apropos of anything

A raindrop in Atlanta means catastrophe on the roads. The interstates grind to a halt, and all the lovely maps on Georgia Navigator turn a blistering red, which means soon afterwards the surface streets are clogged with frenzied motorists who foolishly believe avoiding the major highways will actually get them home faster. Because of the rain, I went straight to Al-Farooq masjid after work. I’d rather sit reading in a mosque than fuming in gridlocked traffic, and Al-Farooq would feed me if I chose to eat (I never do, but the option is nice), and it was all more efficent that way.

So I went, and I read, and I pretty much didn’t pay attention to anything else that was going on, except for the iftaar and maghrib. I’m trying to make as much headway in the Quran as early as I can because I know that I’ll fall behind later in the month, and I want to build up a buffer.

But when the adhaan for isha started… I haven’t seen Mansoor since he stayed behind at the Boston airport on Labor Day. I haven’t talked to him for more than ten minutes since then either… but I know his adhaan. I knew it in the tents in Mina, and I knew it tonight, even when I thought he was out of town. Hearing it made me a little teary because Ramadan is a time for friends and family, and I know it’s only the first day, but I hate doing even a day of it alone, and Mansoor does a beautiful adhaan. You hear his adhaan, no matter what else you’re doing or thinking. It absolutely stops you in your tracks.

Tonight was an auspicious beginning to Ramadan, and insha’Allah, the rest of the month will continue the same way.