Sweet and Sour

Last updated on: January 13, 2014 at 12:42 pm by Admin GrowMama

Sweet and Sour 2014-01-13T12:42:38-04:00 Admin GrowMama

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.

I roll out the prayer mat and place my feet, shoulder width apart, onto the rug. I pause and take a few deep breaths to focus on the act I am about to begin. I whisper Allah’s name over and over again until I feel the tension within break apart, feel my chest expand and my muscles loosen. I make my intention and raise my hands to my ears. Allahu Akbar.

I move slowly through the first rakah, praying with the mindfulness that Allah is watching me. I move into sajdah, forehead and nose touching the floor in praise of my Lord. It’s all going smoothly. I’m focused and feeling close to my Creator, only the hum of blessed silence pulsing around me and then—“Moooommmmyyyyy!” I pretend I don’t hear it. I’m having a spiritual moment. It’s me and Allah, just me and— “Mooooommmmmyyyyy! Where arrrreee yooouuu?” Dammit! Astaghfirullah, did I just say “dammit” in my salat? Yes I did.

Somehow I manage to pound out the remainder of the prayer, in between snapping my fingers, clapping, and knocking on the floor (in vain) to signal quiet. The calm I possessed at the start of prayer has vanished.

The thing is, my son knows better. He knows how to behave during salat. He’s the kid you can take to the masjid and know that (most of the time) he will be quiet and well behaved. But, like a true kid, sometimes he forgets. I should have paid closer attention in my child psychology class in undergrad. Perhaps they explained the fickle ways of children; how the same kid who can pray an entire prayer next to you, or quickly push their internal mute button and scurry away when they see you are praying, can also be the kid who crawls on your back while you are prostrating. Or race cars across your prayer rug (complete with zooming noises), or stand in front of you while you pray continuously calling your name, oblivious to the fact that you are spiritually occupied.

Sweet and sour is what I call it. My son and I even discovered a children’s book about it: Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie by Norton Juster. We read it, exchanging nervous glances, and laughs, sometimes wholeheartedly, sometimes uneasily. I swear we were thinking the same thought: Gee, this sounds familiar. There’s no solution for it; I just try to soak up the sweet moments and bite my tongue through the sour. If I can make it through them without becoming equally sour then I feel like I won. And we talk about it, my son and I, about how we make each other angry or frustrated. As for prayer, I’m getting better at taking a deep breath and reminding him in a carefully constructed calm voice of the proper etiquette for salat. When anger doesn’t work you have to try something different, right? At least I know—when he’s being sweetie pie—that he was listening.

Ambata Nazi-Kance

Ambata is a writer. She lives in New Orleans, LA with her husband and son. She blogs about writing and other things at www.aknthoughtsonthings.wordpress.com.

Parenthood

children

concentration in prayer

Previous Post

January 7, 2014

The Cup

Next Post

January 21, 2014 GrowMama Blast from the Past: Drawing a Hadith

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book and Movie Reviews Community Connecting with Allah Counselor's Corner Environment fatherhood five stars GrowBaba Spotlight GrowMama Picks Growmama Roundup Health Light Fare marriage Motherhood Reflections moving Parenthood Photography Poems Schooling Self-development tragedy Tutorials Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 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 November 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How long did judges rule over Israel?

Select your answer to see how you score.

400 years 300 years 250 years 350 years