A Blessed Eid al-Fitr

A blessed Eid al-Fitr greetings to all Muslim brothers and sisters!

Today ends the end of the holy Islamic month of dawn-to-sunset fasting. This celebration is called the "Festival of Breaking Fast". Wikipedia says "it is forbidden to fast on the Day of Eid". Muslims have the ritual prayers and they do the obligatory acts of charity for the poor and needy.

In the Philippines, by virtue of Republic Act No 9177 and Presidential Proclamation No. 1083 signed into law on 13 November 2002, Eid al-Fitr (Araw ng Lebaran / Araw ng Raya), is declared by the Philippine government as a regular holiday. "The Philippines is the only majority Christian country worldwide to have done so," Wikipedia wrote.

Being in the Middle East (UAE) for more than a decade, I have witnessed the Ramadan tradition for many years. Since my first day here, I have met Muslim people and some of them got close to me and treated me as a family member.

Fasting, for them, makes the view of spiritual and physical realms clear and distinct from each other, with the spiritual on the very top and over the physical realm. In avoiding worldly desires during the month of Ramadan, they empty themselves to re-energize with the divine power.

I have met some Muslim friends who have helped me beyond measure in my darkest hours. They do not judge me for what I have or what I have not in terms of material riches. I can feel how they sincerely care for and highly respect me.

They rejuvenate their religion in terms of thanking the Creator for all the blessings and sharing them with the less fortunate men and women, regardless of color, nationality, and belief.

According to PsychologyToday.com, "research suggests it is possible to boost the capacity for emphatic understanding".

Ramadan helps boost their capacity for emphatic understanding. The world needs empathy badly. Many people feel damaged and are hurting. We cannot see them, but we can feel them, despite their wide smiles and loud waves of laughter.

"Empathy," per PsychologyToday.com, "is the experience of understanding another person's thoughts, feelings, and condition from his or her point of view, rather than from one's own. Empathy facilitates pro-social or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced, so that people behave in a more compassionate manner."

Today, eat and be merry as we join our Muslim brothers and sisters in celebrating Eid al-Fitr! And yes, spread empathy.

Here in my quiet space, I passionately meditate to boost my emphatic understanding of people. My prayers go to some special human vessels of hope, particularly to someone who is like a bright moon to me.

I can see colorful fireworks lighting the velvety black sky on this very first day of what they call as Shawwal*. Am carrying something meaningful. Lift me, my Lord.

---

*Shawwal is the tenth month of the lunar-based Islamic calendar; means 'to lift or carry', so named because the female camel would be carrying a fetus at this time of year.

---

Photo credits: Pixabay

"Wasting of Women's Talents Must Cease"

Here I am in a four-cornered room, thinking of many things that I can do considering my talents, but I cannot utilize to the fullest due to some obstacles which are not just in the mind but real. I am woman -- I know I have a power inside me yet I feel vulnerable. There is an interesting article published in Gulf News, "In the Middle East, Momentum for Women Must Pick Up Speed" written by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, dated 31 May 2018. Very timely, indeed, that I saw this article few minutes back. I am inspired to read similar write-ups promoting advocacy on importance of empowering women by giving them solid support. Can we quantify wasted women's talents? Maybe we can in terms of lost opportunities. Or can we enumerate wasted women's talents if we cannot quantify them? There are women who are full-time mothers and housewives, either by choice or by tradition or both. We know that being so is indeed a tiring unpaid job for many women. For some they ...

Of Ginger-Lemon Water, and A/C Off

And so I am now again drinking a lot of hot lemon tea with ginger. It will help improve my health immunity . WebMD.com says, " Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants, which both have immunity-boosting properties. Ginger also has immunity-boosting properties and can guard against some bacteria." Am coughing when my back is sweating. The air conditioner is switched off again. If you are in the Gulf area, even if it is December it is still hot. There are times when it is even hotter inside my partitioned room with a window facing the sun, no building near ours to block the scorching heat -- than the actual temperature outside. I have a temperature app in my mobile phone and I regularly check it. When I switch on the air conditioner, somebody else switches it off. (I remember when we transferred to the our previous flat and I was told that the A/C was centralized, 24/7 on. I was grateful because the heat of human bodies, the lights, their gadgets -- laptops and m...

'Hotelcation' and More

My youngest daughter surprised me with the good news that she was allowed to go on Eid vacation for some days. She badly needed rest and relaxation for a work-life balance. It was very hot here in the UAE when we got blissfully reunited at 2 PM. It was Eid so most hotels nearby were either fully booked, or if not, their room rate boards showed AED800/day +/-. My frugal daughter stepped back when she saw 'towering' figures. A I watched my Buninay eating halohalo in our meeting place, a restaurant serving Filipino foods, I held my tears back. She ordered 'mixed-with-everything' fried rice, grilled squid and kinilaw (raw fish with vinegar, chili and chopped onions). Memories of her childhood flooded in my mind. How time flies! My then-baby-who-is-now-a-lady wanted to spoil me. Felt truly blessed beyond words. We hopped to Seattle's Best in the mall near the mosque. While indulging myself with my favorite Cinnabon bites and strawberry smoothies, and my ol...

Passionately M

Search This Blog