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Ramadan Reflections

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Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic lunar calendar and is celebrated by over 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide. This month, Muslims worldwide fast (abstain from food or water) from dawn to dust for 30 days. However, we don’t only abstain from food or water, and we obtain from gossiping, sex, bad habits, and more. Muslims are encouraged to give charity, volunteer, and give back to the community. Ramadan is a month of purification and inner healing, and it is when we discipline ourselves and let go of our lower desires to strive to be our best selves.

This Ramadan, I wrote a poem about my thoughts on my first day of fasting for the month. I first talk about hunger. When we are hungry, it is natural to feel lethargic and of low energy, but surprisingly enough, it makes me aware of everything, I can focus on my schoolwork, and I am in tune with all my emotions. While fasting can be overwhelming and exhausting sometimes, there’s a hidden peace behind the process of it.

Ramadan Reflections: 04-03-22

There’s a stillness in hunger which I cannot explain.

My body moves slowly,

but I am in touch with everything.

I pick up the pieces of my soul again.

I maneuver with a type of grace I no longer need to pretend.

I can trace my sins and turn back to You,

knowing that one day,

I will come back to You.

there’s a stillness in hunger which I cannot explain,

but what I do know is only You can take away my pain – @nimras.canvas

The last two stanzas discuss my thoughts about God and myself. The first line of “…trace my sins and turn back to You” portrays me thinking of all my bad habits and trying to build new ones so I can turn back to God. The “You” refers to God, and “I will come back to You” refers to my thoughts on death and how I believe that I will go back to God at the end of my lifetime.

The last line in the last stanza of my poem signifies the rawness of Ramadan. As I stated before, Ramadan makes me in tune with all my emotions, including the painful ones. The last line reminds me that only God can take away my pain.

Many Muslims have different experiences in Ramadan because the month is challenging physically, mentally, and spiritually. However, the community is the strongest during Ramadan because many of us are fasting simultaneously and have a shared unity to relate to. Here is a video of a crowd of Muslims praying in NYC before breaking their fast (having iftar/dinner).

Khaled comments, “This video of Muslims praying in NYC is triggering a lot of rage. So… here it is again”. I think the video triggered rage because Islamophobia still exists, and hate crimes against Muslims are still relevant in today’s society. As a visibly Muslim woman and POC, I have experienced some hateful comments and micro-aggressions, and it is hurtful to see people be so cruel. However, it doesn’t stop Muslims from showing up and practicing our peaceful religion, and I hope more people can see its beauty.

References

https://www.statista.com/topics/3796/ramadan-2017/

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The post Ramadan Reflections first appeared on NimrasCanvas.