Tag Archives: Ramadan

No Room in This House for Two “I”s

By Robin Bates | Published: June 28, 2015

A Rumi parable speaks to the recent killings in Kuwait City and Charleston. It shares certain themes with Barack Obama’s Friday eulogy to Reverend Pinckney.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

The First Day of the Feast Has Come

By Robin Bates | Published: July 27, 2014

A Rumi poem capturing the joy that is represented by the Ramadan feast.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , | Comments closed

A New Song Comes out of the Fire

By Robin Bates | Published: June 22, 2014

A Rumi poem for Ramadan, which begins next Saturday.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , | Comments closed

The Spirit’s Table Has Arrived from Heaven

By Robin Bates | Published: July 22, 2012

In this Ramadan poem by Rumi, fasting is seen as a way of escaping the body.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

Like a Reed, Open Yourself to God’s Breath

By Robin Bates | Published: July 15, 2012

Rumi says that Ramadan is a time when, by emptying our bellies, we open up a path to spirit.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments closed

Stretch Your Nets to Harvest the Fog

By Robin Bates | Published: August 28, 2011

When one has been fasting for Ramadan, one becomes attuned to spiritual dimensions of the world that elude our full-bellied selves. Kazim Ali captures the experience in a number of his poems.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments closed

The Hunger Inside You, Hold It

By Robin Bates | Published: August 21, 2011

American Muslim poet Kazim Ali explores the spiritual dimensions of fasting in his poetry collection “Fasting for Ramadan.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

Ramadan – The Self Lightens

By Robin Bates | Published: August 7, 2011

Poet Nomi Stone, while studying an ancient Jewish community in Tunisia, also attempted to understand the Muslim neighbors. “Many Scientists Convert to Islam” describes her exploration of Ramadan.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

God’s Plenitude: A Nest Full of Stars

By Robin Bates | Published: August 14, 2010

Spiritual Sunday Recently I asked Ugandan Farida Bag, a regular reader of this website, whether it was appropriate to wish her a Happy Ramadan, the month-long Islamic observance that started this past week. She sent back the following lovely letter, along with a food poem. Farida’s appreciation of the poem serves as evidence that the […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed