Ramadan Mubarak!
Sunday was the first day of Ramadan and today it has been three days since then. (Many Muslims did keep their first fast on Saturday this is because the Muslim year is based on a lunar calendar and whenever they see a moon sighted it is a signal that a new month has started, so depending on which Muslim country you go by that is when you keep your fast- most people follow Saudi Arabia, but I and my family follow Morocco as that is the closest Muslim country to the UK).
The last three days were hard. Not because of fasting but because I was still working on a uni assignment. I think because I was in a hurry to submit it so I could have the immerse myself fully into the month I stressed myself and got worked up about it. The assignment was on the Twentieth Centuries- Joyce’s Dubliners, and New York texts- Kerouac’s The Town and the City and Hughes’s poem The Heart of Harlem. And it really wasn’t a bad assignment reflecting back I did enjoy it and worked hard to answer the question to the best of my ability but on Monday night I literally had a meltdown thinking how am I going to get through this, will I be able to pass this module, what am I doing with my life, you know the 3. am thoughts and then I woke up for Suhoor and it allowed me to breathe and just tell myself I can do this, anyways I don’t know why I am starting with something so depressing but I finally submitted it- Alhamdullilah- and I now have two assignments left that I am hoping to get a head start on it, take it easy it and start on it. Now let’s get on to my favourite topic! Ramadan!
Ramadan is one of my favourite months in the Islamic calendar and throughout this month I want to give you an insight into my month Ramadan.
I think I will start with why it is a special time and my highlights over the past three days.
Ramadan is such a special time for me, and I can’t even tell you exactly how much it means to me because the love I have for this month (cliché) cannot be put into words. It’s as if God said I dedicate this month so that you can switch and reconnect with me and your religion and I am so grateful because so much happens in life and sadly sometimes it does get pushed to the side and this month for me allows me to fully immerse myself in Islam, in praying and worshipping. There are so many benefits to this blessed month and one of them is of course fasting, especially intermittent fasting. I am a massive foodie and anyone who knows me will vouch for this, everyone always is astounded that I can fast from sunrise to sunset, but honestly for me it’s not food I miss, it’s water. I think we take things so much for granted and for me this month highlights every single blessing and privilege we have. We are so privileged to access water so freely that the thirst you feel during Ramadan is nothing to that who don’t have access to it, and that is something God highlights. In this month two pillars of Islam are achieved. Sawm- Fasting and Zakat- giving charity. So, the question has to be asked why do you fast? And I think this question is subjective and everyone has their own reasons, but this is why I fast.
I remember in high school when I used to fast my non-Muslim friends used to ask me why I fasted and I used to give almost rehearsed answers, I used to say because it’s an insight into how the poor feel, because I see my family fasting so I want to do it too, or because it is a pillar of Islam, or because it is in my religion that I feel I have to. And honestly back then I used to keep fasts because seeing my family do it, the excitement around the month made me want to do it and really because I was Muslim, I thought I had to. And whilst all these responses are valid to an extent, for me, it wasn’t enough. I remember the summer after I had just taken my A-Levels, the months dragged, partly because I was waiting for my results, partly because I had literally nothing to do. I was obviously reading a lot of fiction, but my mom just suggested why don’t you read about Islam. I felt like I was waiting for that moment because I was like why I didn’t do this before. My prior knowledge of Islam was basic stuff and the main topics that I learnt in my Islamic classes, so I said to myself if I was going to do this, I was going to do it so I could benefit from it. By this I mean, read stuff in translation so I know the meaning and really strip it back.
I won’t go into detail, but I felt like- again a cliché- but I found myself. Reading that the Qur’an was revealed- and how it was revealed- in the month of Ramadan, the stories of the Prophet (peace be upon him) how he used to seclude himself in prayer and reading the Qur’an in translation. The liberation and love I felt myself feeling was something I never felt before. I think because I am such a spiritual person in general Ramadan just really enables me to be my most spiritual. Just a couple of days ago we were having this discussion and my dad says to my uncle that you won’t find peace in any other month than Ramadan. And it hit hard because it was true. In this month you are aware of sins, trying to stay sin free by not doing- what people do on a daily- like not getting angry, swearing, and listening to music. Your fasting so it helps you gain control over your desires to eat and drink, you’re in a constant state of worship, seeking forgiveness, helping your neighbours, showing more love freely, and you’re fighting your nafs. You are eating healthily and conscious of what you are eating, and how much food is being wasted. Your giving charity, you're seeing the rewards of the money you donate to help those in need. I could go on and on. The most important thing for me is your God-conscious. This is one of the months where I find that peace, and feel close to Him, where He is always on my mind because I try to be in the state of Ibadah all the time. The Qur’an- tells us to fast to express our appreciation for His guidance (2:185). The Qur’an itself was revealed in this special month (97:1) the last ten nights (will do a separate post on this) so many blessings, the night of power. And just the thought that regardless of the rest of the months and any other time of the year, in this month Muslims come together, it’s a chance of renewal from old mistakes, it’s a chance to start again, it’s a chance to become closer to Him, it’s a chance to be a better version of yourself. And all these factors and so much more contribute to why it is such a special and beloved month for me, and I
expect many others.
My highlights from the past three days- this year has been hard. Like exceptionally hard, I went through something which- I feel has changed me- but has really made me value life, and my religion. It’s made me value the people in my life and not take *anything* for granted, but most of all I felt it bring me closer to Him. I felt like these three days kind of were mediocre just because of having my mind elsewhere with submitting the uni assignment. But my favourite moments have to be Suhoor and Fajr salah, for me I favourite that prayer above others. It is the pre-dawn prayer, and I don’t know but I feel you're tired from sleep but when you stand on that prayer mat the closeness you feel, the peace, for me it’s like magic- you close yourself off and it’s just you, that prayer mat and a conversation with Him. Last year during the month of Dhul Hijjah it used to be hot and praying Tahajjud- the pre-pre dawn which is not compulsory- was the best because I used to sometimes just go outside in the garden and literally connect with nature, losing myself in the beauty of the night sky and the moon and praying to Him- best feeling ever. Reading Qur’an and dissecting it to learn the meaning and the beauty of every single letter, word, and sentence. Iftar- this quote just sums it up for me ‘fasting for 17 hours and being full after 10 minutes is a prime example of how fleeting the pleasures of this world and how small this life is.’
Wow, that was a ramble and a half, thank you once again for visiting my page. Hope you enjoyed (yeah maybe not) my post. Stay tuned for more of my Ramadan diaries. Lots of love.
With Salaams and Dua’s.
Fiz @Every Page She Turns.
Ooh, this is hard, I love Ajwa if I want my date dry. Mejdool for the juiciness, Khalas is nice alongside Safawai, Helwa and Mabroum are also nice. Sukkary I have in the house (a gift from someone who did Umrah) but haven't tried it. And the rest I haven't tried will have to give it a go this Ramadan :)
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