Approach it as a child does
A beautiful reflection about how to approach this special Ramadan from Afeefa Syeed, Co-founder and Director of the Al Fatih Academy in VA - and an inspirer to all who know her.This Ramadan will truly be stripped of all the imposed ornamentals that sometimes weigh it down. No one to show up for, invite calendars to coordinate, or flamboyance of which stuffed iftar dates are the best (cream cheese and walnuts). It'll be just the basics. Only the fundamentals. Led by your own heart and efforts. By your own sermons to yourself about what is truly relevant in your life. Your own discovery of a relationship with a Creator that asks to be Known.Approach it as a child does - with fresh curiosity, exploration and open hearted faith. Let the whimsy from a youngster's eyes see it as a magical transformative state; even if it's just to practice more quietude that let's you listen to every word someone says and ask why a hundred times.Why not let a prayer mat transport you from this realm into another? Why not recite aloud God's words without thinking about how you sound? Why not just hug it out for no reason to maintain peace when you could instead hold a grudge.After all, most of us are struggling to regain that fitra, that innate connection to our Creator that had let things be so long ago. We just got older and left the mystery and awe behind to seek instead hard facts, discombobulated lectures directed at our souls, and lists of punishments for making slightest mistakes that we knew before our Merciful Lord would have brushed aside.Let this Ramadan set us free. Let us arise from it renewed by being reconnected to those barest ideals of worship and purpose: to love and tingle with the deepest Love that we might have forgotten embraces us every moment of every day.Please consider supporting Afeefa's fundraiser to sustain Al Fatih Academy and support its students during this difficult time. To read all '30 reflections for our times', please follow the Facebook page '30 days 30 deeds', Instagram @salmahasanali, or subscribe to the newsletter at www.salmahasanali.com.