Main content
06/06/2016
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rania Hafez, a senior lecturer in education at the University of Greenwich.
Last on
Mon 6 Jun 2016
05:43
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4
Script:
Good morning
It’s always lovely to wake up to a hopefully bright June morning, and a lovely cup of tea. Except that for nearly 2 million of our friends and neighbours across Britain today there won’t be any tea or even toast for breakfast. You see today is the first day of Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer, charity and hopefully a great degree of self-control. And that last one is probably what a lot of us struggle with most. Not the self-control of not eating and drinking, strangely enough we get used to that even on these particularly long days when we’re totally parched and exhausted and yet somehow still manage to hang on till the late sunset to have the first cup of tea of the day. And trust me that’s invariably my toughest challenge! Nothing I miss more than my morning cup of tea in Ramadan.
No, the self-control I'm talking about is the one we’re asked to exercise over our negative emotions; temper, greed, envy, selfishness. All the negative drivers that, without us even realising, colonise our hearts and minds and exert a great deal of control over us. In Ramadan we’re charged with recognising where these traits lurk deep in our souls and firmly but gently sweeping them away. It is through the acts of prayer, charity, and even through thirst and hunger that we aspire to become better versions of ourselves.
So on this June Monday, whether you’re observing Ramadan or not, it’s time for a late spring clean: We can open the windows to our souls, let in the sunshine and sweep away all the negativity that’s been holding us back.
Wise gentle God, grant us the strength and wisdom to recognise, affirm, and celebrate what is good in ourselves and others. Amen.
It’s always lovely to wake up to a hopefully bright June morning, and a lovely cup of tea. Except that for nearly 2 million of our friends and neighbours across Britain today there won’t be any tea or even toast for breakfast. You see today is the first day of Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer, charity and hopefully a great degree of self-control. And that last one is probably what a lot of us struggle with most. Not the self-control of not eating and drinking, strangely enough we get used to that even on these particularly long days when we’re totally parched and exhausted and yet somehow still manage to hang on till the late sunset to have the first cup of tea of the day. And trust me that’s invariably my toughest challenge! Nothing I miss more than my morning cup of tea in Ramadan.
No, the self-control I'm talking about is the one we’re asked to exercise over our negative emotions; temper, greed, envy, selfishness. All the negative drivers that, without us even realising, colonise our hearts and minds and exert a great deal of control over us. In Ramadan we’re charged with recognising where these traits lurk deep in our souls and firmly but gently sweeping them away. It is through the acts of prayer, charity, and even through thirst and hunger that we aspire to become better versions of ourselves.
So on this June Monday, whether you’re observing Ramadan or not, it’s time for a late spring clean: We can open the windows to our souls, let in the sunshine and sweep away all the negativity that’s been holding us back.
Wise gentle God, grant us the strength and wisdom to recognise, affirm, and celebrate what is good in ourselves and others. Amen.
Broadcast
- Mon 6 Jun 2016 05:43Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4
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