Part I | Part II | Part III

Casablanca, Morocco

If only I was equipped with a telescope so I could determine the first night of Ramadan myself, because time was passing by and it was the first of August, but no Moroccans seemed to be buzzing about with the spirit of the holy month. I eagerly awaited another month of starvation and spiritual reflection, trying to time my trip in Casablanca accurately so that I could pray the first Taraweeh prayer in the Hassan II mosque among thousands of believers.

I was in the middle of a souk when the call to Maghrib, or sunset-time prayer, was announced on a local speakerphone on a minaret. An immediate sense of jubilation came over me as I began to realize that Ramadan had begun. Eagerly, I took a break from the shopping and entered the small mosque through a hidden staircase behind one of the souk stores.

I was disoriented but couldn’t care less as I roamed about upstairs not realizing I needed to put my shoes in a bag. I went down again, retrieved one, and climbed back up. After performing wudu, or ablution before prayer, I found a seat on a stylized red carpet in a seemingly empty room. I felt prepared to engage in my first few moments of spiritual growth while observing the Moroccan women around me flip through the Quran. I prayed Maghrib and left the souk.

Oussama and I toured around the King’s palace for a little while before making our way to the large park in central
Casablanca. It truly felt like Ramadan when I was pulled by the arm by a Moroccan lady and was motioned by her to sit down on a mini stool that was too short for my petite legs, even.

Within minutes, my hands were covered in beautiful floral designs in henna, the traditional leaf-extract dye that is used for celebrations. Since I already passed as a Moroccan on the streets, I felt even more like a native. My appearance became such a tool for deception–with the hijab, tanned skin, and Arab-style scarf, it was especially more now that I had henna on my hands!

Little did I know that Morocco was actually one of the only countries in the world that did not begin Ramadan according to the Saudi Arabian moon-sighting. I spent that entire evening in denial about how I began my Ramadan!

The taxi driver looked at me in a panicked state and exclaimed, “Quran! Quran!” Frantically attempting to communicate with me in Arabic, he hoped that we would at least understand each other through a commonality of faith. I nodded in agreement and felt a sense of relief.

Although we were worlds apart due to our language barrier, it all disseminated at the sound of the Quranic recitation. Thankfully, I found a hotel.

My Casablancan experience wouldn’t begin until two days later, after spending the entire time between the bed and the bathroom. Once I was back on my feet, I met up with a friend, Oussama, who was suggested to me by Aya, a friend I met in Spain. Oussama eagerly awaited to be a sort of Moroccan tour guide for me.

We began our journey by walking through the maze of the souks, or Moroccan bazaar, which usually signify the existence of a medina, or old city. As Moroccans proclaim, the souks are easy to get into, but very difficult to get out from due to the winding ins and outs of the paths.

I must admit, I had to put aside my American “I’m-an-independent-woman” attitude when following behind him through the souk. I also had to put it aside when I relied on Oussama to translate my bargaining skills while shopping for some Moroccan jillaba, or long dress. Somehow, the bargaining was lost in translation and I paid higher than I felt I should have.

Amelia Noor supplicates in front of the Hassan II mosque.

Compared to Fez, the weather in Casablanca was very pleasant. I felt the oceanic breeze coming in from the Atlantic which was just meters away. Oussama and I ventured to the Hassan II mosque the next day. We decided to walk three kilometers from my hotel to the mosque, which allowed me to observe Moroccans. In the hour long walk it took to reach the mosque, we witnessed a car accident and dusty winds. The minaret of the mosque was visible for at least half of our walk, signifying its grandeur.

I walked around the courtyard of the mosque, imagining how it could hold 150,000 worshipers at once, since it is the third largest mosque in the world. The tile work on the walls of the mosque were intricately connected by a turquoise-green color that dominated the palette vividly. It seemed that the mosque was only one color from this view. The smell of fish from the ocean and the sound of raging waves literally embraced the perimeter of the mosque.

Outside the courtyard, I was hopping off of large stones that were placed to form a man-made beach near the mosque. I sat on one of the stones and watched as some youth in swim shorts dived from the courtyard of the mosque, now a make-shift diving board, into the Atlantic.

Part I | Part II | Part III

Somehow the stars seemed to be aligned just right, because my fortune could not have been better. I embarked on my dream to live in Muslim countries during the month of Ramadan this year.

Hassan II mosque. (Flickr/Robbie's Photo Art)

Anxiously awaiting Ramadan to begin while in the middle of Fez, Morocco, I wondered what it would be like to walk to taraweeh (the night prayer) with a crowd of spiritual bodies waiting to pray to our Lord.

The next day I was on a train to Casablanca, where the famous Hassan II Mosque was erected just a few decades back. I wandered around the city without orientation, trying to communicate in my broken Arabic to the taxi driver that I didn’t book a hotel. My anxiety was unresolved through the evening, leading into the sunset. The matter was not about having a place to sleep at night; rather, it was about safety. I entered a different taxi in hopes that I would find one– never had I come to a city so unprepared. But I had no time back in Fez, because I was growing sicker by the minute.

Finally, I found another taxi cab since this driver could be of no assistance. I tried to communicate to him that I wanted to go to the center of the city to find a hotel. To my dismay, the center of the city was kilometers away from the Mosque. As the driver accelerated faster to ascend the on-ramp of the freeway, I began to yell. “Wrong way, wrong way!”

Although I am usually a composed individual, and very calm during mishaps, something unleashed the anxiety in me and tears began escaping so quickly it was hard to keep up with a napkin. I cried because I could not communicate, I cried because I had no place to stay, I cried because I was in this man’s taxi at the late hours of night. I prayed more sincerely in those few minutes than I did for the length of my trip thus far. God, please, just keep me safe. As long as I am safe…

The driver, experiencing the dilemma of catering to my emotional outburst versus attending to the road, was at a loss for repair. A few seconds later, the Quran began playing. Subhanallah.

To be continued…

Source: Flickr/ Itinerant Tightwad

As a member of the South Asian community, I have attended numerous iftars that seem more like parties than iftar gatherings. If you’re a Muslim you’re probably thinking, “Iftar ‘parties’ and ‘gatherings’ are the same thing, dummy!”

Sadly, our community has failed to distinguish between the kind of parties we host during most of the year and the kind of gatherings we should host in the blessed month of Ramadan. An extravagant iftar “party” ends up taking a big chunk of our night away from gaining the good deeds Allah offers to us so generously in this wonderful month.

At these parties usually so much food is prepared for the iftar andthe dinner that by the end of the night, many have adjusted their belts and buttons to accommodate their full stomachs. Sometimes people take more food than they can handle and end up throwing it away.

We seem to forget that in these short summer nights there’s not that much time between the start of maghrib and ishaa. At these type of iftar parties, the ishaa and taraweeh prayer at the masjid are usually missed due to the lengthy duration of these parties. Appalled by this excessiveness,  my family decided to host a different kind of iftar this year. By utilizing these techniques, we were able to have a more successful iftar gathering:

• Tell guests beforehand of your intention to attend ishaa prayer at the local masjid.
• Make a couple of signs to remind everyone not to waste food. For example, one sign can remind the guests of the condition in East Africa. Another can remind that God does not like wastefulness.
• Make a moderate amount of food dishes so as to not take too much time from your worship in cooking. This will prevent overindulgence and wastage of food at the iftar.
• Break the fast simply with dates and milk. Then, pray maghrib in congregation with your guests.
• After prayer, serve dinner. Gentlemen, try to let ladies and children go first!
• Try your best to make time for a small halaqah or Islamic reminder about Ramadan. You can serve tea and sweets with the talk. Imagine how much Allah swt and the angels will love listening to us talk about our religion rather than gossip or politics!
• Keep an eye on the clock to make sure you do not miss the ishaa prayer at the masjid!

Previous iftars I have either been a part of hosting or attending have usually left me feeling guilty at the end of the night. This kind of carefully planned iftar, on the other hand, ended up enhancing the productivity of the night and allowed us to also earn extra good deeds for feeding our fasting guests!

Try to recall the last time you achieved something big, commendable, note-worthy. Straight A’s? A promotion? Election into a high position? Admission into a competitive university?

Most of us have experienced the sweetness of success. Some of us view it as a blessing. Fewer of us recognize the Source of it and remember to thank Him.

But it’s so easy to be blinded by the brightness of our achievements, to convince ourselves that it was our own hands that earned our accomplishments. We pat ourselves on the back and then we look around to make sure others also recognize our work.

I have been fortunate enough to know a few people that serve as great role models in the case of humility. I have never received any news of their accomplishments from their own mouths and it’s not until I read about it in the news or hear it announced at an event that I come to know of some of the truly remarkable things they have done.

When I give my congratulations, I notice them tolerate it but never welcome it warmly into their hearts (or heads).  That’s when I truly realized how important our intentions are.

For when we do something to seek other people’s appreciation, we are not satisfied until they take notice of it. But when we do it for God alone, for His pleasure, the only Being we desire recognition from already knows.

Then, He rewards us both for our intentions and our actions. “… But what is with your Lord is better and more lasting” (20:31).  And that is enough for us.

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Badr. The day when Muslims, greatly outnumbered by their opponents, came out victorious with the assistance of God. One timeless lesson from that day that God even reminds us of in the Qur’an is that success comes only from God.

“And already had Allah given you victory at Badr while you were few in number. Then fear Allah; perhaps you will be grateful.” (3:123)

InshAllah with just a few easy steps (literally), you can stay healthy while gaining the spiritual benefit that comes with exercise this Ramadan.

Walk to buy your groceries

Source: Flickr/ Kate McCarthy

We all know how easy it is to opt out of walking and take the car instead, especially when we begin to feel lethargic from fasting. But throughout the day, our metabolism greatly slows down due to the absence of food and water. Taking just a 30 minute walk is enough to speed up your metabolism so that by the time iftar comes, your body is less likely to store all the carbs as fat.

For many college students there is most likely a market walking distance from school or residential area. Refine your intentions to walk to buy your food; think about the Muslims in other countries that must walk miles just for clean water and food and then carry them all the way back. To walk for food in solidarity with these fellow brothers and sisters allows for spiritual growth.

Keep track of how much time you spend on social networking and media while fasting.

As we become more anxious to eat towards iftar, it becomes more appealing to kill time by with entertainment. We all know that this time really should be spent more productively, especially towards spiritual growth. Catch yourself when you begin to spend a little too much time in front of the computer or TV during Ramadan and think about how much time you spent doing those activities.

Begin by replacing just 30 minutes with taking a walk around the block in order to get the minimum amount of exercise your body needs while fasting.

Didn’t make time to work out a little while fasting? Eat healthy!

It’s a common misconception that losing weight is easier during Ramadan when, unfortunately, gaining weight is usually

Photo taken by Flickr user Shutter Ferret

more common. Fasting the entire day often leads people to think that it’s okay to eat a large amount of food. But because metabolism is much slower than normal after fasting, carbohydrates are more readily stored as fat and in turn, contribute to weight gain.

Considering how late iftar is over the summer, it’s essential to monitor caloric intake. Make simple adjustments to your iftar dinners, like avoid eating simple carbohydrates and “empty calories” (food high in calories but low in nutritional value). You can renew your intentions for iftar by making food choices that are balanced and healthy for your body.

Don’t feel like leaving the house? Stretch!

This simple exercise allows for muscles to stay engaged, allowing for increased blood flow and metabolism regulation. If you are not used to stretching, start out by looking up simple stretches for your back and legs that can be done while sitting.

Yoga is also excellent during Ramadan for this reason. It is low impact, easy to do at home, and keeps you in good shape without causing fatigue. Stretching and yoga helps you appreciate the mobility and fine movements Allah (swt) has blessed you with.

If you are an athlete, do not over-train!

Understand your limits during Ramadan. In this month, do not try to push yourself to a new level as you will lack the adequate caloric intake needed for this adjustment while you are fasting.

Normally after an intense workout it is important to have protein and fluids to replenish lost nutrients and prevent muscle wasting. This is why weight-lifting while fasting should be avoided!

Instead, modify your workout by choosing cardio activities with moderate resistance, such as swimming and jogging. And most importantly, listen to your body and take a break if you need to!

Have a healthy and productive Ramadan!

Being away from home for the first time, many other Muslim students face the same unexpected challenges of having to wake up for suhoor on their own without a parent to drag them out of bed or making it through an exhausting day on campus only to come home to no food to break their fast with.

Yet for Teebi, the hardest part is being away from family.

“It’s difficult to be away from your family, especially during Ramadan. It’s a time where everyone always eats together and everyone gets ready together and goes to the mosque. It’s the small stuff.” Teebi said.

And the food situation?

“Food, that’s a big thing,” she says with a laugh, “usually in Ramadan there will be something prepared for you. Sure you might help out in the preparation but it’s not completely on you. Over here when I’m on campus, sometimes I come home and it’s already 8:30- past iftar- and I don’t have anything prepared and I’m just really tired after a long day.”

So what does she do to feed herself?

“I think if I’m making something for myself, it would probably just be a sandwich. I mean I made one really gross sandwich, something I just threw together, and I tried to make it more ‘meal-ish’ but it was a fail.”

For many Muslim students at UCLA, the Muslim Students Association (MSA) helps to fill the void of being on your own during Ramadan to a certain extent.

Prayer mats are set out at MSA UCLA’s community iftar. Photo by Asmar Ghani

“The MSA is a really good support system, like with the communal iftars and people going to prayer together, so I think that’s cool. I think that helps distract you from your loneliness I guess.” It also helps to feed college students who have not been in the practice of cooking.

Despite the challenges of being on her own this time of year, Teebi is finding a way to make it through.

“…It’s manageable,” she says, taking it all in stride.

iPad advertisement (Source: Flickr/ dryfish)

The month of Ramadan we have just entered  is a time when we purify ourselves from our physical and worldly desires.  While we curb our temptations in this month to detach ourselves from this dunya, this consumer society we live in, conversely, encourages indulging in the desires of our nafs, our ego.

It’s really unfortunate that the best description of a consumer in these times would be ‘unsatisfied’.

There’s always a newer version, a ‘better’ version we convince ourselves. The latest version is now able to do something it hadn’t been able to do before, or its competitors weren’t able to provide, and suddenly we realize our lives cannot be the same without it.  The desire suddenly becomes a need.

We can’t blame solely ourselves for feeling this way. Companies invest a big chunk of their money on advertising and marketing to have their products and services appeal to consumers. Some companies even study consumers to learn their likes and dislikes. They aim to cater to our personalities and target our desires with accuracy.

Some of these products have enhanced our lives in productive way and I appreciate their values. But to become smart shoppers we have to evaluate ourselves individually to determine if we are being fooled by ads to buy something we don’t really need. In this economy, asking ourselves some basic yet critical questions before purchasing can save us a lot of money as well. Here are some questions:

1. What purpose will this product fulfill in MY life?  (What are MY needs?)
2. Do I already own something else that fulfills this purpose?
3. Can I find this product or another one with a similar purpose at a cheaper price elsewhere?
4. Are there any coupons, rebates, or deals I can find/wait for before I purchase this product?
5. For expensive electronics, have I done the proper homework in researching?

Making lists like these and implementing them to our worldly desires and luxuries will help ensure that we do not overfeed our nafs and prevent us from becoming too attached to this world by prioritizing our needs over our wants.

It will allow us to go from being  unsatisfied consumers to satisfied and content “travelers”  who are aware that this dunya,  the inferior world, is only a means to reach our ultimate destination of the next life.

The word “itikaf” is used in the Holy Quran in different forms such as “aakifun” or “al aakifeen”. Literally, it means confinement to a specific thing or place, or retreat and seclusion, while technically it means to confine oneself for sometime to a mosque in order to stay there to worship or at least to withdraw oneself from worldly business.

This practice of seclusion is almost in each religion, and even the Meccans and the idolaters of the Arabian Peninsula used to perform the same practice for a few days annually or periodically.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to perform itikaf even before receiving the message. He was in seclusion in the cave of Hira when he received the message for the first time. While coming back from the city of Ta’if, he again performed this practice as Messenger in that same cave.

The Prophet (pbuh) used to fast in Mecca even before the fasting in Ramadan became mandatory.

Upon his migration to Madina, and when fasting in Ramadan became mandatory, he used to perform “Itikaf” in the last 10 days of Ramadan in the mosque. In the last year of his life, he did it for 30 days and nights which was considered an indication that he would not live until the next Ramadan.

“Itikaf” is a type of solitude and meditation to reach a state of mental tranquil and spiritual peace, and to clean, purify and sanctify one’s inner self.

When one becomes secluded and withdrawn from worldly business in a place of worship, he will be thinking of his Creator and will also feel a connection with his Creator, which will result in mental peace.

To perform “Itikaf” is “Sunnah Kifa’I”, which means it was the practice of the Prophet (pbuh), and that at least one individual from each community must perform it. Otherwise, on the Day of Judgment, the entire community would be held accountable for not performing “itikaf”. One may perform a “Nafil” type of “itikaf” in a Masjid for one or two days, or even for an hour according to Imam Shafi, Imam Yusuf, and Imam Muhammad.

“Itikaf” should be in a Mosque where the five daily prayers are held and prayed, and it is recommended that Friday prayer also be prayed there. However, if Friday prayer is not held at that Masjid, he may travel to another nearby masjid, but should not waste time outside the masjid while in itikaf (according to the Hanafi School). Imam Ahmad says it must be in a Masjid where the five daily prayers are performed, and Imam Malik and Imam Shafi allow itikaf in any Masjid.

One who is in “itikaf” must not go out of Masjid but for a reasonable cause such as using the bathroom if it is outside of the Masjid, or to the kitchen if that is outside as well, as these are unavoidable needs. To travel outside of the masjid without reasonable cause would break one’s itikaf. According to the Hanafi School, one may make it up next time.

Women may also perform “itikaf” in their homes at their specified prayer areas.

For the purpose of “itikaf”, all mosques are equal, but if someone gave a pledge to Allah that he will do “itikaf” in Haram Makki, or Haram Madani, or in Baitul Maqdis, then he is bound to do it where he said.

The prerequisites of itikaf are Islam, sanity, maturity, intention, fasting, to be pure and clean from menses and bleeding after child birth (in the case of women) and from “junabat”, and to be in Masjid (in case of men).

In “itikaf”, any type of worship of Allah is recommended. These include recitation of the Holy Quran, remembrance of Allah, asking for forgiveness, the study of religious literature, and the avoidance of useless talk and useless acts.

The feeling experienced in itikaf cannot be generalized for everyone, since each individual may experience a different feeling. However, in brief, itikaf brings one mental tranquil, a feeling of self-control, and a connection to Allah swt.

The Prophet (pbuh) said whosoever performs itikaf for one day for the sake of Allah, Allah will put 3 trenches between him and the hellfire, and every trench will have the distance between the heavens and the earth.

A child sits with a plate of food that was distributed as part of the holy month of Ramadan, at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)