Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

altmuslim

Home
Muslim
Finding My Ramadan High in Togetherness

Finding My Ramadan High in Togetherness

Last updated on: June 17, 2016 at 5:40 pm by Guest Contributor

Finding My Ramadan High in Togetherness 2016-06-17T17:40:05-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo from pixabay

This is day 12 of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series.

By Edina Lekovic

For me, Ramadan is a deep spiritual spring cleaning for the soul. Like many Muslims, I set goals each year even, as I dread its arrival and the disruption it causes. The lost sleep, the hunger pangs, the crankiness — challenges inside and out. But that’s also the beauty I find in it as soon as I enter: The disruption in my regular routine forces a kind of reset to my senses and a chance to identify and break through stubborn habits.

A few weeks ago, as Ramadan was creeping ever closer, I got that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had been working a lot, not sleeping enough, snacking a lot and relying on caffeine for energy. Oh, and co-parenting two kids under the age of five.

But by the middle of my first day, I fell into the feeling of Ramadan. For me, refraining from food and drink has the most powerful effect on my thoughts. Instead of thinking ahead to the next “treat” or indulgence to offset stress and activity, my mind doesn’t get that luxury and instead find itself thinking more (albeit more slowly) about other things that have higher value.

Plus the length and pace of a day feels completely different. I have a great deal of creative energy because I have the incentive of making the day go by more quickly and boy, have these past 10 days been busy ones.

A week ago we experienced the moving celebration of the life of Muhammad Ali, and ess than two days later, the devastating heartache of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. I find myself in a deep state of emotional upheaval and yet, I remain determined to live the words of the Quran: “Repel evil with what is better and see how the one who is like your worst enemy can become a close friend” (41:34).

My highest spiritual moments in these first 10 days have taken place not in prayer but in the act of togetherness. Last week, I mourned Muhammad Ali with every single person I came across and felt connected by a collective charge of love and commitment to speak your truth. It was the first time in a very long time that I felt Islam could be viewed as truly American faith, and American Muslims valued for their contributions.

On Monday night, I stood on the steps of the Islamic Center of Southern California with more than 100 of my fellow Angelenos — Muslim, Christian, Jewish, atheist, LBGTQ of a slew of races and ethnicities — to join hands and hearts in love and solidarity and reject violence and hatred in the wake of the Orlando mass shootings. I heard the leaders of my community declare their solidarity with LGBTQ people, who have stood for human and civil rights of American Muslims time and again and deserve the same from us.

On Tuesday night, I was at L.A. City Hall for its annual Interfaith Iftar, which honored L.A. Muslim pioneers (including my boss MPAC President Salam Al-Marayati!) and included a moving testimonial from a gay Latino Muslim man about grieving Orlando from his intersectional identity. The mayor and a host of officials gathered to recognize Muslims and express their solidarity and appreciation for American Muslims’ contributions in community bridge building and service.

And last night, I spent my iftar with my dear friends and the mother of one of us who has battled cancer for the more than a year and is making significant progress in her fight. Having iftar together and celebrating her was a kind of spiritual group hug that energized each one of us and reminded us how blessed we are to have one another to lean on.

In every one of these settings, I felt my community of people express love in honor of God and our common cause. At some point in each gathering, I felt myself tune in to the divine spirit of God. It’s a moment of internal hum that is the closest I have ever experienced to a moment of inner peace. The union of hearts inclined to goodness and mutual support — particularly in dark times — is the purpose of faith in my book.

I’ve been blessed to get a heaping serving of that nourishes my empty stomach and fills my aching heart.

For me, these “togetherings” have acted as a supplement to the ritual act of prayer that I have also been trying to cultivate more. They feed my desire to speak to God and find connection, and for that I am especially grateful, because I have struggled with finding some kind of “zing” in my prayer life for years now.

Getting to spend my Ramadan intertwined with my overlapping circles of friends, colleagues and communities pouring beauty into the world is a big part of what actually drives me to pray, to express gratitude to God for the blessings among the unrelenting crises. For helping me see the opportunity for good in each crisis we face — the “crisortunity” that can allow for massive good to come out of horrendous situations.

This spring cleaning for my soul came right on time. Not how I pictured it but exactly as I needed it. It’s an affirmation of the power of community in all shapes and forms and the interconnectedness of human life.

My biggest lesson so far this Ramadan? You can access the powerful zing of connection to the Almighty through what Muhammad Ali put simply in a two word poem: “Me. We.” And God and love are the glue.

Edina Lekovic is a communications strategist, with more than 15 years of experience of making lemons into lemonade through her work with the Muslim Public Affairs Council. She is a proud board member and co-founder of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change.

30 Days 30 Writers (2016)

Previous Post

June 16, 2016

Getting into the Flow of Ramadan: Taking the Shame out of Menstruation

Next Post

June 18, 2016 Who is Being Excluded in Our Muslim Communities?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Elections 30 Dayd 30 Writers (2017) 30 Days 30 Writers 30 Days 30 Writers (2015) 30 Days 30 Writers (2016) 30 Days 30 Writers (2018) 30 Days 30 Writers 2017 Ali Asadullah Ali Eteraz Alper Bilgili Arthur Richards Asides Asma Uddin Black History Month Briefings Charles Turner Commentary Cyrus McGoldrick Eman H Aly Fatimah Popal Hajj Hajj and Dhul Hijjah Hesham Hassaballa Hisham Hellyer Ibrahim Abusharif Inas Younis Irfan Yusuf Jalal Baig Junaid Afeef Laila Alawa Laila Alwala Mas'ood Cajee Muqtedar Khan Nakia Jackson Newsmakers Parvez Ahmed Podcasts Rabia Chaudry Rafia Zakaria Ramadan Reviews Safiyyah Ally Saud Inam Shahed Amanullah Svend White The Opinionated Oncologist Visions Wajahat Ali Zahed Amanullah Zahir Janmohamed Zainab Khan

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peace Salvation Deliverance Victory