

Yet, in 2014 and following a visit to India during which she could not fast Ramadan, a tragedy struck her family when her husband suffered a sudden cerebral stroke, which affected 75 percent of his brain.

“It was 2014. I was in India with my family and could not fast for the first time since I started to. As soon as we came back to Dubai, my husband suffered a stroke, leaving him bedridden for long,”  Sarbani recalled.

“Having moved to Dubai in 1997 after marriage, I had quit my job to look after my children. After a gap of 14 years, I had to take up a job again.”

“My son was at a crucial juncture of his studies. And I had no choice but to earn a livelihood to run the family.”

Sarbani got a job as Assistant Manager in Marketing with an India-based company. After two years, she was promoted to the position of GCC head in the same firm. Her children were able to continue their education, without any breaks.

Overcoming serious life challenges, she is determined to continue fasting, as her belief in the blessings of Ramadan has got rock-solid now.

“I have witnessed extraordinarily miraculous things taking shape. My husband is recovering fast. He is slowly starting to speak and communicate and was recently hired by his former boss in India. Even though his income is not much, getting back the job has helped him become mentally strong and boosted his spirits.”