Sin and Ramadan…and me.
I penned something prior to Ramadan starting. Reflecting, I feel it was a good exercise. Last night I thought about that shirt piece and Ramadan almost ending. Here’s the link:
Firstly, happy last ten nights of Ramadan for you Muslim readers. Almost there. May God help us finish strong. Secondly, this was a rough Ramadan. I’m down to 173 pounds. My smartwatch says I’ve averaged four hours of sleep, partly because of time management and partly because of my milestone achieving one year old. My sister said once parenting is all the feelings at once, highs and lows at the same time. That helps me keep things in perspective when I get sleepless.
This Ramadan, I’ve taken a strong liking to tarāwīh prayer. Tarāwīh is the night prayers doke usually at a mosque during Ramadan. It’s super communal. Sunset at seven o’clock or almost then (the time changes along with the length of the day) and eight-thirty baby bedtime. No real time for the mosque.
As the nights came and went, I thought of me and my choices. There was a fight at work where two of the three were Muslim. Another inmate shared with me that as he tried to stop the fight from happening, he told one of the Muslims that it’s Ramadan. “We can’t be doing this.” He continued saying that one Ramadan, he realized after talking with another Muslim that with the devil locked up in hell, it’s just him. All the wrongs, the decisions, it’s just him. When I look back at my own month, I think about my choices and me. I’ve progressed since last Ramadan. I’m confident in that. Was it a 10/10? No.
We have to build stronger, faster, and better. Imam Zaid often told us that Islam is a marathon and not a sprint. There’ll be moments where you will level up. Ramadan is the uphill part of the race. When we choose, remember, that’s all of us. The good and the bad. God forgive us. Let’s hang out the rest of this month.
And a happy ‘Eīd al-Fitr!
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