Ramadan Journal 2010: Muslims in England

From Muslims in England.com


I haven't kept a regular Ramadan journal this year; these posts were written at 2-4am with half closed eyes and distracted gazes at the blue moon.


Excerpts:

"With each year that Ramadan begins to edge closer, I feel my body is slightly more creakier and my mind a little less alert. But I am mentally conflicted: this is not how I am supposed to feel... Ramadan is an open gate of reflecting, forgiveness and mercy from Allah, He is literally giving Jannah away for a month’s work - we know this; but sometimes we can forget that it's a month of self-training and evaluation. The reason why Allah created a certain time period for discipline is so on the larger scale of your life, of my life, we recognise the patterns of how we progress. Getting older is not why I feel restless. Allah (swt) knows we become weaker as we age, that death is inevitable and our time is ticking away." Ramadan Journal 2010: Day 1 The Restless Rhythms of Ramadan

"On the 2nd of Ramadan, a Friday for me in England, I drove to Manchester airport. I have a TomTom in the car (incredibly useful – but not as good as a Garmin) which decided to play dead on that day. That meant I got lost. Twice. I did not listen to my mother who insisted on using maps; I think like a man: ‘I don’t need no maps woman! I got my instincts! And no, we are not stopping to ask for directions!’ We arrived at the airport an hour late, my father happily talking and making foreign friends. The Art of Listening: Listening to an experienced person makes you wiser. You do not always have the correct GPS therefore learn to be guided. Remember, we could agree on everything you do, but then, we'd all be wrong (!)" Ramadan Journal 2010: Day 5 The Art of Listening

"There is one food I have been desperately avoiding during Ramadan: humble pie. It’s sharp and bitter like taking a swig at battery acid. I can smell it cooking in the air when I think I'm 'more right' and I don’t look forward to being reminded of it. Sometimes I feel my ego is so big it needs its own postal code. Days 6 to 17 during Ramadan have been a huge “light-bulb” realisation that a Muslim with the best character has humility, they have humbleness. And while in Ramadan the halal has become temporarily haram and the haram has become even more haram, we should discipline ourselves to accept that and taste the humility it brings." Ramadan Journal 2010: Day 17 How to be Humble 

Entries by Zaufishan on Muslims in England.com

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