Fasting Furiously

((((( ♫ Into the second third now, the eleventh fast is speeding up, passing straight by the tenth; it turns furiously round the corner, the maghrib sun is catching up from behind, will the fasters make it? Ah, this is so close! It's on a meltdown, taking over ‘asr salat, zooming over their heads, the tension, sweat and hunger, oh, we can only imagine. The eleventh is strill strongly present, building up, coming faster, it’s almost there... nearly... across.. and OH MY WORD! The fast has been broken! Takbirs all around! Subhan'Allah! They think it’s all over... It is now. ♫ )))))

A brief explanation of how the eleventh fast whooshed over my head today, Tuesday, 01 September ’09.

For suhoor: Buttered granary toast (that’s homebaked bread with poppy seeds, sunflower seeds and whole grain), with apricot jam. You should try pineapple jam, that’s delicious, masha’Allah. Don’t look at me like that, honest, it’s tangy and yum on hot toast. A mug of sugarless tea accompanied the toast and gallons of water. Rule number one for fasting in the Summer – Drink as much water as humanly possible, in sips. The longest fast this month was 16-17hrs in the UK. Did you know the human body can actually suffer from water poisoning? I think it’s 20l that’s the death limit, of course anyone with facts should correct me here. A little trivia for you. -wink-

In a narcotic trance before fajr* prayer I robotically disinfected the whole kitchen. And bathrooms. And study room. After tableware, cutlery (yes, I call it cutlery) and work surfaces were Dettol’ed to a sheen, I took to scrubbing the tiles, wiping windows, cleaning the gaps in the oven and pruning the kitchen plants. I like plants, they’re like my friends, only they’re better since they radiate sweeter ‘kiss me’ fragrances and don’t answer back. Al'hamdulillah.

That done and fajr* prayer done I’m sat on the floor wide awake watching the sun fade from purple to pink. I spot the pack of mehndi (henna) tubes I was given on the table with a design book and *ping!* I muse, why not? It took me less than 20 minutes to completely tattoo my left foot and shin in the most intricate spirally African design I could muster. Cool, I thought. I would courageously show you but the Muslim woman’s feet are part of her ‘awra’ (rulings on modesty), those anatomic parts that your strange eyes aren’t allowed to see, so ha! It took me another 20 minutes to design mehndi on my hand though and that I don’t mind sharing. Not bad for 6am time wasting. What do you think?



I slept again as it was too cold to stay conscious and roam free. English weather is converting again. We only have two seasons: Autumn and Winter. Yesterday was Autumn, and lo and behold today has arrived Winter. Fasting is easier in the ‘Summer’ as it’s a fraction less chilly than the winter months despite the hours. Boots are continuously worn because of this, and neck scarves in June and man shirts with full sleeved tees underneath. Now I know I get looks at from the skimpy skirted girly sat in the convertible car next to me who can clearly see my glass windows perspiring. BUT, little does she know I’m fabulously cosy and chill-free while she and her plastic covered body will contract influenza. -scoffs-

Dhuhr* salah was read fast, guiltily rushed since I wanted to get back to the studio where work was waiting. I shouldn’t have rushed it, I know that. But... –no excuse- This studio is great, overstuffed with creative goodies and every conveivable gadget known to the crafting mind. On ‘this’ shelf there are guillotines, fabric paints, thermometers, decoupage papers, silk painting tools, and on ‘that’ shelf there are cameras, glass beads, fabric boxes, scrapbooking supplies, star shaped punches, stamps, bottles of ink, knives and sparkles. It’s like Chun Li came in with Alla’din’s cave and exploded into a Street Fighter move everywhere. Fantastic. It’s never clean. More of a danger hazard. But that’s how I do my thiiiiing(s).

I used today’s time in this cold studio making Ramadan and Eid cards which I will post out to people I know and sell insha’Allah to raise money for charity. I tried some more Ramadan Cookies yesterday but they died on me. Oh, I made lemon meringue today! I’ll tell you about it in a moment.

Back to designing... Right, Ramadan postcards made; the stationery boxes were temporarily stashed on a back shelf and sellotaped down so as to prevent chaos *note to self – must organise that*; I took photos and updated part of my portfolio and finalised that Mughal dress I’ve brought up occasionally. You know, that Mughal dress influenced from the Mughals that I’m Mughalled about? I have simplified it to a maxi length gown, arch neckline with double layers under for neck coverage and below the hem, layered pleats at the skirt hem and on each full length sleeve, green satin piping everywhere, square shoulders and handmade gold satin buttons. Yes, sounds like 'blatheriness' now, but insha’Allah it will look fabulous once it’s stitched and on me. –grin-

Asr* salah came too quickly and the fast was over ‘just like that’. I opened my fast at 8.03pm precisely here in England with the orange chocolate covered dates I made the day before and ice cold water. Al'hamdulillah. There is a dua’ taken from Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.ws) hadith which I memorised a few years ago. Learning dua’ is invaluable; they stay with you till death and live in your heart depths if they’re recited daily. This dua’ is for drinking water:

Al’hamdulillah’i ladhi, saqaa-naa, adh’ban, furaatan bi rahmat’ihi, wa lam yaj ‘alhu, mil han, uja’jan, bi dhunu’bina.

Translated: Praise be given to Allah who gave us sweet and pure water to drink by His mercy, and did not make it salty and bitter due to our sins. – At-Tabarani.

My family have what I like to call “Sdhikr Notes” around their house. It’s mostly my sister’s workings and it is effective. Instead of posting Post-Its everywhere with to-do lists she has stuck Dhikr Reminders on the doors, window frames, mirrors and fridges. These say things like ‘Be patient with yourself’, ‘Say Alhamdulillah’ and sardonic reminders: ‘Smile, you’ll be dead soon’ or ‘You made yourself this angry, so get over it!’ -chuckle- Seeing these visual reminders daily are a quirky proven way of helping Muslims improve themselves. You should try it by personalising notes for yourself or friends, family. Go on, do it.

And then for iftar I made lemon meringues. Oh sweet, they tasted grrreat! Masha’Allah. Pastry bases, lemon curd and egg whites whipped to perfection. They were overcooked a smidgen but who cares. When I grow up I want to be a baker. Or a pastry chef. Or a cupcake shop owner. –innocent smile-

Other things happened that were equally colourful but I’d like to see you sober tomorrow and alert for another furious fast.

My reminder: These next ten days of are self-purification, forgiveness and self improvement. I’m requesting that during your next 9 fasts you excel in forgiving others for their mistakes towards you and pass over accidental enmity. List your own flaws and work on removing or reducing them in order to progress yourself towards learning and adapting a more wholesome Muslim lifestyle. You need to wash your soul, you must. Ask Allah to help you out, He’s good with things like this.

Zaufishan ★ in a state of lemony zen