women

In an effort to share the essence of the month of Ramadan with my children, we’ve been keeping a “30 days” blog for the past three years (www.30days30deeds.com). I wanted to help the kids understand that in addition to fasting, this month is about doing good deeds, about expressing gratitude, about praying sincerely for yourself and for others. Keeping a blog helps us stay mindful and think about these issues each day. The first year we decided to do one good deed each day—30 days, 30 deeds.

Once the smoke of July 4th fireworks and grills wafts away it will probably dawn on you that Ramadan is less than a week away. Anxiety about the long hours of fasting and the heat sets in. Long gone is the winter Ramadans of your youth, where you would come home from school and nap for an hour before you broke your fast with Mama’s homemade basbousa. Times have changed, and it will become clearer in a month. How do we avoid this eventuality? We have to adapt, and that takes preparation.

I learn about the Imam Ali Center, an Iranian mosque in Woodside, Queens, from a friend at the dergah who raves about their beautiful Ramadan prayer service. It is part of the well-organized Razi School that prides itself on academic excellence in a distinctively Islamic environment. As I approach the entrance, a habitual wave of anxiety seizes me.

I set myself a Ramadan challenge: to step out of the boundaries of my safe familiar and visit a mosque. My spiritual home in New York City is a Sufi dergah in Tribeca. It is a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing space, conducive to quiet contemplation and meditation. On Thursday evenings, it is open to the public for zikr, the ceremony of Divine remembrance. Our circle is led by a wise and beautiful woman—Sheikha Fariha Fatima—who possesses a joyous and compassionate approach to faith and an infectious laugh.