Allah pressed pause

Violinist and singer Ali Keeler, founder of the Al Firdaus Ensemble, reflects on the opportunity of this moment to take stock and connect with our inner most selves.This condition that the whole world has been thrown into unexpectedly is the greatest blessing I think I’ve experienced in years. This is an opportunity for people to reflect, to take stock of where we’re going. This mad, crazy, inhuman world - a greed machine that is just consuming the planet - has suddenly come to a halt. Allah has pressed the pause button. And the planet is breathing. You can hear the birds singing. And this has happened at the same time of our blessed months of Rajab and Shaban. Rajab is a time of spiritual retreat, 40 days of retreat.  This is a time to connect with Allah, with the Holy Quran, to connect with our inner most serlves, and to reflect, reflect. Alhumdulillah.This is for everyone a very difficult time economically, but it’s also a great opportunity. There’s a lot of solidarity and community, a spirit of looking after each other. This time is actually bringing people together. We have the benefit of technology to help us keep in contact. And family, I’ve never spent such quality time with my family. Last year was crazy, I was traveling so much, I’m just enjoying so much spending this time with my family ... and watching Ertugrul.Ali shared with me his recitation of Surah Mariam, one of the most beautiful recitations I've heard. He studied tajweed, the art of Quran recitation, in Syria. Please enjoy listening to it. To read all '30 reflections for our times', please follow the Facebook page '30 days 30 deeds', Instagram @salmahasanali, or subscribe to the newsletter at www.salmahasanali.com.