Photo by Guy Calaf for The New York Times
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliott profiles 3 young American Muslims, including me, in her most recent article, Generation 9/11, about the generation that came of age in the post-9/11 decade.
It’s humbling to read your own story told by someone else. More reflections later, God willing.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet with Muslims who’ve experienced spiritual crises of faith, which caused them to reconsider their belief in Islam or leave it altogether. And I’ve experienced a few of my own, which made me re-evaluate my understanding of my faith and religious identity.
One of the main mental stumbling blocks, which held be back from becoming a Muslim was my fear of imperfection manifested in sins I thought I might possibly commit at some point in the future. I wanted to learn as much as I could about Islam so that I could know what I was getting into and what I signed up for. Muslims believe that the one’s previous sins are washed away by conversion to the faith so I wanted to make sure that I remained in that purest of states, forever.
I can smile now looking back at my fairly innocent naiveté. For all the books I read that gave a nice overview of Islam, I didn’t know that God loves for us to turn to him in repentance when we make a mistake or sin so that he can forgives us. I didn’t know the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) informing us of the reality that every one of us commits sins and that the best of us in the sight of God are the ones who repent the most.
I wanted to be perfect but perfection is not an inherent quality of human beings. After much difficulty, I’ve come to realize that while I can strive for perfection, I’m also okay turning to God to forgive me when I fall short. This has been a hard realization and is still a continual process.
The Muslim community like any religious group can be incredibly compassionate or unforgiving. I’ve actually found more liberal-minded Muslims to be among the most open, honest and welcoming of others. There seems to be a “come as you are” philosophy among them. While in more conservative communities, I’ve found the philosophy tends toward the “pretend to be perfect or don’t come at all” mentality.
The “come as you are” philosophy can be problematic in that it sometimes overshadows or negates any religious boundaries. But the latter philosophy can also be problematic in forcing individuals, according to Wajahat Ali, “to perpetually lie, subvert, hide and pretend due to upholding a fairy-tale of a life just so others will not condemn, mock, ridicule, or exploit them for their fallibilities.“
I’ve seen converts and born Muslims move away from Islam because they cannot reconcile between being a flawed human being that makes mistakes and the religious perfection hypocritically demanded by many of their equally flawed co-religionists.
I sometimes just want to say to them and to myself, it’s okay, come to Islam as you are, you’re not broken, turn to God, and forget about the criticism from others. I’m deeply flawed but I’m still Muslim and so are you. Continue reading
Early on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of the month of Ramadan, I was awakened by the increase in light emanating from outside my bedroom window. It took a few minutes for me to realize that the power, which had been knocked out by the heavy winds and rain of Hurricane Irene had been restored.
Deprivation and loss brings about a new sense of humility and thankfulness. The electricity restoration was one of the best Eid gifts I’ve ever received. I’m thankful first and foremost to God and then also to Pepco, our utility company.
I arrived early to the Eid prayer but was a little disappointed that on such a beautiful day, we would be praying inside on an indoor track at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex rather than on the grass next to FedEx Field. I suppose plannng considerations around Hurricane Irene may have forced a change of venue.
The indoor track before the crowds arrived
Later, as the crowds begin to arrive
The Men
The Women
Eid Mubarak to all! Wishing everyone a very happy and blessed day even as we feel the pangs of the Ramadan withdrawal symptoms.
I hope we were all able to utilize the blessed month to its fullest.
(Photos from Eid al-Fitr 2010)
Come Early to Avoid the Queues
I love the feeling of praying in a joyous sea of humanity, gotta remember the blessings!
Praying outside FedEx field
Brilliant idea to alleviate perennial traffic issues by praying next to a stadium that is used to having tens of thousands every Sunday for football games.
Just a word for those of you thinking of missing this highly encouraged prayer for work or school today, don’t. Go to one of the early prayers and then do what you have to do. I guarantee that it is not from the sunnah of Allah to disappoint his servant who makes an effort to obey him.
I’ve had midterm exams, clinical days in hospital, and mandatory meetings and trainings at work all fall on Eid. But I prioritized the Eid prayer by informing my supervisors and instructors ahead of time and everything worked out beautifully.
I was able to enjoy and celebrate the day and I didn’t lose out on anything in terms of worldly or material benefit.This past week with the DC earthquake and Hurricane Irene I was reminded of what’s important in life, trust me, religion and family rank way above whatever it is you’re going to do today at work or school.
The Dar us Salaam community in College Park, Md has lost the use of its musalla for large events like Friday prayer, Eid, and tarawih. For the last couple of years, the community has held its Ramadan tarawih prayers at a local Mariott hotel.
This year, in a welcome change, the community prayed at the Reckord Armory gym on the campus of the University of Maryland. I was pleased to see that we would praying without the need to erect a partition. For me, praying behind a partition or barrier or disconnected in a separate room, balcony, or basement degrades the experience of the congregational prayer.
Unfortunately, there was no organized program for children so there was a lot of the usual little kid “marathon” running during the prayer. And being in a gym, on a basketball court no less, is an invitation to play that is hard for many kids to resist.
One day, the imam leading the prayer ended the tarawih early after only four rakah because the noise from the children made it difficult for him to concentrate. Welcome to the club, that’s the regular experience of prayer for so many women in our communities.
Silver Spring, Md
The Islamic Society of Washington (ISWA) was founded primarily by Muslim immigrants from Guyana and Trinidad. I’ve tried to visit ISWA several times since major renovations were recently completed but each time I went the doors were locked.
As a customer service issue, I’d love to see more mosques post their operating hours at their entrances. It’s disheartening to come a mosque only to find it locked and with no way of knowing when it will reopen.
Path to unpaved parking lot
The parking lot was full for evening tarawih prayers so I parked on the grass. It’s dark back there and somewhat muddy. Earlier in the month, I visited the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center and was impressed with the addition of flood lights to illuminate the darker corners of the parking lot.
The main entrance includes a wheelchair ramp
I appreciate that the central entrance is shared by both women and men and that it also wheelchair/stroller accessible.
Your cooperation is appreciated
This sign greets women as they remove their shoes to enter the musalla designated for them. I wonder if there’s a similar sign on the men’s side, if there is, I didn’t see it. Continue reading
Annapolis, Maryland
What a week, this Ramadan came in gently like lamb and appears to be going out with a vengeance like a lion. The death toll stands at twenty-two. Thankfully, I’m okay but like many in the DC area, we’re still without power.
Cell phone service is spotty so you might not be able to reach me. Text is good, trying to conserve my battery for as long as I can. No word or estimate yet from the power company on when power might be restored.
Many iftars at mosques and tarawih and qiyam prayers across the DC metro region were cancelled last night in advance of Hurricane Irene.
