Ramadan Reflections, Day 22: Angry and Tired

Today I have been angry, grumpy and very tired. I am not well: I’ve got a sore throat, dry cough, a runny nose and a heavy head which has been pulsating with pain all day. It’s not ‘that thing’, but it’s something. I’ve taken out my frustration on myself and on God: I’m angry with …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 21: Open Iftar

One Friday evening during Ramadan I arrived at the magnificent V&A for a particularly special after-hours event. I was about to attend my first Open Iftar in the main hall of one of the most iconic cultural landmarks in London. My attendance was long overdue: the flagship initiative of the Ramadan Tent Project, Open Iftar …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 20: Everything to Play For

How did it get to 20 days already? Technically, as I write this it is the 21st Ramadan; the next day starts when the sun sets, so the day follows the night. Tonight marks the start of the last 10 days of Ramadan, and the precious handful of nights which are rich in worship, charitable …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 19: The Gift of Rest Within Rest

Somebody asked me today what epiphanies I had during Ramadan. Although I loved the question and the open-minded curiosity that prompted it, I was also a little speechless. It felt like a big responsibility to answer that question; to try and distil in a succinct, comprehensive way how Ramadan provided a crank turn in my …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 18: Surah Yusuf

I suspect I’ve written about Surah Yusuf before, but every time I read it - as with the Qu’ran overall - I come across something new and it strikes me in a different way. Whenever I visit the Qu’ran my antenna is tuned to pick up whatever is most pertinent to my condition at that …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 17: Expanding to a Place Where I Belong

Imagine having a conversation which blows a hole in the side of your mind to reveal new, open space. A conversation about love. About faith. About identity. About choices. About God. About belonging. Imagine that conversation opens the possibility of walking into that open space to find belonging. Or at least explore. A space where …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 16: Elevating khushu (Part II)

Whenever somebody asks me to describe what prayer means to me, I answer that it is the greatest act of grace I know and am privileged to receive from God. It is the shore upon which I pull myself and be still for a few precious moments while I reset myself. I do this in …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 15: Khushu (Part I)

Sometimes good things can come in dubious wrappers. In my last post, I wrote about a video I found on YouTube with a title that both angered and disappointed me because of its guilt-stirring fear-mongering language. However, although the means were far from helpful, the kernel of the message was actually worthwhile. The point was …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 14: Fear Isn’t It

I am listening to the recitation of the Qu’ran daily. It is standard practice, almost expected to do this during Ramadan, but whereas many Muslims go to a night-time group recitation at the mosque (taraawih), I listen to it in my own time during the day. I aim to listen to all of it by …

Ramadan Reflections, Day 13: A Small P.S. on Forgiveness

I once wrote an article for the wonderful platform Amaliah about forgiveness. You can read it here. Actually, please do read it for it, for on re-reading it I still find it to be true and relevant to me now. And it is more eloquent than I in my fatigued and slightly scattered state am …