A Reflection: Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr 1 Syawal 1428 H

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر
la ilaha illa Allah لا إله إلا الله
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar الله أكبر الله أكبر
wa li-illahi al-hamd ولله الحمد

There went the takbir to mark the arrival of Eid Al-Fitr day, otherwise known as the 1st of Syawal month of 1428 Hijra calendar.

It goes without saying that I am ecstatic with the arrival of one of my favorite days in a year, with a hint of sadness.
Sadness? Yes, because this means the end of my favorite month in a year, Ramadan.

Ramadan

In reflection, this year's Ramadan was ultra special to me. The reason for that was because I was able to start this with my family. I was home for 8 days earlier in September, and thus Dad, myself and my brother could start the fasting together. As well as having the chance to have some traditional iftar get together with some old friends, reliving the spirit of silaturahim (keeping in contact with your friends, families and loved ones).
Coming back to Japan, I tried my best to continue to do this, and was able to host several iftar meals, as well as making my way to visit the Muslim community in Tokyo to attend the tarawih prayers and listen to the sermons.

It is true what they say about Ramadan being a trying month. Spiritually it is believed that things are especially difficult during these 30 days, because that will be when your patience and effort are tested the most. And above all that, you are also physically challenged for not being able to eat or drink etc during daylight.

You see, I don't normally buy these kind of sayings, and try my best to treat everyday just like any other day. Some are good, some are not. But I do notice that several monumental problems and challenges did arise this month. I had to make several difficult adult decisions and deal with what seems like endless problems. How they all seemed to happen within this spiritual 30 days, beats me.
Maybe my attention and senses are especially heightened during this time, maybe I'm consciously trying to make sense of the old sayings, maybe that's why.
As the Muslims would say it... Wallahualam bi shawab.

Eid Al-Fitr 1428 Hijra'

After 30 days of enjoyable hardship, arrived the long awaited Eid Al-Fitr. This year I chose to do it the Turkish way.

The Eid morning prayer was held at the beautiful Turkish mosque in Yoyogi Uehara. The prayer started at 8:30 am. I donned the hijab and made my way there. Leaving my house rather late, I hailed a cab.

"Where can I take you, Madam?" asked the cabbie.

"I want to go to Yoyogi Uehara," said I.

"Ah, today is the end of Ramadan, isn't it? I saw it in the news earlier. I trust you want to go to the beautiful mosque there?"

"Yes, the very one. Thank you! I'm very happy you know what a special day today is!"

I was very pleasantly surprised that my costume for the morning had made a statement and generated a positive recognition from a mere stranger.



Arriving at the mosque, I made my way up to the ladies section.
What joy! It was a full house.
The Turkish mosque, being Tokyo's Islamic center, always attracted Muslims from different countries. Ladies with different complexions, brightly colored head scarves, festive dresses all gathered there.

"Assalammu'alaykum! Happy Eid mubarak!"

One thing I noticed being very different in this mosque when compared to Indonesian Eid prayer... the mosque was quiet. Nobody was chanting the Eid takbir. In Indonesia from the eve of the Eid there will be non-stop takbir chants coming out from all corners of the street, house, television, mosques... everywhere. Such was not the case.



At 8:25 am the Imam started reciting a sura from the Al Qur'an (Koran).
Everybody tuned in and listen. After about 10 minutes he then finished.
Following that the Imam began explaining the procedure of the Eid prayer that he was about to start leading and began with the procession.

After the prayer finished, the Imam began his Eid Al-Fitr sermon. He went up to the mimbar (a pulpit in a mosque) and gave his sermon. He first did it in Japanese. It was pretty cool to be able to have a peek at the Imam doing it from the second floor (where the ladies area is located). As a female Muslim, you don't get to see that done very often in big mosques because usually the ladies area is located very far back.
The essence of the sermon was about keeping good relationship with your family and loved ones, neighbors, friends, everybody and (basically) peace on earth. And that you should do good things to everyone that you know, Muslims and not.
He then did it again in Turkish and finally in English. After the sermon was finished we continued with (finally) chanting the takbir... and called it a morning.





A very special evening

After an eventful morning at the mosque, I walked back to my house (about 30 minutes on foot) and trying to conspire a strategy on how I was going to handle the Eid open house later in the day.
For starters, it just hit me that morning that nearly everyone were planning to come over for dinner. That meant that I was looking at 20-22 people coming all at once from 7 pm. Oh my.
My apartment is minniscule by many standards, and I honestly don't think I have enough space for everyone. And also... I had only started a third of the cooking to feed that many mouths.

I could so easily freak out...
But I didn't.
Hehe.
Instead I picked up the phone and rang my parents. After all, it's the tradition to do so, calling up all of my family members up and wish them happy Eid.

Having done so, the clock struck 12:30 pm.
Oh my gosh, I REALLY had to start cooking.
After 3 hours of labor, I finally finished everything that I was set out to cook:

Opor ayam (chicken white curry)
Sambal goreng ati (chicken liver and potato chili)
Daging saus (mum's special beef dish recipe - my brother's favorite)
Acar mentimun (cucumber relish)
Lontong (rice dumplings)
Gado-gado (Indonesian boiled salad)
**Kerupuk udang and emping melinjo udang manis (shrimp crackers)

The guests started arriving from 5:30 pm. From Lika (my high school classmate), not long after that Mamma Miffy and Ella Bebe turned up. And then Brother J came with the very delicious shrimp crackers (**) that I requested him to bring. From then on, pretty much everyone showed up at the door almost all at once. At one point that evening there was a moment where I had 18 people spread around all available corners in my house. Everybody talking, laughing, eating, drinking.

I remembered taking a few moments here and there from my corner in the kitchen, observing everyone... and I felt so much joy and warmth creeping into my heart. Even now, thinking about last night, it brought the biggest smile to my face.
These people are my family here, in my home faraway from home. And they were all there, in my little home.

This was a very wholesome Ramadan and a very special Eid Al-Fitr.
The special evening alone is a reason enough for me to always be thankful for the good life I've been blessed with.

Thank you very much, Everyone, for making it so special.

And once again... Happy Eid mubarak!!!

Good things happen to those who are patient

In many unusual ways, my life seems to be falling into places this month. So many things happened in so little time.

It seems like a lot of things that I have been waiting for (some for years, some for weeks, some for days, some for eternity, some for hours) are fruiting themselves.

Professionally and personally.

In this reflective Ramadan, I am grateful for the many chance that I have to, well, ponder about things.

And witnessing that all the hardships are finally paying off gave me the euphoric feeling of contentment.

Alhamdulillahirrabbil'aalamiin.**

As well as that one phone call I made to the Turkish mosque yesterday, and I discovered that they started Ramadan on September 13 and will have the festive Eid Al-Fitr on October 12. My anxiety (for missing out the morning Eid prayer because I will have to work on October 13-14 weekend) had been banished with that one phone call. All is confirmed, this year I'm doing Ramadan and the Eid the Turkish way.

Hello, Fellow Celebrants, please come to my hut for the festive Eid celebration on October 12! Anyone is welcome, from 3 pm onwards.

And for this, my boss has already approved the day off, too!

As Simon and Garfunkel said it

"...
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.
Life, I love you,
All is groovy!
..."

Ramadan 1428 Hijra' Mubarak

So I'm here and back again.

The 9 days I was away, a lot of things happened to a lot of places and people:

- The big earthquake in Bengkulu, Indonesia

My condolences.

Also, thanks for the many concerned e-mail and phone calls. My family and loved ones are fine. My hometown is Bandung, in Java. Bengkulu is in Sumatera. Two different islands.

- Ramadan kicked off on September 13, 2007

Ramadan mubarak!
After 7 years of doing it solo, it was so nice to get to start Ramadan with the family at home. Makes such a huge difference.

- Summer persisted at 30C in Tokyo (yikes!), 22C in Bandung (yeah!), and 33C in Singapore (BLECH!)

- A giant flying squirrel liked flying low and bumped his head on my brother's kneecap.

We are hoping sincerely that s/he didn't get a concussion.

- Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe resigned after 1 year of service. Veni, vedi, destroy! Very uninspiring.

- A plane crashed in Phuket, Thailand and killed 88 people.

My condolences.

... and many more.

It's good to be back!

For those who are fasting during Ramadan, "minal aidin wal faidzin, mohon maaf lahir dan bathin. Selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa di manapun anda berada."

Reporting live from Singapore...

Miss me yet?

OK, not much time to put up a proper post yet, but the 7 days in Indonesia was a blast. Got to see my parents, my brother (who was on a coincidental home leave) and some of old friends from school (elementary school, high school). Most important thing of all was that I got to eat some of the food during the short course of the trip.

Also another very special thing was to be able to spend the first few days of Ramadan with the family. It's been 7 years, so it felt so good to have the sahur meal together, as well as the fast-breaking time together, too - eating the traditional Ramadan foods. Bliss.

Now the short 7 days are behind me. I am on the next short stop: Singapore. My brother has been relocated here since earlier this year. So, this stop is deemed necessary. Besides, I need to go buy a nice suitcase at one of the discount shop here.

We just came back from a visit to the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo and had a BLAST! Not only the usual zoo stuff was going on, but one of the nocturnal giant flying squirrel decided to fly so low tonight and had a flying crash into my brother's kneecap. A handsome animal, yes, but not so bright in the flying department. Ha ha.


*Photo was excerpted from Nature Photo Society

OK... well, it's midnight now and I'm beat. So maybe later this week I will put up a proper post.

Good night.

Smokey Joe and BBQ Hazard

Just when you thought life can be dull at times, several little things emerge to keep your days amusing.

I've been wanting to have a BBQ. One lunch break I decided to venture National Azabu Supermarket in Hiroo, it's a pleasant 30 minutes walk from my office and they always seem to have interesting international products from all corners of the world. Sure the price is high, they rob you blind in that place, but what's a few hundred yens more if that could cure your homesick.

Where was I, I'm losing my point...

Oh, yes, BBQ!

National Azabu is selling BBQ at a 'bargain' price. A little Weber's "Smokey Joe" for only 5,770 yen. (yes, yes, it's almost double the price of it's manufacturer's price, but then again you're shopping in Japan, can't complain. Just be thankful it's not 10,000 yen).

So, I just had to have it.

I bought the grill and decided to have some friends over for a BBQ dinner to mark the beginning of Ramadan.
Perfect plan!!!

Well, the lady in the store adviced that I should just buy some pre-soaked charcoals so I wouldn't have to wait too long to let the fire start, but she did warn that there will be some faint smell to come with the easy-to-light coals.

On Sunday, a few hours before my guests are scheduled to arrive, I decided to try my new Smokey Joe. I read the manual from cover to back and felt confident that I know everything there is to know about starting a BBQ.
Smokey Joe was positioned comfortably at the public balcony. It is semi-outside, it was a breezy day. Having never started a BBQ ever in my life, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I lined the coal brickets according to the instruction. And then I lit the light as instructed by the Weber book. After two seconds a big bonfire suddenly lit up in my Smokey Joe. By bonfire, I meant a big flaming fire like in a Summer camp. It came out so suddenly, I missed it just barely, and caught a little bit of fire on my hair... It must have been the super-power coal that I bought. My book said that normally you'd have to wait about 15-25 minutes - the 2 seconds time I had really was a surprise.

It was pretty terrifying. The flame didn't die down for a while, flaring up high, almost to the ceiling, and there was also the pretty strong odor - not faint like the lady in the store said. Only then it occured to me... maybe I shouldn't be doing BBQ in an area where it's not entirely outside. (And besides, according to my apartment contract, I wasn't supposed to be putting anything in that area... let alone burning something... Whoops!)
I was very sure that the strong odor would make my landlord panic and was sure he would be calling the police and confiscate my brand new Smokey Joe before it created a disaster. So I ran really quickly to the bathroom and take a big bucket of water. Back out in 1 minute, with a bucket of water in hand, I heard the sound of the fire truck sirene. "EEEEEE....OOOOOO....EEEEE.....OOOOO....EEEE....OOOOOO!!!!"
I thought... "OH SHIT! WHAT DID I DO??????"
It went on and on and louder and louder... I was very close to throwing the bucket of water to the fire and prepared a towel to wrap the crime evident, and then..... the sirene was gone. Kaputt.
I've never felt so relieved in my life.

The fire finally went off after 10 minutes, I began BBQ-ing my egame-leaf-wrapped salmon and some white fish. The leaf was crispy, the fish was thoroughly grilled, the fish meat was juicy. It was very tasty. Yummmmm.

So, I guess that the moral of the story is that for first-timer, when starting a BBQ, it is wise to get some supervision by someone who's done it before at least a couple of times, so you know what to expect and that you should NEVER start BBQ indoors.
I love my new Smokey Joe, so I will continue to BBQ, but I will also have ready a propper fire extinguisher. Having one would surely give some confidence boost.

Bon appétit!

Ramadan 1427 Hijra'

Assalammu'alaykum wR. wBr.

It's all about tradition.
In only 4 days, the Ramadan month (the fasting month) will begin. Every year I'm always thankful for having able to participate in the most celebrated month in Islam.

Now, what is Ramadan?

The dictionary defined it as follows:
Ramadan
|ˈräməˌdän; ˈraməˌdan| |ˌˈrɑməˌˈdɑn| |ˌramədan| |ˈraməˌdan|
noun
the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset.
ORIGIN from Arabic ramaḍān, from ramaḍa ‘be hot.’ The lunar reckoning of the Muslim calendar brings the fast eleven days earlier each year, eventually causing Ramadan to occur in any season; originally it was supposed to be in one of the hot months

There is also an extensive explanation on Ramadan here (in English/Indonesian/Japanese)

The objective of Ramadan is for Muslims to cleanse themselves from the mortal sins or lusts or greed. By fasting you would experience the physical challenge of thirst or hunger, but beyond that you would also (ideally) achieve the state of serenity or to also be able to be more grateful and thankful with what you have. It's a little difficult for me to explain, but after sometime, you become more alert of everything that happens to your body, your surroundings and even things that are not even attached to you.
Everybody have their own problems, so more often than not, in this secular world - it's a lot easier to close your eyes or ears to sadness or unhappiness around you. In other words one can easily be less empathic than one usually are.
One of the benefit of Ramadan for myself, at least, is that I feel my empathy being sharpened as the days progress. And it is such a beautiful feeling to feel very serene and peaceful and loving towards others.

Now... every year when we're into the Ramadan month, I'm always a little sad for being far away from home. Back then, every year on the 25th day of Ramadan, we would pack up the car and drive the 8-10 hours ride to Yogyakarta, my parents' hometown. Mum came from a family of 6, whereas Dad came from a family of 5. We will all stay at our grandparent's places, rotating one family to another for about a week.
From mum's family alone I've got 12 cousins, whereas from Dad's family I've got 5 cousins - so if you combined them all, it's a hell big of a celebration. Everyday. There were always games to be played, stories to be exchanged, foods to be cooked, cemeteries to be visited, families to be hosted, families to be visited, foods to be tasted. It is so wonderful.
It is such a festive holidays. The equivalent of these would be Christmas in western countries or the New Year holidays in Japan.

For the whole month of Ramadan, too, there is always something to look forward to. Sure you fast during the day, but come evening, there is all the reason in the world to break your fast with your family, neighbors, former classmates, friends from whatever clubs you used to belong to, your distant families. Almost everyday for 30 days, you have some type of ongoing reunion with excellent food!

Having spent so many Ramadans in Tokyo, I gotta tell you, it can feel a little too lonely being far away from home. Thank goodness for cousin Yudo. We have created a Ramadan tradition of our own. We would try to meet at least once a week for a fast break together, and we will also try to hop mosques each week for the tarawih mass. One Saturday we'd go to the beautiful Turkish mosque in Yoyogi Uehara, another Saturday we'd go to yet another mosque in Hiroo and finally we'd go to the Indonesian School mosque.
After 30 days (29 days for some), there will come the celebrated Eid Al-Fitr day. This is the time where we will celebrate the end of Ramadan. Cousin Yudo and I always host an open house party at my place. We will cook all the traditional foods from our home, the chicken curry (opor ayam), the chicken liver chilli dish (sambel goreng ati), rice dumplings (ketupat), pickles (acar), vegetable curry (gulai sayur) and some traditional sweets. We will also do the phone round, calling our respective families, in Indonesia and Switzerland or wherever they may be at the moment.
Yes it is not the same with what we grew up with, but I think both Yudo and I have successfully established our own Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr tradition.

In retrospect, I don't think I'm that sad anymore to be spending Ramadan in Tokyo. It's all about tradition.

Lastly, Everyone, minal aidin wal faidzin. Mohon maaf lahir dan bathin. Maafkan saya ya bila ada salah2 kata dan perbuatan. Semoga ibadan puasa kita mabrur dan lancar. Amiin.

Wassalammu'alaykum wR. WBr.
Tari

Some of the typical Eid Al-Fitr foods. yummmmm!

The cooking team from Eid Al Fitr 1426 Hijra (Nov 2005). See you in a month!