By Poornima Marh, TwoCircles.net
Mohammed Ali Vakil, 36, is currently serving as the Director at Vakil Housing and Calm Achiever. He is also a Master trainer in Getting things done methodology. He is the co-author of Sufi Comics: Rumi, 40 Sufi comics and the wise fool of Baghdad. As a child, he attended the local community Madrasah in Dubai, where he learnt spiritual and moral stories from Islamic history, that was his inspiration for creating Sufi Comics. He also enjoys web designing and digital art and through his work is trying to make the values of Islamic spirituality accessible to a wider audience.
Ali grew up in Dubai, and moved to Bangalore in 2002. About Ramadan he says, “I started fasting when I was 13 years old. I used to do it before but not for the whole month, but I have been fasting for the whole month since I was 13. I remember as a child it was a very exciting month, the experience of doing something new and having a new routine, that itself is fun to have. Everything would change, our cuisines would change, school timings would change. We would go to school late, come home early, so we had more time for ourselves. Eating less food meant there was more time to play. After breaking the fast it was very festive. As a kid, it was fun for sure. I also remember, we used to have special sessions at the mosque during Ramazan, where a speaker would come and spend some time talking about a particular subject, or opening up a part of the faith, that was important.
Now most of my year is often very busy, I’m caught up with various projects. This is a time, that helps me to break from routine and slow down a little. Often times I like keeping myself busy, always trying to push myself, lets work on a new project or lets do something new. I love being busy, so it’s just that habit of taking on new things. But, during Ramazan it’s different, you tend to think and reflect more, than just being busy all the time. This is good, we get better perspective when you slow down and reflect on oneself. It’s an important and holy month. It’s not just about fasting but how much can you use this month as a way to purify your soul. It invites you to look at your thoughts, your actions, how you speak, how you relate to people, how you can make the best choices. This month is an invitation from God.”
TCN Series: Ramadan 1439