Ramadhan around the corner

Funny how summer flew so quickly, and we're looking for Ramadhan yet again--this blessed month that makes us stop in our tracks and reflect on our daily behavior. That takes us back to the beginning of Islam.

It begins with the constant readings of the Qur'an, duas, asma ul husna...every masjid and Islamic center sets the mood, replacing songs from the radio with the remembrance of Allah. Slowly, we begin to disconnect from the fast pace of our present lifestyles. Other behaviors that follow vary greatly: I have friends who stopped wearing makeup in Ramadhan, friends who chose to have zero physical contact with other men during Ramadhan, friends who started wearing hijab, did volunteer work at soup kitchens and masjids, and the list goes on...people slow down, don't feel the need to indulge their vanities, try to make time for the needy, or even try to put aside anything that was not happening at the Prophet's time.

For me, the feeling of Ramadhan and early Islam brings lots of visions, many of which coincide with the 'sustainable' lifestyle for which aware and conscientious people are striving. I can see the prophet eating a simple meal of dates, bread, and yogurt, repairing his own torn sandles instead of throwing them out, constantly reflecting on nature in his connection to Allah, and encouraging his followers and close family members to live a similar lifestyle of simplicity. His daughter Fatima and her husband Ali were very similar: they chose worship over luxuries, had nothing that was not a basic necessity, and gave generously to all who came to their door.

As it is, we have to fight this culture hard just to pray on time every day, let alone eat only 2 or 3 kinds of food and not be walking consumerists. But I'm praying this Ramadhan, we can strengthen our connection and move one step further than last year, and the years before.

Ramadhan 2008 is going to be particularly meaningful after the food crisis this summer, and knowing how many people were really deprived of food b/c of high prices. Its not easy to fast when its still so warm outside, but knowing that it helps us connect to the greater body of humanity beyond our own local geography reminds me how very profound it is that Allah prescribed this for us. (I'll admit though, I have to make up some fasts from last year, which is in part helping to prepare me for this year.)

What does the feeling of Ramadhan and early Islam do for you?

Inequality

The Worldmapper project has interesting visual representations of the world, resized according to various criteria: population, energy consumption, poverty, etc, which make for some pretty powerful comparisons.

A regular map of the world:


Adjusted for Population:


According to wealth


According to ecological footprint


Via Professor Mark Newman, University of Michigan: website

Check out this excellent video about cradle to cradle, an incredible design philosophy subhanallah:

William McDonough: The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle

Our Minds... Treasure Without End

"Avoid cupidity (i.e. greed), for it is instant poverty."
-Prophet Muhammad PBUH

My Mind to me a kingdom is,
Such present joys therein I find,
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind;
Though much I want which most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.

No princely pomp, no wealthy store,
No force to win the victory,
No wily wit to salve a sore,
No shape to feed a loving eye;
To none of these I yield as thrall:
For why? My mind doth serve all.

I see how plenty surfeits oft,
And hasty climbers soon do fall;
I see that those which are aloft
Mishap doth threaten most of all,
They get with toil, they keep with fear;
Such cares my mind could never bear.

Content to live, this is my stay;
I seek no more than may suffice;
I press to bear no haughty sway;
Look, what I lack my mind supplies:
Lo, thus I triumph like a king.
Content with that my mind doth bring.

Some have too much, yet still do crave;
I little have, and seek no more.
They are but poor, though much they have,
And I am rich with little store;
They poor, I rich; they beg, I give;
They lack, I leave; they pine, I live.
-Sir Edward Dyer, 16th Century

"Consider well contentment, for it is a treasure without end."
-Prophet Muhammad PBUH

Biking the way to Hajj

Hajj season may have has passed us by a while ago, but this man's sustainable alternative to the typical Hajj travel and caravan package will be inspiring us all year long, inshAllah. Check out the story of Dzhanar-Aliev Magomed-Ali, a 63 year old Chechen villager who biked 11,838 kilometers to Mecca, Saudi Arabia and back!

Heal your home

For everyone who has seen the Story of Stuff video, you'll remember all the untested chemicals (ahem toxins) that we are constantly exposed to in our own homes!! Scary stuff, especially considering that many of the ingredients are cancer-related, and they are found in so many different places, from personal care items to air fresheners to cookware. Check out Co op America's Heal Your Home, "a one-stop shop for the articles we’ve written on nontoxic living over the past few years, from finding least-toxic paints and stains to making your own green cleaners to detoxing your entire bedroom. " Just one more reason why I'll have to go back to my dear Baba and profess his genius in using lemon juice, apple cider, and baking soda for the stuck-on grease...

green by design

I was reading this article for a class and wanted to share: it raises some stimulating points that force us to look beyond the immediate "eco-efficiency" of several industries to the long-term, which is a whole new design-perspective of how our world could be.

check out the article here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199810/environment


In response to the article, some will say that our human civilization is bound to produce some toxins if we continue to more forward rather than backward in a technological sense, but I'm way too enthusiastic about our possibilities to indulge in that thought. The article also reminds me of the treasure Allah gave us in nature: it is at once self-regulating and perfectly efficient, all without our help. Subhanallah, no wonder Allah tells us repeatedly in the Qur'an to observe the natural processes (such as water cycle and the growth of plants) to understand him.