Eid 2019

Today is Eid, the first day of Shawwal 1440. I am here in Iligan, two hundred kilometers away from my family. I woke up at 5AM, changed into my prayer clothes, and waited for two hours at an unfamiliar mosque somewhere in the city. The Eid prayers started at 7:15. I left the mosque at 7:45, changed into work clothes, and ate my breakfast in the car as we rode our way into Marawi.

I’ve seen the photos and the footages but they pale in comparison to the actual heartbreak of seeing the battered city with your own eyes. I look at Marawi and I see another place. I see Palestine, Syria, Yemen. I see not the city that once was but the fading memory of lives that have passed. It is strange but I taste the sorrow in the air. I may have not seen Palestine, Syria, or Yemen but I feel that the pain would not be much different.

And in a flash, I thought of Sudan. I thought of my dear friend, Hamid, and I was filled with a strong sense of dread. To love is to be weak; and Hamid has so much love for his country it scares me what that love could do to him.

This Eid is my most emotional one so far. I do not pray often. I am honest about that. Usually when I do, I end up crying. Today, I cried a lot. I promise that I will try to pray more than I shed tears. I am scared and anxious but I will continue to hope. Halfway around the world, it is all I could do.

We live and we die; for nothing is more certain than death. But each day we have is a promise and a chance to make a difference. Fortunate are those who can actually do so. I may not be able to do that but I promise to always try.

Today is Eid, the first day of Shawwal 1440. I am in Iligan but my heart beats strong oceans away, with the brave young man whose weapons are his words and whose courage is his shield. He will not fight alone. I can do nothing else but to help spread the news and let the world know what is happening.

Prayers and thoughts, Sudan. I am with you.