💌 Ramadan

Salaam friends,

Growing up in Yemen, Ramadan used to change every facet of life. The schedule of the whole country changed: school started later, we stayed up late either in the mosque or playing soccer under blinking street lamps, and the stores never seemed to close. I remember the first year I fasted, I was 8 or 9, and everyone was impressed by my discipline, and that made me feel like an adult.

But as I grew I understood that Ramadan is more than a month of fasting from food and drink, it's a month that feeds the soul. We understand our bodies, we know when we are in pain, and we know who to consult. There are specialists for every organ, and there is a medication for illnesses people used to die from 100 years ago. Penicillin was discovered in 1928, which saved more lives than we can count today. But what about the soul? how do we feel when it's ill? how do you treat pain that you can feel but doctors can’t pinpoint its source? The closet terms we can use that point toward the soul are merely psychological, and we are only scratching the surface of mental health.

Ramadan is the only month when I feel my soul levitating. I feel one with the world. My perspective on life, materialism, religion, and purpose is sharp and balanced. It’s the month most of us use to heal our souls from illnesses we didn’t know we had.

Ramadan always reminds me of death. But this reminder isn’t grim and dark, but hopeful and productive. Maybe this will be the last Ramadan I will fast, I think to myself, and if so what is it that I want to accomplish? That’s how I set personal goals and habits I want to continue after Ramadan. It’s also the time I use to forgive people who might have hurt me and apologize to those I wronged.

This is the month we showcase the best version of ourselves.

📖 Books I’m reading?

🚧 Productivity tip

🎧 What am I listening to?

I’m listening to Imam Omar Suleiman's lecture on Fueling Your Faith: A Guide to Preparing for Ramadan.

https://www.youtube.com/live/ciAZqaGsG-U?feature=share

🏗️ Project I’m working

I’m thinking of starting a 30-day journal for Ramadan, then sharing my reflections or the things that crossed my mind after. I’ve never done this before and I’m curious what insights the process will offer.

Like this email using the “More like this” button at the bottom, if you're in favor of the journal idea.

💎 New From Me

A few years ago, I struggled to find a community of writers that would help me become a better writer. Nothing compares to working with a group of people with a common passion— not classes, books, or mentors. Watch the clips from my conversation with Priyanka Taslim on where aspiring writers can find their own community.

🔖 Quote I’m pondering

“I understood existence to be transcendent early on that if I believed that there was nothing to life except for life, I would be a very bitter person.”

— Imam Omar Suleiman

📸 Through My Lens