Asalamualaikum, peace be upon you and thanks for signing up to my newsletter,
If you’re here I really appreciate you signing up to my newsletter. This week I’ve been thinking about what we can do post-Ramadan? As well as what I’ve learnt from this last year of lockdown. Let me know your thoughts, I look forward to hearing from you!
Post-Ramadan
It’s been about two weeks since Eid and the end of Ramadan. Lockdown has eased up in the UK and I’ve been meeting a few more friends for lunch and coffees. Regaining some semblance of normalcy.
With ramadan sunsetting behind us however I can’t help but feel like we’ve lost some of what made Ramadan special. Most of us have probably lost some of the singular focus that Ramadan brings. Spending all day fasting, while also trying to read and pray more. How can we can continue to capture some of that essence? Continuing to grow spiritually and finding overall peace and well-being; while still balancing that with our existing commitments?
I wrote about this is in my recent blog post "Post-Ramadan blues and Fighting Negative Self-Talk". I was also super happy to have it published on TheMuslimVibe: https://themuslimvibe.com/faith-islam/post-ramadan-blues-and-fighting-negative-self-talk. Let me know anything you’ve found helpful after Ramadan and any habits you want to grow or keep up insha’Allah.
Shawwaal (i.e post-Ramadan)
My dad reminded me of the 6 recommended fasts of Shawwaal after Ramadan:
“Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it is as if he fasted for a lifetime.” — Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
This week I wrote a bit more about Shawwaal and the virtues of fasting: https://www.tawfiq.co.uk/fasts-of-shawwaal/
It’s not necessarily easy right after finishing Ramadan but insha’Allah it helps us keep up some of the momentum. To feel like we’re doing a bit extra and pushing ourselves. Growth only happens when we push ourselves!
If we’re able to do this little bit extra it’s great and we still have about half of Shawwaal left to finish our 6 extra fasts. May Allah make it easy for us. May he accept anything extra we are able to do; and even that which we intended to do.
Post-Lockdown
I’ve been reflecting a bit on lockdown, truly a once in a lifetime experience (hopefully!). I’ve learnt a lot about myself and my friends and how we’ve all reacted differently to a chance in lifestyle.
It reminds me of the David Foster Wallace quote "What’s water":
There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys, how's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, "What the hell is water?"
"The immediate point of the fish story is that the most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about"
In the last year most of us have been forced to change the "water" for our work, personal and social lives. In many cases it has been strange and new. Often annoying and uncomfortable but it helps us to better see what we really miss when stuck at home. Conversely we also notice the things we didn’t miss at all! Finally we’ve hopefully learned what we really enjoyed about being at home.
I captured some of my journey in a post about the ups and downs of the UK Lockdown "Why People Like Free Money but Don’t Care About Lockdown": https://www.tawfiq.co.uk/why-people-like-free-money-but-dont-care-about-lockdown/
I wanted to write a personal diary & reflection, towards the end I’ve added some simple economic analysis. My conclusion is a bit contentious so l'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for reading
If you’ve enjoyed anything you’ve read and think it may resonate with your friends, family and coworkers please pass it on. Likewise I really welcome any feedback, thoughts and ideas. I always love to hear how pieces resonate with people and I’m especially interested to hear the bits you disagree with! So please get in touch!
Have a good week, and I look forward to being in touch again soon.
All the best, Asalamualaikum, may peace be with you, from Tawfiq