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This Ramadan 041culture columnist Mvume Ndimba shares some life lessons he has gained from keeping his mind and heart open to the beliefs of others. 

Before I begin, let me start by stating that my opinions on the Muslim community are mine and mine alone, this is my personal experience and is in no way the opinion of a representative of the Muslim community or the 041 Online Magazine in any way. 

With the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the massive loss of life currently plaguing our planet it would be irresponsible of me to continue writing about the month of Ramadan without sparing a prayer for the brothers and sisters in Palestine now with no way of escaping, for the brothers and sisters fighting for their lives, attempting to preserve their home and way of life. I personally do not have an opinion worth voicing on the matter as I am neither Jewish nor am I a Muslim, I am merely one human being, watching my fellow human beings lose their lives in what we can only refer to as one of the greatest human tragedies ever witnessed on our planet. It is so tempting to look back only a year or two back and call that the start of the conflict, however the fact of the matter is blood has been shed in this region since the mid 1930’s. That’s a long time, that’s a lot of lost life. So please, whatever you believe and whoever you pray to, please send a prayer to the families who have lost loved ones. On either side of the conflict, everyone needs our love, our support and our prayers. 

Now back to the story! 

It’s Ramadan! And if you are anything like me, you’re counting down the days til the new moon because you know that when Eid comes around we’re gonna EAT! 

I often write from my own personal experience and perspectives and this is no different, being a person who loves talking to people who are different to me, I made some close friends who happen to practise Islam and every year I already know as soon as Eid comes around it’s time to get our snack on! This year, I am drawn to a memory from Eid 2015. 

At my friend Dawood’s house (Name changed to protect their identity) his little brother and sister played in the yard while myself, Zamo and Dylan sat in the lounge playing Fifa. After choosing to hand over the controller (Because when it comes to Fifa I’m really HIM) I sat back and looked around at uncle Saith’s newly renovated home with a sewing set up in the detached rooms behind the garage (name changed to protect his son from getting his ass beat. You’re never too old to get your ass beat by your parents and there is no statute of limitations on hidings)  

I had a thought… “I never seen this man work, how is he getting money like this!?” 
As my mind bounced around between the numerous illegal and immoral ways I personally knew of to get your money up a small black book on the end table to my right jumped out at me… it was a Quran… I had never read this book before and I was in no mental state to read any holy book given my post “walk” and boeber state. But I thought “fuck it” and got to reading. 

Before I could get too far in the book, another uncle, we’ll call him Raheem because I don’t remember his name, came up to me and asked me what I was reading. 
“The Quran” I replied, trying hard to avoid looking up at him because my eyes just had “walk” written all over them in red ink. 

He gave me a little game about religion, gave me the basic success story version of what his religion is about and asked me about my studies, I gave my response, as did the rest of the room and he said something in that moment that never really left my mind. That statement, though generic and said almost like a throw away comment, enlightened me to something that seemed so obvious but once said out loud it kinda shook something loose in me. 

He said “Dont give up on your studies. Its a few years of sacrifice for a lifetime of freedom” 
At the time this meant little more than just generic advice from an older person to a younger person.
But I heard the advice again a week ago, as my barber and I discussed the mechanics of fasting, he made a similar statement, perhaps not as elegantly and poetically as uncle Raheem but his point was simply, do what you can and watch it come back to you tenfold, in his Nigerian accent he explained how the only tough part was to change his inner dialogue when looking at women, to suppress his sexual instinct and attempt to deal with them based on their spirit and soul and not by the curve of her hips. 

As he applied ispirit to my neck and head he thanked me for my patronage and we went our separate ways. Besides leaving me with a sudden urge to run errands and be outside a little more, he left me with a basic understanding of the importance of this time, not just for Muslims because Christians also have their period of sacrifice called Lent. The Jewish community also has their days of fast where they sacrifice for God’s sake. And even myself as a Xhosa man had to go through my own period of suffering in order to earn the right to be seen, spoken to and addressed as a man by my own people. A life without sacrifice is empty. If you’ve never lost anything that you valued, you can never appreciate receiving something that you value. 

It is a moment in life where you are as close to God as humanly possible. You learn how little you need to survive day to day and when you are comfortable with the things you truly need to live another day you begin to appreciate the excess in your life, the extras that make your life richer. 

I want to wrap up by sharing a quote from that book i read 9 years ago, still high from a 5 game unbeaten streak and a tactical pre-snack “walk” “Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful.”

When you find yourself in the midst of an involuntary “fast” from the things in your life that you possess in excess, when you find yourself unable to buy that thing this month, to visit that place this year, or eat that food this weekend. Remember that God wants your life to be easy.

God wants to survive the “fast” and when you find yourself with a bank balance that makes it easy for you to buy that thing, see that place and tip that waiter at the spot this weekend, give God the glory and be grateful at all times. 

Ramadan Mubarak to all of our Muslim readers. And to the rest of you, if you are invited to celebrate Eid with your Muslim friends. Please go! They get busy in the kitchen and they ALWAYS make too much food so a takeaway is guaranteed! 

Mvume Ndimba is a podcaster and writer, who describes himself as a “Young professional, new father and lifelong conspiracy theorist, who’s seen everything the city has to offer and eagerly seeks out more” His podcast (Before You Go) is a window into the things he finds interesting and with his column, he aims to take an “out of the ordinary approach to ordinary things”. He says: “You might not always agree with me, but ask yourself… did I lie?