Ramadhan in Tennessee USA
Perhaps one of the best kept secrets of the many Muslim communities across the United States is Knoxville , tucked away under the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains in East Tennessee.
Every year the Muslim community invites a scholar to stay with us as our guest throughout the blessed month of Ramadhan. They come from as far away as Damascus , and other times from as close as Atlanta , and impart the knowledge and wisdom they have gained.
In the old days, students of knowledge would travel to sit at the feet of scholars, but in the inverted reality we are living in, we allow our scholars to travel to us.
A One Mosque Town
Throughout my life I have lived in Knoxville . We have a single mosque called Annoor Mosque with some surrounding satellite musallahs scattered throughout the area. Having one mosque and several orientations of Islam is one of the enigmas we face in East Tennessee , but somehow our community has come to the understanding that disagreements without mercy are an aberration. Instead of splintering into several mosques we remain one.
There is no time when our hearts connect with the same vigor and obedience to the command of Allah than during our blessed month of Ramadhan. With the shaytan in shackles and our egos subdued by fasting, it is almost as if the hearts have no choice but to reflect on our Creator.
Like clockwork, the final Jummah (Friday) before Ramadhan begins and we are implored from the mimbar to begin preparation for Ramadhan. The earlier generations would begin this preparation six months before the blessed month and spend the other half of the year begging Allah for acceptance. We however are not the sahaba (companions of the Prophet (s)), so our effort is neglectful.
Guests of Ramadhan
After the first ten days have passed, we are amazed that a third of the month is gone. Another ten days pass and we cherish the remaining balance of the month by packing the mosque with as many people as usually come for jummah prayers. On the nights of the last ten days, more people come to the tahajjud prayer before dawn than on any isha prayers of the regular year.
With the final remaining odd nights we feel like we have hit the heights. Blink your eyes and you see it has passed without our having fully taken advantage of its baraka. The truth is that Ramadhan is not a guest that passes through our lives, but our souls are guests that pass through these mubarak days.
Fast-a-Thon
One of our dear brothers, Sean Blevins, known by many close to him as Isma, initiated the idea of having a Ramadhan "Fast-a-thon" in which we would sign up our non-Muslim friends to fast for a day along with us. Local businesses sponsored them and they raised money for a local organization which feeds the hungry.
The idea took off and was even formally adopted by national organizations like MSA and CAIR. Many thousands of people may one day think back to this experience when caught off guard by negative images and stereotypes about Islam. The State Department has even encouraged its employees in overseas consulates to fast.
We face an era in which our names are blacklisted and people are encouraged to turn away, in some sense, from understanding the truth about our religion. However, we have been given this tremendous opportunity to recharge our collective battery and move forward instead of trying to ‘get ahead' all the time. With the permission of Allah we will spend our time wisely.
Please include the people of Tennessee in your prayers this Ramadhan.
Shadab Ahmed Siddiqi
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