Growing up, I was never a big fan of Ramadan.

To my juvenile mind, Ramadan was a month of hunger, thirst and being confined to my bed because there was nothing better to do when your blood sugar's hitting negative digits. Up until very recently, I found it difficult to grasp the intrinsic value of going hungry for an entire month of the year and would spend weeks beforehand grumbling about the caffeine withdrawal I would soon have to endure. I'd suffer the inevitable pang of guilt every time a "yay! Ramadans almost here!" popped up on my news feed and wondered why I couldn't get as excited about the Month that never seemed to end.

But somethings changed this year. Its been a gradual process but the last 9 months have been one massive light-bulb moment. This may sound cliche, but the transition from full-time bludgi...err.. uni to full-time work has been an immensely difficult one. Suddenly, it wasnt ok to miss the morning train, counting on the lecturer not to notice your late entrance because he's too busy getting excited over enzyme induction in front of a room full of napping students. All of a sudden, the 5-hour breaks between lectures that we used to complain about are remembered with great fondness. Getting home before the sun sets becomes a rare joy ( or even getting the chance to see the sun at all, for that matter). Sleeping in ( whats that again?) no longer exists and finding the time for a social life is more challenging than trying to get a meeting with Gillard. For someone who is thoroughly bored by routine, full-time work has been agonising. I can almost see many of you nodding your heads in wistful unison as you remember the good ol' days of lunch catch ups with friends, 3-month holidays and 12pm starts.

It's hard but a necessary fact of life. Growing up means waking up at a certain time, sleeping at a certain time and enduring hardship for the sake of the greater good. Much like Ramadan, actually.

For the first time (and quite belatedly, I must admit), I see the inherent wisdom behind taking a month out of your life to focus purely on the metaphysical by training the physical to bow to the higher self. The blessings, rewards and goodness that come out of this month are our goodies for the hereafter. But through this arduous task, Allah swt has also given us the tool by which we can master the world we currently live in. And that tool is self-discipline.

Self-discipline is an art form and one which the most successful of this world have perfected. As inheritors of the earth, Muslims are expected to possess the noblest of qualities and the best of characters. We pray 5 times a day, part with our hard-earned dollars every year, fast an entire month, wake at the roosters cry each morning and abstain from harmful things that our nafs desires not only for the purpose of pleasing and remaining close to Allah swt, but also to instill the qualities of self-restraint, discipline and consistency into our character. Islam has a rich tradition of promoting discipline within its adherents and so it's little wonder that our history is replete with examples of individuals who have quite literally changed the world. From scientific discovery to philosophical mastery, our predecessors pioneered concepts which allowed the world to enter a new stage in its very long and dubious life. How? Through faith, curiosity and of course, self-discipline.

Moral of the story? Working full-time and patiently juggling a billion other responsibilities ( hyperbole is a weakness of mine) whilst sincerely believing that our reward will be waiting for us in the Hereafter mightn't be the easiest thing in the world but it equips us with the skills to be masters of both this world and the next.

Kinda like Ramadan :)

Taraweeh @ Lakemba Mosque - The Good Ole Days

Taraweeh @ Lakemba Mosque - The Good Ole Days

One of my most vivid and memorable experiences growing up as Muslim child in Sydney, Australia was performing the daily Taraweeh Prayers at Lakemba Mosque. Without fail, my father and uncle would take the young taraweeh-ing sisters and cousins to perform Taraweeh prayers in congregation with other mosque-goers. I obviously prayed at the women's section where during those time when I was a child-teenager, the prayer area was not so full, there was room to move around and talk to many mosque-goers, the atmosphere was spiritually vibrant, and the long-standing prayers were spiritually awakening.

Lakemba Mosque was the place to be every year and the older I became and became unintentionally separated due to other roles and responsibilities, the stronger the desire to re-experience the spiritual awakenings and reconnection becomes.

Every year I do wonder about my own children as I have not been able to share that very experience with them, and the desire to have them experience what I did when I was younger remains strong. Whether they will associate the same meaning, symbols, understandings of congregation prayers during Taraweeh is yet to be known...but one thing I do thank is my father's strong connection to the mosque becauase little did he know that his love for praying at the mosque which he shared with his children, would eventually become one of his children's fondest memories.

- Hanan

Guide Me

Anticipation,

The heart of my year,

It’s aching for new start.

Your light beckons me,

Draws me near.

Draws me dear.

From the birth of one moon

Until the next,

Guide me, Oh Lord

Your love, find me,

Oh Lord.

Sahih Bukhari- Volume 3, Book 31, Number 125

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

A Ramadan message from my new FB friend.

First iftar

My first iftar in my first Ramadan was in my first week of being a Muslim. Alhamdulilah. I was in Perth and had just sat done a presentation at Curtin in my final semester exams. Maghreb was around 8pm. I had not eaten or drank anything since the middle of the previous night, or so it seemed. It had been a mild 40 degrees...

I slumped out of the classroom into the corridor. The adhan was a couple of minutes away but my house (and my fridge) was a good 30 minute walk away.

As my course colleagues skipped away to their various domiciles, I almost tripped over Amar. My housemate Amar. Squatted on the floor by my class, he had gone to the college office and found out where I would be. Upon finding me he had seen out the last hour of his own fast in the corridor outside my presentation.

Upon seeing him, I feebly cheered, hoping I might be able to bum a ride home with him. He handed me a carrier bag filled with fruit, a bag of nuts, dates and some other items he'd gone and bought from the refectory.

As I stared at the food, he handed me a bottle of water, counted a few seconds out on his watch and told me to repeat a dua after him.

We sat in the corridor and feasted. It was a feast. I have never had fruit that tasted better nor water sweeter. There was very little talk. But the sense of brotherly love was palpable.

It was the first of many beautiful friendships I have formed and will doubtless be the last one I forget.

To begin...

Today is the 10th of Shaaban, alhamdulilah. Ramadan is fast approaching, and as such, I thought it a timely endeavour to start a community blog for us to share knowledge, advice, reminders and words of support during this blessed time.

In the Quran, it is stated that 'the month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion' (Surat Al Baqarah 2:185)

So let us embrace the mercy and blessings of this month. Share your journeys, post your inspired comments and give goodness some much-welcomed momentum.

I will add those to this blog who wish to officially participate, but it is open for all to posts their comments.

wasalam,
Rafa