Ramadan Happenings

Tis the season of Ramadan and I have been collecting my thoughts for this month.

This Ramadan, Suhoor is later in the morning than past years, and I rarely get enough sleep because Tarawih ends late at night. There are always eventful happening at Tarawih as documented by Ali’s antics. Last week, after prayers finished, a man asked me where I went to groom my beard. After realizing the seriousness of the question, I responded that I shave and trim my beard myself. The man left and so did the awkwardness. However, I did feel flattered by the question. I work hard at grooming my beard and finally someone has noticed :)

Last week, I was in Dallas, Texas, where I went to Irving Mosque for Iftar and Tarawih. Irving Mosque is the largest mosque that I have seen in North America. The nicest perk about Tarawih at Irving mosque was the 4-rakaat tea break. People take a break for 10 minutes to get tea and rest. This idea is great; in-fact it should be extended to include more options such as: coffee, donuts, leftover iftar; the potential is endless.

Finally, I would like to end this post with a complaint. When praying you must stand shoulder to shoulder, when a spot opens up, a person must fill that spot. However, there are situations when there is no room and people are forcing themselves into a spot where they should not go. I always get volunteered to fit into a small spot and have to maneuver for positioning. It takes a prayer to re-establish my space, but then the "musical fill the spots" begin. Yes, I will fill the spots, but only if you give me acceptable space. Thank you.