Hajj - Spiritual Journey to Mecca & Medina

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Umbrella lining the courtyard of Masjid Nabawi in Medina

I apologize in advance for the less than quality pictures included in this post. Since this was a spiritual journey, photography was not high on my priority list. I actually took very few photos considering I am a blogger on a trip, but the few I did take I thought I’d round up in a post since I’ve been wanting to collect and share my thoughts on the whole experience.

Pistachio and Spice Roasted Rack of Lamb

Sun, 12 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Ramadan, the Islamic month during which Muslims around the world fast from sun up to sun down, is winding down. The last ten days is a time of great spiritual importance. Extra prayers, remembrance and mindfulness of acts of worship are highly stressed. My interpretation is that it’s a way to encourage keeping up the momentum, since Ramadan is 30 days long, and many start off the month with a lot of vigor, but find themselves struggling to keep up with the extra prayers and fasts as the days go by. Another important part of Ramadan for me is the communal iftar (evening, break-fast meal). One of the things that drew me to Islam as a child and again as a college student, is the community. When I attended my first ICNA convention as an almost 10 year old, I wore the headscarf for the weekend, per etiquette. And I recall descending on the escalator to the main convention hall and being amazed at seeing so many Muslims in the same room. For the first time I felt like I was part of something larger. Growing up in Queens, my childhood was characterized by my otherness. I was always one of two Bengali Muslim kids (no black, white, arab, SE asian or any other muslim kids in my neighborhood). We were all a rag tag team of immigrant kids - the only cohesive element being our physical classroom or schoolyard. So when I first felt that sense of community, it was exhilarating. I kept the headscarf on (with its ups and downs) since then. This was reinforced as a student at Barnard. The iftars hosted by Columbia Muslim Students Association was another reinforcement. A group to whom I didn’t have to explain my evening ritual of breaking the fast. A group that actually shared the values I was brought up with. I know we live in a society that in name celebrates individuality and uniqueness. But growing up in a society that is so different from your native one, is exhausting. How many times have I had to answer the question

Muslim on Kitchen3N

Hajj - Spiritual Journey to Mecca & Medina

Pistachio and Spice Roasted Rack of Lamb