OPINION

This Ramadan, honor memories, navigate grief through community

Four rows of Muslim students kneel with their feet, hands, and foreheads touching the ground while they pray.

Muslim WCC students bow (sajdah) together as they pray together in their fourth prayer of the day, the Maghrib Prayer. Abigail Gibb | The Washtenaw Voice

Jamila Khan | Contributor

Marked by the moon, Muslims all over the world welcome the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is during this time that Muslims fast, abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. This comes as a shock to most who aren’t familiar with Ramadan, but, truly, this isn’t the hardest thing about this special month. It is a time of giving, remembrance and community.

Muslims enter this month with fond memories of all sorts, waking up as early as 3 a.m. to grab something to eat before the sun wakes (Suhoor), challenging themselves to learn, read and memorize more Quran and other prayers, breaking fast together with family and friends, praying the long nightly prayer together (Taraweeh) and seeing who can do the most.

As a Muslim myself, I’ll admit it’s not always easy. In fact, it never is. But it has a sweetness I can only attempt to describe. It is as if, for a whole month, you are exactly who you need to be with all the people you love.

For 30 days, you feel a sense of peace that makes every hardship worth all the trouble and pain. It is a spiritual reset. These memories make us want to do more, not only for ourselves but for our community.

Community is important in Islam, but what happens when it’s not there? What happens when the people who made this holy month special are no longer with us? What do we do when all we have are memories? These are the questions that many of this generation’s Muslims are asking. With the ongoing terror in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Yemen, Lebanon and so on, many Muslims are entering this month without their loved ones or their homes. Many have lost brothers and sisters to fire and smoke in the blink of an eye. And, when it clears, we are all left with grief beyond description. Navigating through can seem pointless. “How can I be happy when so much bad has happened?” It’s a valid question. We are allowed to feel loss and confusion. But we can’t let it consume us. When you can’t seem to look forward, you are allowed to look back, back to the memories you have. Those moments are lights that will never burn out, they transcend time and live forever.

Male Muslim students fill their plates as they line up on both sides of a table filled with delicious food.

Male Muslim WCC students gather to celebrate Ramadan with an Iftar celebration where their fast is broken and food is served and eaten. Halal pizza and Kolachi Kitchen were served along with homemade desserts. Abigail Gibb | The Washtenaw Voice