Ramadan day 4 Madinah Masjid

Monday, July 23, 2012 | Ramadan 4,
1433
Madinah Masjid, 2180 Old Denton Road, Carrollton, TX
75006

I
was completely exhausted today, the fasting really got to me. I was hungry from
Noon down. The only thing that came to my mind was hungry children and people
around the world in Congo, Haiti, Somalia and Burma. The tragedy of Rohingi
people in Burma shatters me… it is the identical humility that the Vietnamese
suffered, and Darfurians and Palestinians are enduring.

A
sense of responsibility grips me and the only possible thing I can do is pray
for them, and through fasting, in my own way, I express solidarity with them,
and empathize with them. Taqwa or spirituality in simple terms is being in tune
with the creation, created and the creator. We feel helpless, yet we feel part
of the whole universe.

My biggest reference point is always Holocaust,
the world did nothing while people were sent to gas chambers, and mercilessly
shot into the ditches… the looks in their eyes was so overwhelming, friends
turned their faces away from them; a sheer betrayal of humanity. That is one of
the most dominating scenes in my life, when I hear the word helplessness, that
is the scene for me and that means more of the Ramadan Realization for me, a
month of connecting with humanity, a month of feeling empathy for others and a
month of goodwill generation.

I
was debating about breaking the fast in my office. But, decided to head out to
Madinah Masjid. It is perhaps the only Mosque in the area with arrangement for
Iftaar dinner every evening.

My
friend Javed Haider has been in-charge of Ramadan Iftaar along with Amin,
Naushad and a few others for several years. I go to Madinah Masjid, at least
twice during each Ramadan. The hospitality here is exemplary, a smaller but a
friendly group of people.

Madina
Masjid is a fully ethnic mosque, meaning the congregants are homogenous and
predominantly Urdu Speaking. Most of them are from India and Pakistan. Other
than the ritual prayers, all other talk is in Urdu.

Those who come fresh
from India or Pakistan may feel home at this Mosque, it is a continuation of
every practice that is done back home.

For
instance, before breaking the fast, in most mosques the Adhan (prayer call)
signifies the moment to break the fast, in Madinah Masjid, Imam Seraj Misbahi
sits down with the group and recites the words slowly prior to breaking the
fast, so others can repeat after him.

After
the formal obligatory congregational prayers, most mosques conclude the prayers
at the last act of the ritual –
that is sending peace and blessings to the right and to the left with the head
turning in both directions. In Madinah Masjid, the Imam goes for the duwa
(supplication) after the end of the prayes, a common practice in the
Subcontinent.

The
Imam also keeps the recitations short; the prayers are supposed to be short
during Ramadan. Imam Zia Shaikh of Irving and Imam Muhammad Shakoor of Dallas
are sensitive to this need. However, when a guest imam leads the prayers in
some Mosques, the Imams love their own voices so much that they take it for
ever, and it is quite taxing during Ramadan. I wish everyone tells some of
these Imams to keep it short and take all the time they want in the Taraweeh
Prayers; that is the special nightly prayers during Ramadan, where one chapter
of Quraan is completed each night in 29 to 30 days.

The
food was great with Salad, lentil, rice, and grilled chicken. The dessert was
kheer (rice pudding) with sliced almonds and possibly broken cashew. Loved it!

Ah, our friend Marylou at the world Muslim congress forum, thought it
was humorous that I had to wipe my fingers inside of my pant pockets as there
was no napkin available yesterday or the other two days. Here at Madinah Masjid,
thank God they had a good supply of them and I wiped my fingers with the napkin
after breaking the fast.

I urge fellow Muslims to become a part of the
whole and visit different Mosques for Iftaar with an open mind and respectful of
other traditions. It takes you out of the narrow cubby and puts you out in a
larger world. That is what Ramadan is supposed to make you, give you arms to
embrace the whole humanity.

Please mark your calendar for the Unity Day
USA, a positive event that brings all Americans Together to rededicate our
pledge for a peaceful, prosperous and secure America. We are a part of America
and we need to feel and live it. If you liked some of the article, you will
like the description of Unity Day USA at www.UnityDayUSA.com

A
few other Articles to read if you have the time:

Mike Ghouse is a
speaker, thinker and a writer on the topics of Pluralism, Coexistence, politics,
interfaith, Islam and cohesive societies. He is committed to building a cohesive
America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.