GIVING UP YOUR ISHMAEL
Now we may have more
time on our hands.
As a religious person who has already experienced the Lenten season during a pandemic, Nikita shares some valuable
advice on how to stay afloat during such a time where the customary practices may be limited; “Now we may have more
time on our hands. We can take these changes as an opportunity to revive ourselves spiritually and connecting more
with God and ourselves. We get to live out what truly matters. My advice for Muslims going into Ramadan soon with the
possibility of the lockdown still being implemented is to keep in contact with family.
Video call your family members and have a set time to share a prayer. Stay connected to people if you can. For those who
may not have access to the internet, as we have people who live in conditions where such a privilege is not always a viable
option, people can listen to the radio. There’s Radio Islam and people can listen to that to gain a sense of connection and
revival. If all else fails, at least try to connect with your own little family cluster.” Perhaps now we have the opportunity to
be even more observant of our practices during the month of Ramadhan and be even further mindful of ourselves, our
dependency on the outside world and how we can tap further into ourselves and go further within.
Perhaps now, without the possibility of mass congregation, we can now be more empathetic for individuals who may be
the only Muslim in their families and/ or in their community. Some of the practices we have developed over the centuries
since the beginning of Islam are more for our own cultural convenience as a means to maintain a sense of community.
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