The Daily Maybe #18: Little Things, All The Difference
Lights out, light in.
Prayer is an amazing exchange. You hand over your worries to Allah and Allah hands over his blessings to you.
— Unknown
Hello and welcome to The Daily Maybe! To those observing Ramadhan this year, Mubarak to you; may this month bring serenity and blessings in abundance. Today’s post is for those of us fasting and reconciling with our faith.
It’s also for the curious non-Muslim as well, actually. So whoever you may be, dear Reader, I hope you enjoy today’s post.
Now, I hinted at an appreciation for the little things in life in the title. Thanks to my parents, I’ve always given the smaller goings-on their due recognition; this isn’t some big revelatory post about any epiphany of mine. Instead, this post is merely the story of a reminder I recently received about one of my favourite life lessons.
Let’s begin.
Today’s story took place three nights ago, on the first night of Taraweeh for Ramadhan 2018. For those who may not know, Taraweeh prayers are extra prayers done every night of Ramadhan, with longer rakaats (units of prayer) as the imam recites through the entirety of the Qur’an over the course of the month. It’s a nice time for community, introspection, and closeness to God.
Now, I’ve been going to Taraweeh prayers for years at this point. While I have always enjoyed them to some extent — the time for just thinking while listening to good Qur’anic recitation is always appreciated — I’ve occasionally felt a sense of discomfort during Taraweeh. Though I properly listen and take in what is being recited, the long periods of standing late at night have at times felt like a serious effort.
I do endeavour to push such thoughts to the back of my mind, as the blessings of Taraweeh far outweigh any minor physical inconveniences. Still, I have often thought about what could be done to make the experience just the tiniest bit more comfortable.
My concerns were perfectly addressed three nights ago.
On Wednesday, I went to the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) mosque in the neighbouring city of Mississauga for Taraweeh. Excited to begin Ramadhan once more, I went in content, not expecting anything too different from previous Taraweeh experiences.
How pleasantly surprised I was.
After praying the Isha prayer — the final of the five daily prayers — we stood for Taraweeh. As we did so, all lights in the main hall — save those of the imam’s small enclave — were dimmed. I was surprised; in my experience, no-one had ever done this for prayers before. Though only a small change compared to other Taraweeh nights, it made a world of difference. The imam’s recitation began, and was the only sound in the darkened prayer hall.
I felt immediately at peace.
I was able to listen to and enjoy the recitation, and not even begin to register any mild discomfort from standing for so long. The air was jovial, and my mind was clear. It was, without question, the best Taraweeh experience of my life.
All because the lights were turned down.
One tiny change, a world of difference. Appreciate the little things in life, dear Reader; life is merely a collection of them.
And that’s my story.
🍉 As I said, it’s Ramadhan! This is easily my favourite time of year, and it’s definitely conducive to blogging. That said, I’ve missed the past three days; growing pains of fasting, you see. Happens every year, but is already behind me.
This year is a little different, however. Instead of staying up all night till suhoor (breakfast right before Fajr, the morning prayer), I’m actually sleeping and waking up for it this year, on account of work. Plus, my parents haven’t been too happy about my summer sleep schedule thus far…
As for the daily goings-on, I’m finally experience Fortnite fatigue; the game’s been feeling like a drag as of late. Also, Horizon Zero Dawn currently has me at a damn near impossible fight, making gaming lately kind of annoying. Luckily, I’ve had Rayman Legends to keep me thoroughly entertained in the meantime.
Finally, we’re only a matter of weeks away from the UK fam being free. Some of my friends are graduating (still wrapping my head around that), while others are finishing their first year of university. It’s an exciting time.
Till next we meet,
Sarim
