From our Muslim chaplain archive #5
2nd June 2020
So what is it like this Ramadan in the trials of Covid-19
While your family and friends are locked behind a glass screen
Computer screens and mobile phones, On devices with Zoom and Skype it seems
Mosques are closed, and churches too, and synagogues are bolted through
Can’t go out and meet my friends, and only go running in packs of two
Home is where the heart is, isn’t that what they always said?
But now I am at work as soon as I roll myself out of bed
Home is much more than just a home, it is now also school
Everyone all in the same space is creating chaos and misrule
And then after Easter came Ramadan and fasting came after Lent
With its very own challenges for the Muslim ladies and gents
A time we usually spend with families that are spread far and away
Now alone or in small groups, with just enough food for a few days
But lets not focus on the difficulties and the negatives during this time
Coz if we look closely we can see there is something very sublime
Are we truly alone when Allah tells us that Indeed he is very near
When His servant asks about where He is, and when they supplicate in fear
Perhaps this may be a chance for us to focus on what we intended
Our relationship perhaps with God could do with being mended
When practices in the past have been a little robotic for us perhaps
Now we can thoughtfully worship alone with time for mindful gaps
Now we can make time to read the scripture and reflect upon its meaning
Now we can discuss our thoughts with each other the next time we are screening
I suppose now I should give thanks for this time to reflect upon my life
On how I lived life with reason and purpose being only on the edge of a knife
But I am still exhausted from all the screens with my eyes too tired to look
So I’ve decided to spend more time with my head inside a really good book
Let’s talk, let’s talk, come on let’s talk about the great things you’ve read
And maybe it’s a chance for us to say some of those things we’ve left unsaid?
So what is it like this Ramadan in the trials of Covid-19
Well all my family and friends are locked behind a glass screen!
Atique Miah
Muslim Chaplain